In the video below, Buddy the black Labrador Retriever has a heyday with a ball and his best friend, a baby white-tailed deer named Theen. They’ve known each other since Theen was found as a tiny, malnourished fawn. The family who took him in all pitched in to raise the little fellow until he was old enough to eat grass.
After all that attention, the baby white-tailed deer has formed somewhat of an attachment to his human family that also includes Buddy and some cats. Nevertheless, allowed to wander at will, Theen fits in just fine with both white-tailed deer and axis deer herds that roam near the family’s ranch. He comes home to visit, eat cat food, and play with his pal, Buddy. Unlike his wild friends, Theen doesn’t care much for deer corn.
Buddy and Theen seem to be good friends, and it’s lucky for the fawn that he was found before he died of starvation. Normally, what appears to be an abandoned fawn is nothing of the sort. Mama does hide their infants in tall grass and then move pretty far away to forage for food. This way, predators aren’t likely to be drawn to the helpless fawn. The spotted coat of the baby deer resembles the sun-dappled forest floor, and the young animal has very little scent to give away its hiding place.
Once the fawn is old enough to keep up with Mama, she quits hiding her baby and instead keeps it by her side. In most states, it is illegal to take a fawn out of the wild into your home.
Theen apparently enjoys chasing Buddy and being chased by him in return. Buddy brings the ball to the deer and dares him to take it away. Theen rears on his back legs and paws the air (and sometimes the dog) with his tiny, sharp hooves. Buddy doesn’t seem to mind!
The race around the yard accelerates and the two four-footed friends enjoy a game of catch-as-catch-can. Running and dodging each other seems to be a thoroughly fun way to spend time together, and the humans in their lives don’t interfere with their play.
So what should you do if you come upon a spotted fawn in the wild? First, just leave it be. Mama is probably somewhere nearby. If, however, it is injured or the doe is dead nearby, then call the National Wildlife Federation.
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