Thursday, September 4, 2008

What's Wrong With This Picture?
























Is it the well-mulched and damp-looking soil that would be oh so rare in Austin this summer?

Is it the blooming daylily in the photo, signaling that this plant is obviously not in my dirt patch yard?

Or is it that I was able to get so close to this baby deer?

Maybe another photo will help you.
















Ah, yes, it must be the harness and leash on the fawn.

My brother-in-law was working when he saw a dead mother deer by the road and heard whimpering sounds nearby. The noise was coming from the deer's baby. Despite his gruff cowboy exterior, my brother-in-law is a softy at heart and took the fawn home.

Since then, he and my sister-in-law have nursed the fawn back to health, taught it how to poop (apparently this is not an automatic thing), and are trying to teach it how to forage.

Hence, the lily offered up as an appetizer. When Lone Star didn't seem too interested in the yellow beauty, my sister-in-law offered up her hostas. She figured if the adult deers loved them, so would the fawn. Talk about sacrifice.

















The harness and leash are only to keep the fawn around when he forages until he's old enough and strong enough to join the herds of deer already in the neighborhood. He sleeps outside in a fenced-in area next to the pool equipment. The family dog, Coco, a chocolate lab, often sleeps in there with him.

















He will be joining his animal family soon. It's the right thing to do, but it will be hard to see this cute guy go.

8 comments:

  1. Since the fawn lives nearer to Houston and not in my neighborhood, I can agree with you, Vertie, that it's awfully cute.
    It takes a very generous person to offer up a hosta and a daylily, however!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  2. Darling photos. I'm just glad I can keep them out of my yard. I have enough problem with smaller critters. I dare say he'll be back for the daylilies. A friend of mine moved from Boston and planted $500 worth of lilies only to find them completely eaten by deer. She soon learnt about gardening in Texas.

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  3. That's quite an undertaking. How exactly do you teach a deer to poop? I 'm having trouble teaching my toddler so maybe I can get some pointers.

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  4. That makes me smile ... your brother and sister-in-law obviously have big hearts! I hope Lone Star will learn to forage without too much detriment to the hostas!

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  5. We raised a fawn when its mother was ran over by a car. It was the greatest pet I have ever had! Our deers name was Vinny and he slept in the house. He went outside during the day while I was working part time and as soon as I got home he would run to me for his bottle. He was the sweetest little guy(-: As he grew he also left for longer periods at a time and finally when he was one year old he left for good. We saw him around from time to time but we have not seen him in a few years now. Our Vinny was house trained and well mannered. They are really easy to train. I am sure your sister and brother in law will have a blast with Lone Star.

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  6. How cute! I'm not normally a softie for hosta- and daylily-eating deer, but that little baby is hard to resist. I'm bowled over by Cindee's comment too. A house-trained deer!

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  7. What a cute little fawn - never thought I'd read about a pet deer in a gardening blog - most deer related articles concern deer resistant plants. How kind of your family to open their garden to it.

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