Adelaide Hills family raises ‘Buddy’, a fallow deer, as a household pet
Meet Buddy — his best friend is a sheltie, his housemates are a Hills family, and his favourite sport is basketball. Oh, and he’s a 10-month-old fallow deer who somehow became an Adelaide pet.
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He’s house-trained, loves playing fetch with his two sheltie brothers, and is often found snuggled up on his owner’s bed after long day.
By all accounts, Buddy – a 10-month old fallow deer – is just like your everyday pet, but even his owner Leila admits he’s anything but.
Buddy, who was born on a deer farm and abandoned after birth, currently lives with his adoptive family in the Adelaide Hills, where he has become a popular community attraction. He even has his own Facebook page with close to 1800 followers.
But despite his popularity, Buddy – who weighs 70kg and is the same size as a fully-grown Great Dane – was never meant to become a permanent pet.
“I had Buddy since December. Dad brought him over when he was only two days old and said he needed looking after for a little while, so I thought why not,” Leila said.
“I’m a teacher and it was summer school holidays, so I had some time, but it was the dogs who bonded with him instantly.
“Now, he’s become such a big part of the family that we struggle with the thought of letting him go. I love him and so do the dogs.”
While life with Buddy is mostly blissful, Leila said the young deer had a cheeky side.
“House-training him was difficult and frustrating. I have wooden floors and you can still see a few marks and he’s also wet my bed. But he’s getting better and hasn’t done it for a long time,” Leila said.
“The other thing he does is, he loves old paper, so any of the old books on my shelf he goes straight to them.
“He’s also quite literally eaten my homework. Originally, I could just pull it off him, but now he sees me coming and we end up running around the table in circles.
“Also, because he explores with his mouth, he has chewed on a few of my electric toothbrushes, and destroyed a few phone chargers.”
Leila said those contemplating adopting a deer, should consider rules and regulations.
“They are definitely an interesting pet and are very gentle and loving. But they are not like a regular dog and need special handling,” she said.
“They can be flighty, and the boys should be castrated because when they go into mating season they might hurt you without meaning to.
“The other thing to consider is big fences, because when they get spooked, they jump.
“Getting a pet deer is not something you should take on lightly.”
Follow Buddy on social media at facebook/buddythefallowdeer