I am raising came to me almost dead, seems some deer
will leave a weak twin behind, and this one was found
dehydrated and barely alive. Some friends brought her
to me and she was barely 10 inches high, but I got her
to drink a combo of goats milk and yogut a few ounces
the first day. Then the next day she drank almost 15
ounces, and Memo named short for the weekend I got her
on Memorial Day weekend began her life and I became her
parents. The first few months were tough, seeings she
needed help using the bathroom, and with the help of an
aloe lotion I applied, she learned to lick her self
clean. I kept her on a leash that was a 25 foot
retractable type and allowed her to run more, but she
got used to walking with the dogs and sometimes chasing
each other. I feed alot of deer where I live that
doesn't allow gun hunting and land owners can keep the
bow hunters out, so the population is big. I find that
if you feed them they leave your plants around your
house alone, so I provide 400 pounds of feed a month to
the deer and 30 pounds of bird seed for the birds also.
She is now 6 months old and me, her and the dogs take
alot of walks or runs... she no longer on a leash, I
just keep a filed down bright orange collar on her for
her protection, seeings deer hunters recognize this as
being a pet deer. Its neat when her and I take walks
in the woods, all the critters like squirrels aren't as
scared of me when a deer walks up to me and licks my
hand. I have had other deer walk within 5 feet of me
just to check out Memo and they usually smell of her and
I guess smell human on her and try and kick her and scare
her away and she usually runs behind me with her tail in
the air. I am going to post updates on this page as she
grows up. She has helped my health out alot, I take
daily walks with her and they are usually over a mile or
more through the woods and she follows me like a dog
would follow you. She lives below the deck, which is
40 feet by 10 feet deep and about 5 feet height, which is
hard on me seeings I am 6'2", lol, tho I manage not to
knock my head off, but its her home. its has a lattice
wall around it, this gives her protection and its hay
lined for her to keep warm. I added another picture
of Memo when she tried to go under a barbed wire fence,
I used aloe lolion on it to help and she healed ok.
Update; January 20th 2011
I added a few more pictures Of Memo and these include
Memo in the house as she explored and went over to a
chair where the dogs were and licked them. The last
picture is a closeup I took of her while I was
sitting and petting her, I think she was trying to
eat the camera...
Update; March 10th 2011
Memo is FREE, I set her free without a collar on my
Birthday February 27th and she comes around daily.
I also notice she still sleeps in the area I kept her
in, I have the area open to her. I also keep the water
and food bowls full too. When I take my daily walks
she is by my side running and appears to be having fun.
Memo and the dogs still play daily, its like another
dog in the family, when I call the dogs to come in Memo
is first in line to come in. At the deer feeder and out
on our walks I see the other deer trying to get to know
Memo and a few bucks try and follow her too, but Memo
appears to be a bit shy to them. Posting a few new
pictures too. I'll post another update soon.
Update; June 7th, 2011
Memo has joined an area herd of deer, several bucks
and doe's and even a new born fawn in the herd. She
still brings her friends by daily for the deer food I
put out for them and she still has food and water
under the deck she still uses, but rarely spends the
night there any more. She spends time with me while
they are eating and when they leave she leaves
with them. I have a field beside my home that my
neighbor keeps mowed and this is where the deer lay
down in the afternoon, alot of shady places for them
to relax. I kept the collar on until she was a year
old and its off her now and only reason I had it on
was I soaked it in pet flea and tick protection. I
tried some frontline on her and she is the most tick
free deer in the herd. When she comes to me she will
let me pick ticks off her and she still loves her neck,
head, and shoulders rubbed. I have a device called
an "O 'Tom" for picking ticks off her, its a miniture
version of a nail puller, and was sold at a pet store
for dogs. All I ever wanted for Memo was for her to
have a chance in this world and be able to grow up in
her world and she is living her world. She has friends
she hangs with and who knows one of those two bigger
bucks that sits with her alot may be her boy friend.
I have been feeding the deer for over 5 years and I live
in the woods and my home has beautiful flowers and herbs
growing, not chewed down like those who don't feed the deer.
And its not just the deer the plants have to worry about,
there are alot of rabbits too. But at the deer feed station
I have in my yard I see all kinds of critters enjoying the
feed and staying away from my yard plants. We lost one of
our dogs a few weeks ago and buried him in a pet cemetary
near the house, Memo and Buddy the chihuahua were close and I
have found her some days laying by Buddy's grave. And Joy
my other chihuahua goes to visit him at his grave too. Memo
is social, when friends and family come by she comes by and
visits too with them, she is one of the family and don't want
to be left out. If she would be coming home all beat up like
some made me believe would happen I would be more worried about
her, but each time I see her she looks fine and healthy too.
I am going to have some major surgery soon and will be out
recovering for a while and will be back to the updates as soon
as possible. I am a surviver of Cancer, and a triple by pass
heart surgery, and now I face a stomach anerism that needs a
graff. Raising Memo kept me in better shape in all the exercise
that it takes to raise a deer. She came to me yesterday
and I could see her deer friends near and for some
reason she didn't want me to pet her, but she led me
under the deck to her home and allowed me to pet
her all I wanted too. I do find her laying under the
deck when its the hottest part of the day, while the
other deer are laying out in the field by the house,
but most of the time she is laying by her new
boyfriend in the field. When I have the surgery I
will be gone for over a week for recoverying in the
hospital, and I am going to have someone put feed
and water out daily for Memo and the deer while I am
gone. Memo has become part of the area herd and I
think she will be fine...
Update; December 13th, 2011
I wanted to update friends of Memo and I about my
health issues I mentioned at the last of my comments
I made towards Memo. I am good shape, after a
surgery that required the surgeon to break a few ribs
and a 44 staple cut from belly button around heart
side to below my shoulder area to get in to do the
surgery. I also chose to give up smoking after
smoking for over 20 years and so far I have not
smoked any yet. Memo Is usually a daily visitor to
the house, I just hooked up her water dish that keeps
the water from freezing in it for her water. And was
under the deck area of her home yesterday putting out
fresh food and she was there eating. Some days when
the weather is ok, Memo and Joy my chihuahua take
walks together. I can be petting her while we are
anywhere I can sit and when gun shots,(I live a few
miles from a gun range shooting area) go off she turns
her head that way and listens, but seems to be calmed
when I pet her and let her know she is loved here.
I don't have near the visitors I normally have at the
deer feed station because the deer are eating the acorns
in the woods and its hunting season. But since I have
been raising this deer many more neighbors have put up
no hunting signs. I was out with Memo walking a few
days ago and she put her tail up in the air and pointed
out some deer near us to me. I walked her through the
area where the deer herd was and one little buck
yearling acted like it was friends with Memo, I captured
a few pictures of the two together and by the way Memo
uses her ears to show anger or happiness I seen this was
a friend. This is the same herd that I have fed most all
these deer for several years and Memo hangs with them a
lot, I am happy she has some deer to have as friends.
There are a lot of area's near the house here for her to
have a well hidden home at night and I have found her
hidden in those area's too during the day, some days she
stays near and some days she is with a herd on an
adventure and comes back every few days. I'll post a few
more new pictures and keep all updated on her progress
through time, my email is tom55ark@hotmail.com, if you
would like to email comments to me(just put Memo the
deer in the subject line.)
Tom
Update; February 27th, 2012
Its been a year since I took off Memo's collar
and she still comes by daily with another single
deer or even a buck that hangs on the edge of
the woods watching or with a herd of Deer, but
daily or even every other day I get a visit from
the deer I raised and she and the dogs enjoy
visits too. I check her belly daily for a kick
from a hopeful baby brewing in her. I just
updated with some new pictures I added which
includes Happy my new female Deerhead chihuahua
meeting Memo and a family picture of Memo, Joy,
and Happy. I am in good health also, healing
from my last surgery. Taking daily walks with
the dogs and deer and taking photograph's along
the way.
Tom
December 3, 2010
