Social media is home to so many adorable animal videos that warm your heart. Even on the worst days, a cute dog or cat post can turn it around. One Instagram account is @brownhikingtrails, which posts cute videos of their dogs, cats, and deer, like this one here. You might be wondering if you read that correctly—yes, they post about their pet deer. Read here to learn more about their deer, Benny, and their family dynamic.
Deer generally belong in the wild.
©Omar F Martinez/Shutterstock.com
Benny the Deer
The account @brownhikingtrails is run by Lorrie Brown, and she posts about the everyday life of her and her array of pets around the house. She lives in a beautiful forest area that is home to so much wildlife. This environment is perfect for her pets to explore and hike in. Some of her videos feature her hikes, silly moments outside with her pets, or lazy moments like the one above. In the video linked above, Benny the deer is lying comfortably on a dog bed with some golden retrievers and cats. All the animals are sleeping peacefully, cozy and warm, inside on a cold December day. If this isn’t picturesque, I don’t know what is!
It appears that Benny the deer is not the first deer Brown has cared for, but rather one of several she has helped nurse into adulthood. While this is a humane way to care for deer, keeping them as ‘pets’ is neither common nor recommended. Deer can become accustomed to people if raised from a young age, but they are not truly domesticated. Keeping deer in captivity can be dangerous for their health, as extreme stress from handling or confinement can lead to a potentially fatal condition called capture myopathy, which is death due to stress, such as constant exposure to people, whom deer view as threats.
However, Benny seems to be content with their life, with plenty of time outside in nature to relax. It is not unheard of for deer to become attached to humans, especially if they are raised from birth. When raised from the time they are fawns, deer can view the humans who feed and protect them as sources of care. Benny is a heartwarming example of this kindness, resulting in some truly adorable videos.
