Dillie

Dillie the deer acts just like a house-trained dog as she

walks up the stairs and lounges around on her owner's

bed. Living with vet Melanie Butera, in Canal Fulton,

Ohio, four-year-old Dillie is so spoiled she is served

linguine in bed.

She has even managed to work out where a deer that

lives in a house should go to do her business.

House trained: Dillie the deer polishes off a plate of

linguine in her owners' master bedroom

Taking full advantage of Melanie and her husband Steve's

generous hospitality, Dillie even gets to enjoy their swimming

pool and five acres of property on which to run around on.

Living with the Buteras since she was three days old, Dillie

now knows how to turn lights on and off and how to take ice

from the dispenser in the fridge.

'We took a call from a local farmer at 3 am one wintry night,'

said Melanie, 48. 'Dillie's mother was not taking to her and

he asked if we wanted to try to nurse her back to health...

'We put her on an IV drip because she weighed four pounds

and got her back up and running after around two weeks.

'We then realised that she couldn't go back to the farm

and live with the other deer and she couldn't live with

our horses because they scared her too much.'

Deer's best friend: Dillie plays around with Lady, the

dog of the house

Leaving her in the capable hands of her eight-year-old

poodle Lady, Melanie decided that Dillie was going to

become the Butera household's latest pet.

'She developed cataracts and this meant that she had to

be cared for in a sensitive manner,' explained Melanie.

'She would hang around Lady and she very quickly

learned to act like a dog.

'This became apparent to us when we came home one

day and couldn't find her downstairs.

'We walked upstairs and found her standing on our bed

with Lady. She had obviously learned a few tricks from

the old dog.'

Family: Dr Melanie Butera and her husband Steve

Heathman share their bed in their home in Canal Fulton,

Ohio, with Dillie and Lady

Dillie slept for the first few years at the Buteras' home in

their bed with Lady.

'I suppose it was quite a cute get together, said Melanie.

'Me, my husband, Dillie and Lady all sharing the same bed.

'My husband Steve always liked the way that Dillie would

warm his feet up when she lied on them.'

Fully house-trained, Dillie now wears a GPS collar due to

a frightening runaway incident last year.

'She went missing because a gate was left open on our

property when she was out roaming,' said Melanie.

'So we got this collar fitted to her to keep our minds at

ease.'

Enjoying a wide variety of meals, Dillie's favourite is ice

cream and coffee, topped with frozen ice shavings.

Stairway to heaven: Dillie has the run of the house, and

has even learned how to use the toilet

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*Contributed by my amazing aunt River Eyes