by Annie M Manzi

Created on: February 27, 2010   Last Updated: March 10, 2010

Deer are not endearing creatures to me. They are pests who feast on my gardens and landscaping making me angry enough to wish I was a hunter not a gatherer. So that is why I have a dog. Bailey is supposed to take care of the critter problem and keep the deer from our yard. (I know that he won’t hurt the deer, he never has.) Our dog is a big fast Lab and Doberman mix and he is smart. He knows where his kibble comes from or so I thought.

Lately I have been watching him when deer come into our yard. I will call out “Bailey! Deer!” and he will barrel out of the house, stand on the porch and look for the interlopers. The deer will pick their heads up and look at him warily. “Go get ‘em” I say quietly and he jumps off the landing at a dead run and heads for the biggest deer letting the younger and smaller ones get away easily. They all split into different pathways and Bailey always chooses the same deer to chase; the big doe. I see a comedy of trotting deer and Bailey criss-crossing the back of our property where the blueberry bushes and various trees have taken over. There doesn’t seem to be any rush on any of the animal’s part and Bailey will sometimes get distracted by a mouse, but all-in-all the deer are temporarily out of my yard.

Something is wrong here. There is no urgency. Sure, the deer are not in my yard anymore, but what is going on? What am I missing here? But as I look closer at the whole scenario I realize that it is more of a dance than of a pursuit.  Something is not right. Bailey runs back to me with his tongue flopping out and he has a silly grin on his face. I am not sure what is going on, but this plays itself out several times every summer. Yet I still have lots of deer damage on my plants.

I must be dim or something, but I realized this winter that Bailey has a pact with the deer. He leaves them alone and will only put on a show of chasing them if I am outside. Otherwise they are all out there happily coexisting side by side. This winter he let a whole herd bed down in my front yard and munch on my landscaping around the house. He also let this big buck lay down in our shed on top of some old hay we had there. HE NEVER BOTHERED THEM! That is, unless I was outdoors or sent him after them and then the big show would start up again.

Yes, I realize now that it has been this elaborate play that is put on for my benefit. I suppose I should be disgusted with my dog, after all he is supposed to be keeping the area clear of these annoying yet lovely creatures. But I am amazed at the apparent fact that he is a deer lover and he has an “understanding” with them. And he is willing to let them eat gourmet food at my expense. Hmmm, maybe I am not all that understanding after all ….

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