I think beginning by mentioning I was raised in the city is appropriate at this juncture. We had raccoons and foxes that would come by on occasion but wildlife was not a visible daily occurrence in Denver. Upon moving to Michigan I had seen raccoons, possums, and groundhogs, but my first encounter with a deer was the first day of hunting season in 2010 when I was surprised and delighted to see a many point buck taking refuge in my fenced backyard. He stayed for a couple of hours and I never saw him again. This sighting might not seem amazing to many but I still live in the city!
Neighborhood doe who would not go
Fast forward to this Spring…It was early May and upon alert from my puppy, Finn, my heart leapt as I looked out my kitchen window to see a beautiful doe in my yard sweetly snacking on the new buds at the tips of the trees. I figured this one, similar to the large buck, would do her thing and take off back to the comforting forest. She didn’t. Each day she would come and snack only to be chased over the fence by the dogs. I figured it was time to give her a name like the other creatures that frequent my yard and called her Fiona.
Finn tries to protect his property
So, being the naïve woman I am, mid-May I planted my gardens and was in the process of watching my favorite plants pop their heads out from the ground to greet the sun and warmth. And then it happened! I awoke to what could only be described as abject destruction! Every Hasta was eaten to the ground, every pansy, petunia, and daisy I planted ceased to exist, and I can hardly mention that every raspberry flower had been consumed. Who knew a single deer could eat so much and in one night!
After the shock and heartbreak of watching my hard work go for naught, I did what we all do and entered the acceptance that my Spring was going to be filled with Fiona instead of plants. And filled it has been! I had been under the assumption that she was only after the lovely treats in my yard but soon realized it was more than that. Fiona, for reasons still unknown to me, developed a friendship with my dog, Finn. At first I couldn’t understand why his incessant barking did not scare her away and then I watched with joy as they ran up and down the fence line together.
“Fiona” comes by for a neighborly chat
Even more confounding was her growing curiosity about ME! I would come towards the fence to get a better look and she wouldn’t flinch, only stomp the ground as if to warn me not to come any closer. Every day she came for a visit and Finn and I sat on our side of the chain link and conversed with Fiona, him barking and me cooing to her about her beauty. The more I talked to her the more she seemed to enjoy the sound of my voice and she would look at me and gently bow her head in my direction. I took this to mean she was calling me friend and I tried to imitate her movements to convey the same to her.
So, here we are. It is now summer, Finn and Fiona still play
along the fence and her and I still talk and bow our heads in respect. Her
voracious appetite has mellowed or there is just more to consume in the woods.
I have moved from acceptance into daily joy of this strange new relationship
forged between species and I think to myself…WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!
