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June 03, 2010
OMG cuteness overload
Fawn Close-up, originally uploaded by palofmine2.
Here's a cute story to warm your heart on that dreariest of days, Thursday. Our hero: Sgt. Mark Fry, of Toledo's Finest:
After a pregnant deer was hit by a car May 20 on Arlington Avenue near the University of Toledo Medical Center in the city's south end, Sgt. Fry worked with the fawn by giving it CPR until it started to breathe.
Since then the Frys have taken care of the animal, nursing it back to health.
Mark and Darla Fry have called the fawn "Norman."
"Now he's a couple weeks old," Darla Fry said. "He's running around, jumping, all of the things he's supposed to do."
Aww! That junk is so sweet, my teeth hurt. But like any feel-good story, there is also a villain. In this case, it's Big Bad Mr. Government.
But it's illegal to keep a deer and that's why the Department of Wildlife came to the Frys home Wednesday morning. State wildlife officials said the fawn is a wild animal and it is not safe for the average pet owner. The state also worried about any diseases the fawn may have.
"We have to relinquish him to them (Thursday) morning or we face fines or jail time," Darla Fry said. "And if my husband goes to jail, he'll lose his job."
"I'm not handing him over, I can't," Sgt. Fry's wife added. "I can't hand him over after he fought so hard. If they would come to the door and say we won't euthanize him and would guarantee it, things would be different."
This is a fairly outlandish story, I must admit. Surely there has to be some middle ground, specifically one that doesn't involve killing the fawn.
This reminds me of a long-standing fear of mine as a child. My dog, Indiana Montana Jones Osgood, PhD, was one of the gentlest dogs you could imagine. Yet, I was often worried that he would bite some stupid kid and then get sentenced to the doggie electric chair. It was my plan that if such an event occurred, I would free Dr. Jones from the dog pound, secret him out of Ohio, where the big bad sheriff had no jurisdiction (probably to the mountains of West Virginia, where definitely nobody would look for us), and live the outlaw life. It was the perfect plan.
So, Sgt. Fry, if you really want to spare the life of Norman, get the hell out of Ohio. You live in Toledo. Michigan is like five miles away. Get to it.
[Please note: although I am a licensed attorney, I am not familiar with the laws and regulations of Ohio, particularly those concerning wildlife. Furthermore, please be advised, transporting contraband animals across straight lines is probably a violation of applicable federal statutes. Please consult your attorney before taking any further action.
But if you really loved Norman, you'd do it anyway, wouldn't you? I thought so.]
entry no. 1467
Posted at June 3, 2010 02:08 PM