Hero Dog Paddles Out Into Lake To Save Baby Deer, And Makes A New Friend

Dogs have the potential to be true heroes. They have a keen feeling of when someone is in danger and rush to their aid, whether it is a human or an animal. One dog proved this when he leapt into action to save a baby deer that was stuck in the middle of a lake. Harley, a Goldendoodle, belongs to Ralph Dorn, a retired Marine Corps pilot from Virginia.
On June 2, they were at the lake near their house when Ralph realized he couldn’t find his dog. Harley was in the water, paddling his way out to the center of the lake, when he noticed him. But when Ralph looked closer, he saw that Harley wasn’t alone — and he comprehended why the dog was in the water in the first place.

A newborn deer was struggling to come back to shore in the middle of the lake. Harley had gone to save it, and when he arrived, he began guiding the helpless fawn back to safety. “Not sure how the fawn got out there,” Ralph posted on Facebook. “But Harley certainly didn’t ask why, he just jumped into action.”

They made it back to the beach. Ralph claimed that the deer’s mother returned to retrieve it. He was ecstatic about his brave dog. Harley continued to defend the deer even when they were back on land: “Harley didn’t want to leave the fawn,” Ralph told People. “All he did was interact with it, licking it, and caring for it.”

But it turns out, Harley and the deer kept in touch. The next morning, Ralph noticed that Harley was restless, and looked out his front door… and saw the fawn, there to see Harley again.

Ralph wrote, “The tiny one stopped bleating, tail wagging, they touched noses sniffed each other, then Harley quietly returned to the house with me.” They shared a quick, emotional reunion, as if the deer wanted to thank Harley one again for saving its life. The deer then retraced its steps back to its mother. Ralph’s Facebook post detailing the tale has been shared over 253,000 times, and Harley’s story has gone global. Ralph says he’s glad the story has touched so many people, but he’s not surprised by Harley’s bravery. Harley is a therapy dog, according to him, who has worked with the elderly and children. “Even as a puppy, we could see he had such a good heart,” Ralph told People.