This heartwarming book is filled with insights about the animal world and the powerful bond between humans and the non-human creatures who love them. And when Melanie is diagnosed with cancer, the veterinarian who saved the life of a fawn is herself saved by the unconditional love of Dillie the deer. Melanie and Steve gave Dillie a chance at life, and in return she has enriched theirs beyond measure.

Mischievous and funny, Dillie opens cabinets, learns to climb stairs, turns the lights on and off, steals food, and showers her family with affection. She has owned the Elm Ridge Animal Hospital for the past ten years and the Stark County Veterinary Emergency Clinic before that. The tenacious deer quickly became a member of the family, running around the house with the dog, the cat, and the people, and enjoying all of the perks, including her own bedroom, plates of her favorite linguini, and swims in the family’s pool. BUTERA, DVM is a veterinarian with more than twenty years of emergency experience. Melanie doubted the deer would survive, but with the help of her husband Steve she miraculously nursed Dillie back to health.

Dillie is now a member of Butera and Heathman's family, which includes their poodle Lady and cat Niffie. Before long, she became an integral part of their lives. In the summer of 2004, veterinarian Melanie Butera received an unexpected patient: a three-day-old, blind, dying fawn she called Dillie. Butera and her husband, Steve Heathman, decided to keep the fawn after successfully nursing her back to health and named her Dillie. A heartwarming and irresistible story of the profound bond between a deer named Dillie and the veterinarian who saved her life.

Dillie the Deer by Melanie Butera