Deer Gets Stuck in a Hot Tub

Man, I’m a sucker for news stories about animals being rescued from pools and hot tubs. First there was the tale about the crocodiles getting saved from a public Australian pool. Then there was the story about a runaway bull getting stuck in a neighbor’s pool in Texas. What’s the animal, body of water, and location this time, Todd?*

How about a deer getting stuck in a hot tub in Florida.

This is starting to sound like a strange version of Clue.

A small doe burst through a fence and got itself stuck in a hot tub early on Thursday morning. After it broke through the screen, it fell into the nearby hot tub.

Homeowner Mike Wyers called for help and told authorities that the deer seemed to have been knocked unconscious. Once it regained consciousness, it became apparent that the deer could not get out unassisted.

Deputies arrived and tried to keep the deer calm as they attempted to extract her from the water. They initially tried to use a blanket over her eyes to keep her relaxed but once the blanket got wet, it negatively affected the animal’s ability to breathe.

At that point, the deputies held the doe’s head and neck in a stable position and waited for a trapper to arrive.

The trapper (George Lontakis) helped the officer pull the doe out by her feet. Once she figured out that the men were trying to help her, she seemed to calm down. Homeowner Michael Wyers said, “She didn’t put up a fight at all.”

Once out, the deer took a minute to get oriented, seeming less than sure-footed upon making it onto the other side of the fencing. Although the video doesn’t show it, the deer did eventually get its bearings and ran off into a nearby wooded area.

One of the deputies, Timothy McTaggart from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department, said this was a new experience for him. “I’ve been in law enforcement for nearly 25 years and I’ve never received a call like this. I immediately responded to take care of the deer. That became my priority.”

The Wyers’ may need to reconsider their fencing set up seeing as this isn’t the first time they’ve had unwelcome critters in their water. On three separate occasions, they’ve had alligators get into the pool. The cost of living in sunny Florida, I suppose.

*I have no idea who “Todd” is. Sounds like a game show host, though.