Rudie the deer can keep pace with anyone
in his family.
Yep, when it comes
to running, Rudie is fearless.
Except around echidnas.
They kinda freak him out.
Rudie’s fearless spunk
is all thanks to his rowdy family
and one special dog,
who guided him through the toughest challenge he’s ever faced.
He was only 2 days old when a farmer found him alone
in the woods, hurt and missing part of his leg.
It was a pretty scary time,
but that farmer rushed Rudie straight to the animal hospital,
where they saved his life.
Rudie was out of danger,
but he was still feeling frightened and kinda sad.
He couldn’t be a wild deer with only three legs.
So he needed somewhere safe to live
and someone to take care of him while he healed.
A nurse at the animal hospital saw
that the frightened deer needed love.
She told Rudie he could join her family, and adopted him.
From the moment he arrived, Rudie could tell
his new home would be a special place
with lots of love
because he’d actually have two moms, the one who adopted him
and Keira, the border collie.
She’s the special dog I mentioned earlier.
While Rudie healed, Keira
was always nearby, comforting the nervous deer
and encouraging him like he was her own puppy,
which made Rudie start to believe everything was going to be OK.
But he still had a big obstacle
to overcome: learning to walk.
Baby deer already don’t have great balance,
and for Rudie, it was going to be extra challenging.
But Mom had an idea.
She found Rudie a harness so she could support him
while he practiced walking and make sure he didn’t fall.
And it worked.
Rudie’s balance got better and better,
until he could run.
Rudie.
Rudie, slow down. You are going too fast.
Whew. Banana break!
And a quick stretch.
Gotta stay flexible.
But Rudie’s comeback wasn’t finished yet.
His human mom had helped him learn to run,
and now Rudie’s dog family
would teach him some moves of their own.
Dog moves.
That’s right, Keira
isn’t the only dog in this family.
And these dogs were going to help Rudie feel wild by teaching him
the Push-The-Giant-Bucket-Around-The-Yard Game!
Rule number one of Push-The- Giant-Bucket-Around-The-Yard Game is...
ummmm...
ok, looks like...
Hmm. Never mind.
I cannot explain this game because the rules are beyond human comprehension.
It’s not meant for us.
Still, with the help of his dog friends,
Rudie learned how to be fearless,
to act wild and free
and how to run with almost anyone.
Nope.
Anyone but him.
Not. Happening.
Sometimes all you need to get through a tough time is one really good friend,
but if you’re lucky like Rudie, you get a whole family of friends
who will always stick by you, wherever it is you’re running to.