Rescued deer who thinks he is a DOG lives in a bungalow and has learned how to open the FRIDGE
Stag curls up on people's laps, eats from a dog bowl, and loves nothing more than drinking from the toilet
IT'S a dog's life for one confused DEER who is convinced he is a CANINE and loves nothing more than drinking from the toilet.
However the barking mad stag has one advantage over his four-legged friends, as he has somehow learned to open the FRIDGE.
Bramble, who is 10-years-old and was rescued as a youngster, lives in a bungalow with his loving owner Geoff Grewcock and his four dogs.
Geoff owns a Jack Russell, a Lakeland Terrier, a Yorkshire Terrier and a Yorkshire Terrier crossed with a Bichon Frise.
The stag has developed his dog-like ways from growing up with the canines.
Geoff, 66, owns Nuneanton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, and has told how Bramble loves nothing more than curling up on the sofa, eating from his dog bowl, and lapping up water from the toilet.
The animal lover's home is on the site of the sanctuary in Nuneaton, Coventry, and his pet deer lives with him and his family in his bungalow.
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Geoff said: "He's like a little child, it's the only way to describe him.
"He even curls up with the dogs, we have four.
"He's got so much character, he's one of the family now."
He added: "He loves gazing out the window and watching people go by.
"He'll lie down in front of the TV and watch Springwatch with us and the dogs.
"He even raids the fridge for vegetables as he's a vegetarian and anything he doesn't like he drops on the floor for the dogs.
"He'll go up and greet friends and neighbours at the gate, he just gets on with everyone.
"Once I even caught him having a snooze on my bed!"
Bramble has been known to sneak into Geoff's bedroom to take on nap on his bed, and will also pinch fruit from the living room when he isn't looking.
A few weeks ago Geoff even caught vegetarian Bramble raiding the fridge.
The animal rescuer said: "I found him raiding the kitchen cupboards and fridges for food, so we have to keep a close eye on him now.
"Most of the other animals are alright with him, but Leo the parrot doesn't like him causing trouble in his shed.
"He lives at the other end of the garden, but if Bramble goes in and tries to steal his food we can hear him from the house shouting 'F*** off, Bramble.'
"I think one of the volunteers must have said it quietly once and Leo's just picked it up.
"Bramble's real problem is although he hasn't got antlers, he still thinks he does so tries to scratch them and knocks everything over inside."
Geoff found Bramble after dog walkers discovered him in the woods in 2005 covered in scratches at two weeks old.
Geoff tried to release Bramble into the wild once he had recovered but was told he would be shot within three years if he did.
Geoff said: "We managed to get him out of the coma and hand-reared him.
"We tried to release him into the wild, but in a deer park he might only have had a three year life span.
"In captivity they can live up to 17 years.
"I wasn't going to hand-rear him and then let him be culled in a deer park when he's three.
"He's one of the family."
The loving deer owner said: "Bramble really is brilliant now, he's just convinced he's a dog.
"Whenever it's meal time we call him over with the other dogs, and he'll out of the bowl like them.
"But you have to be careful when you're eating dinner, otherwise he'll take your veggies off your plate when you're not looking.
"I once went outside to start loading the van and thought he was in his pen, but I turned around and he wasn't there.
"I thought I had lost him, but I went inside went up to my bedroom and he had sneaked in to my room, got in to my bed and fell asleep.
"He also seems to not get out of the bathroom and laps up water from the bowl like a dog.
"I can't go in there without shutting him in with me if he has got there first because he just won't get out. You have to use the loo with him there."
