Doe rescue

A Sedalia family helped a doe escape death.

But, the doe faced a fate on ice rather than at the hands of a hunter.

A neighbor called the Guerrini family about 7:30 a.m. Sunday after noticing a deer had fallen through the ice of the 15-acre lake in front of their home south of Sedalia.

The family found the deer about 20 feet from the dock, and dogs were trying to get to the animal. Dale and Jennie Guerrini said they thought the deer had fallen through the ice about 5:30 a.m., when they heard dogs barking outside.

“It was very cold and frightened,” Mrs. Guerrini said.

Icicles had formed on the doe’s face and coated its ears. Her front legs and head were out of the water, with the rest of her body submerged.

“Every time she tried to get out, the ice would break,” Mr. Guerrini said.

The Guerrinis pushed themselves onto the ice in their johnboat. Mr. Guerrini tied a rope around himself. Mrs. Guerrini held the end of the rope and gripped a pole, in case he fell through the ice.

“If you see something struggling, it’s hard to just let them go ... like that,” Mr. Guerrini said.

He went onto the ice and lassoed a rope around the doe’s neck.

“We pulled her ashore, and she just laid there,” Mr. Guerrini said. “We didn’t think she was going to make it.”

The Guerrini’s children, Joleen, 17, and Daniel, 12, fetched blankets and a hair dryer. Mr. Guerrini said they created a “cocoon of warmth” by covering the doe with a blanket and blowing warm air under it. They had a lighted Christmas tree on the dock, and were able to use the electricity to run the hair dryer.

The doe seemed frightened when the family first approached the lake, but later was very calm as people came to her aid, Mr. Guerrini said.

“I think she realized we were trying to help, and she trusted us,” he said.

The doe was warm enough to regain her strength after about two hours and she left. The Guerrinis wondered if they would ever see the doe again, but they didn’t have to wait long.

At 1:30 p.m., the family saw three does bound through their yard. One had a limp, and the Guerrinis believe it was the deer they rescued.

“It was pretty cool,” Mrs. Guerrini said.

“I thought it was amazing just seeing her come back,” Mr. Guerrini said.

Deer are often in the Guerrini’s back yard, because the family puts out food.

“I love them,” Mrs. Guerrini said. “I love to watch them.”

snail@sedaliademocrat.com