By John Benson
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
PARMA, Ohio — The desperate cries of swimming fawns in her pool are what Parma resident Amanda Bellamy woke up to last Sunday (Aug. 30).
“I don’t know how long they were in there,” said Bellamy, who noted a storm last year took down a fence, which previously kept deer out. “I tried to help them escape, but it was pretty chaotic.
“I didn’t know what to do to get them out. They wouldn’t come to me. I tried by myself for an hour before calling the police station. The officers were there within minutes.”
That included Parma Police Sgt. John Porec, who admitted “deer in a swimming pool” is one of the more unique calls he’s received.
“Prior to arrival, I’m thinking it’s an adult-size deer and we might have to call the fire department because we don’t necessarily have the tools,” Porec said. “When I got on scene I saw the two babies swimming in the pool.
“I’m like, these are little guys. I think we might be able to do something with this. One option was one of us getting undressed and jumping in the pool with the deer.”
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Instead, Porec was joined by patrol officers Eric Jezior, Ron Milligan and Michael Renken at the Scarlet Oak Lane home. Together using pool equipment they corralled the deer to the corner of the pool and one by one rescued the four-legged animals.
“I had a dog leash I was going to tie a slipknot to get around their body, but we were having a difficult time trying to collar them,” said Porec, who had previous deer-in-need experience rescuing a buck from being tangled in a hammock. “One of the guys joked that I wasn’t a cowboy. I’m like, ‘I am not a cowboy.’”
That’s when Jezior grabbed a deer by a leg and pulled it out of the pool. Next, Porec grabbed the other fawn’s tail and did the same.
“I wasn’t letting go,” said Porec, who noted he was viewed as a hero at home after telling his family about the deer tale. “I reached in and pulled the fawn out. We didn’t see mama deer. I’m sure she was in the area.
“We hung out to make sure they were steady on their feet. I think the fawns went into the backyard and took naps. They were pretty tired.”
The incident proved trying for Bellamy’s 5-year-old daughter, Teigan, who viewed the entire experience through a different lens.
“With Teigan, I call all deer reindeer,” Bellamy said. “I tell her they’re Santa Claus’ little spies. When the fawns were in the pool she was all upset thinking they were going to drown.”
So quite literally in Teigan’s mind the police officers saved Christmas.
“Pretty much,” Bellamy laughed. “She even hugged the cops when they were done. It was cute.”
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