Meet Oakley — an adorable deer with friends in high places. Though he’s now growing into an independent buck, Oakley once needed a little help to learn how to care for himself.
So, Oakley decided to visit his special friend to thank him in the sweetest way.
As a young fawn, Oakley needed special care and wouldn’t be able to survive on his own in the wild. Thankfully, country singer Travis Tritt and his wife, Theresa, found Oakley near his 45-acre Hiram, Georgia, home and vowed to nurse him back to health.
“This is Oakley,” Tritt’s Twitter post read. “He was an orphaned deer that my wife bottle raised as a baby.”
“I had not seen him in years until he snuck up behind me as I was walking my property tonight,” the post continued. “He obviously remembered me and knew I wasn’t a threat. Nature is amazing!”
In the video, Tritt can be seen giving Oakley lots of love.
“That’s a good boy,” Tritt says. “You’re just a baby, aren’t you?”
Oakley shows his gratitude by allowing Tritt to pet him, even licking Tritt’s arm with great affection. It’s clear the two share a special bond.
Oakley first showed up on Tritt’s porch in August 2021.
“This little guy was hanging with me while I had my morning coffee today,” Tritt said in a previous Instagram post. “My wife named him Oakley. So cute!”