Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe MOLALLA, Ore., Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A family in Molalla, Ore., said they were heartbroken after unsuccessfully attempting to convince local authorities to let them keep two pet deer. The Portland Oregonian said Thursday that 43-year-old Jim Filipetti and his family tried this week to convince local authorities to leave the two deer alone but eventually the animals were taken by wildlife officers. Advertisement "These deer wouldn't even be alive without us," Filipetti told the newspaper during Wednesday's events. "I brought that deer (Snowball) to the vet every 10 days. We raised it in our house. And they want to take her away. It's ridiculous." Local officials were concerned that Snowball and its yearling buck, Bucky, posed a health risk living with the family and should be relocated or euthanized. But 39-year-old Francesca Mantei, Filipetti's long-term girlfriend, told the Oregonian that Snowball had spent so much time with them that the deer was now effectively a family member. It broke our heart," she said of the loss of the deer. "That one's a family member."
