A fellow who lived up the road some years back made a habit of "rescuing" animals (illegally) for quite a few years. I'd known him to have 'coons, 'possums, skunks, and a few birds of various kinds, and a couple of deer. I heard once that he claimed to have a porcupine, but they're rare enough here that I'd question that one.

One day one of the deer, not much bigger than the one in the clip, stood up on its hind legs and stabbed him in the chest with a front hoof - just like that little deer was trying to do with the dog.

I didn't know the guy well enough to go to his funeral.

It's hard to know whether the deer in the clip is a "family pet" and might not have been particularly serious about it; but I doubt it was really "playing" and it hit the dog hard enough a couple of times to pick up the hits in the audio.

While it may be just "cute" to those unfamiliar with deer, it is - or soon will be - a dangerous wild animal, and pets (and more so children) should NEVER be encouraged to trust one or to try to play with one.

Put the dog on a leash and open a gate for the "cute little deer."

John