Meet the reindeer that thinks it's a dog

Most reindeer grow up outside with their herd... But not Lars.

The six-month-old reindeer was raised inside a house with pet spaniels on a farm in the Midlands.

Although he now lives with other reindeer, Lars still enjoys coming indoors to visit his dog friends, where he curls up with them and feels at home.

"He drinks from the dog's water bowl. That's normal for him. Being in the house is normal with him," says owner Angie Nelson.

She has owned reindeers full-time for 18 years at her farm between Market Harborough in Leicestershire and Corby in Northamptonshire.

Lars was born on 17 May this year, a date which Angie says is "stuck in my head like my children's birthdays".

After noticing that he kept coming to her because his mother Lumi, was not producing enough milk, Angie decided to take care of him herself.

"I slept down with him for two weeks because I was feeding him every two hours and so my life just became him," she said, adding that every day of having Lars was "a blessing".

Angie said her spaniels were "really key" to Lars's upbringing.

One dog, Molly, had puppies before and was "really motherly" with him and "immediately snuggled down with him".

"So then he became part of the dog family really," Angie said.

As Lars grew bigger, it was time for him to spend more time with other reindeer. Angie said the first night he stayed with the herd felt very emotional.

"It was like sending your child off to university," she said. "Only as parents do you get that... They have to live their life."

Angie explained that having a full-sized reindeer living in the house all the time would be "completely impractical". But despite being settled with the herd, Lars still enjoys coming back to visit.

"He's now settled there, but... he's more than happy to come back and it's nice to have him back for visits and he sees the dogs," she said.