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Up close and personal with otters, capybaras, and sloths at this Tacoma Petting Zoo

You can even cuddle a kangaroo! Debbie Doolittle's Indoor Petting Zoo is one of a kind.

TACOMA, Washington — At Debbie Doolittle’s Indoor Petting Zoo, your kids can meet their kids, and a coati and capybaras. You can even cuddle a kangaroo.

Yes, it really is a zoo, and it may feel that way when you visit, but it's also a dream come true.

Credit: KING 5
Bottle feeding a baby 'Roo at Debbie Doolittle's Indoor Petting Zoo

A dream Donny Miller shared with his wife Debbie.

“During the winter, we weren't working much and the animals lived in a barn and we thought we'd build a glorified barn,” says Miller.

Some of the encounters can feel personal, where an otter rolls around in your lap or a sloth ever so slowly grabs an apple slice you've offered.

Credit: KING 5
The animals at Debbie Dolittle's Petting Zoo are all unique, ranging from sloths to capybaras.

“Every animal here has a different story of where they came from,” says Miller. “Some are just from our farm. Some came from bad situations.”

Miller says this is what Debbie always envisioned. But something is missing. She's not here to enjoy it.

“About two years after we got into it, she got sick with breast cancer and then it went to the brain,” he says. “So 11 months for her whole journey."

“I was going to close it after she passed away because it's a lot for me and we have daughters and it's a lot to take on.”

Credit: Donny Miller
Debbie passed away from cancer after the zoo had been open for only 2 years.

But Miller finally decided every day the zoo was open would be a tribute to a woman who always wanted to be known as Debbie Doolittle. And, yes, you may find yourself talking to animals and making memories.

“We're building dreams,” says Miller. “I say we're making dreams.”

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