The Baxter is all grown! Another stray dog...

[ChocDee]

Way back in the spring we had a mahoosive teenage Great Dane/Bull Mastiff cross show up at the farm and he consequently spent the night before we managed to locate his owners.
He really was great fun but totally impossible and untrained. He managed to pull down The Husband's trousers no less than three times. He does wear them baggy; but he also chooses to wear no underwear and this was very early spring and rather cold...

Anyway, George sort of fell in love with the life of adventure and he kept turning up countless times. Once he simply wandered into our kitchen.

Sadly, (or safely) his owners seems to have sorted out their yard by now; but the very last time George came to visit he also brought along a puppy.
A real, real puppy and The Husband was quick to name him Baxter. He was still at the stage where he loved dragging tea towels and sofa cushions across the floor.

Baxter stayed the night after George's owner left us laughing with glee.

Poor Baxter was absolutely riddled with ticks so we gave him some treatment and we all bunked down to bed. All the animals got on remarkably well - our two dogs and two cats.

Well, his owner came and picked him up in the morning. Baxter was not pleased to see him. Did not go to greet him and peed himself when the man picked him up.

All that was left was a rather bad feeling in my belly, a large pile of dead ticks where he had slept and a tidy turd of shit left by Pony the cat on my night stand about 10 centimeters away from my sleeping head. No guesses what cat signals she was communicating really...

Anyway, that was all about 3 months ago and it has all been very quiet since then. Not a single stray dog or ostrich.

But yesterday he finally rolled back over! All grown up! Still just as gorgeously soft only a little bit less puppy.

I haven't got his owners number, and I only vaguely know where he lives. This is America. There are guns and shit. I am not going there on my own. But mainly because I don't want to.
So I have a lovely day with Baxter and chums. The Husband is not poo poo faced either when he gets home.

Sadly but oh so grown up and fairly the UPS man comes by and he knows the owner and he has his number.

So off lovely Baxter goes... once again he is not happy to see his owner...

But here we are, Baxter has come back over here straight after breakfast it seems!

I am planning on dressing him up in a massive red bow and greeting The Husband with fresh baked Swedish Cinnamon Buns whilst shouting

"Happy Retirement Darling! SURPRISE!!"

He only has about 6 days left at work so it would be good timing; and oh yes - I will be filming!

Disclaimer!!!
He will know it is a joke and will not be broken hearted or destroyed when Baxter is yet again whisked away.

Awwwww can't you just keep him? He clearly hates his owner and loves you.

Aw, Baxter obviously likes it at your place ChocDee! I would be tempted to keep him.

I know, and of course I am.

But then where does it stop?!?

Pony was supposed to be a barn cat, she hates the barn and I am her devoted slave. That was NOT supposed to happen. I do not like cats. I thought they were pointless. Totally.

Then a stray kitten walked in though the kitchen window last year because I was burning dinner. Tried to rehome her, nearly succeeded.
But omg we LOVE her even though, and I have said it on here before, she does look like a transvestite.

We had friends come to stay once and the asked if it was ok if they brought their dogs. Sure, The Husband said. The Wife asked him to go back and ask exactly how many since I knew they were in to rescue.

Yup. They were bringing all 15 of them. Mayhem!

I don't want to go down that route...

It’s not fair neither a Great Dane NOR a puppy has ever turned up at my house
I love hearing about your animals choc

Seems rude not to post a picture of Baxter and George the day they came to play.

Baxter's first, and George's last. A bit sad really.

So this is getting tougher; but we are desperately trying to stay strong...

Baxter has now been renamed Backster and is now more or less a daily visitor at the farm. This is getting one of our dog's knickers in a bit of a twist but it's ok.

Every evening his owner comes up the drive apologising profusely; asking whether we are absolutely sure we do not want to keep him ,before he carts him away again. Before it is all repeated again on the next day or so...

I really do not think that the bloke is mean to him as such, it's just that Backster really doesn't trust him.

We have 4 animals at the moment. That is plenty. We have only lived here for 3 years and we have already accidentally obtained a transvestite cat and been offered 2 other stray dogs.

We are living VERY dangerously here (and that is ignoring all the gun toting Trump Twat Heads).

But I have a horrible feeling where this is heading... we have been chosen.

I did dress Backster up in a lovely bow though and freaked The Husband out royally. So that was fun.

I bloody love your threads. Keep the dog, he's decided where he wants to be!

Sorry, I think you should absolutely keep Backster. Look at that face!

I think the decision has been made for you.
Backster is here to stay. You ll need more bows

I knooow!

But please break it down and think of the morals of the story and the Mumsnet Massive at large.

He is not an ex racing dog, he is healthy, fed, watered and he has a home.
The are thousands of dogs being killed in shelters.

I can't go stealing other people's dogs because they look awesome in a bow tie and give me cheesy grins now can I?

But yes, I have a feeling that The Husband and I are doing the 'I'm not saying it - YOU say it first' dance.
The exact same dance we did when Donkey came through the window... and now it literally turns out stomachs how close we were to having her rehomed.

But NO!

We will prevail. Two dogs, two cats, two hands. That's the maths that we are adhering to.

I need to see the transvestite cat.

Keep him!! He's chosen you.

Oh gosh, I grew up in America, in the country and we had dogs/cats wandering along to ours all the time. Our dogs were prone to wandering at night too, picking up pals along the way so I’m really not complaining about the others. My mother was a real sucker for the strays and we ended up with quite a few (including a kitten that my brother had found abandoned in a box at the beach- he and his friends each took one and he hid ours in his room for a week before my mother noticed!)

Am not being any help, but if it had been us, we wouldn’t have fed Backster or anything, but would have greeted him fondly each day when he arrived at ours.

See! You understand my reality!
Though our dogs do stay at home which is a relief.

Aww distinct dachshund cross going on there!

My own dachshund cross was also accidentally acquired. I don't regret it...

Sorry- I understand 4 pets 4 hands.......but what about a heart?.........he seems to need you. Or maybe you need him? No help here I'm afraid. Sorry!!

That did not mean to sound so accusatory! I'm sorry!

Absolutely no worries.

And of course I hear you, but I did tell you about our friends with 15 (!) rescue dogs...

Backster looks very handsome in that lovely red bow tie ChocDee!

(Keep the Backster!)