So, Wednesday was when we took Benny/Little Baxter back to the single mom and her daughter, with waggelly tail and happy faces.
Thursday found us on the road again. This time, we were heading over towards Baltimore, where a young married couple wanted to adopt Big Baxter. Figuring it would be easier to take mama Peggy with us, so that we could leave the doggy door open for the rest of the pack (Peggy having discovered she can climb over our fence), we loaded mama and son into the car for the long ride.
Peggy spent most of the ride sleeping on the back seat. Baxter started by sleeping on my lap, then moved to the seat well behind me and slept back there. For the most part, the trip was uneventful...until we had trouble identifying which highway we were supposed to be on. Signage on East Coast highways has always been a bane for der Brucer. We got into downtown Baltimore, and then had to turn around and head south again to get to our destination.
We had arranged to meet the couple at a park near their home. Der Brucer is very wary of letting strangers into our house, and just as mindful of meeting others in a neutral area before going to their home. Peggy and Baxter were awake by this time...and that's where we ran into our second problem. I had a firm hold on Peggy's leash, but her collar didn't have a firm hold on her! She went bounding out of the car, the collar's catch snapped open, and she charged at another dog that was being walked nearby. Scared me, scared the other dog's owner...probably scared the other dog, as well! I had to physically carry her back to the car.
Peggy had to watch as we met with the young couple. They already had a dog, a four-month old Lab mix, and had decided that she needed a buddy. Fortunately, Baxter and Dakota got along immediately, and the Wife thought Baxter was a charmer. Hubby was not as thrilled.
We followed them back to their apartment, and der B went in with them and the dogs while I stayed with Peggy. She fretted, watching where der B had gone, then laying down on my lap, then moving to his driver's seat, then watching for der B again.
It took quite a while, but der B finally showed up with the proper papers signed, the new home approved, a check for expenses to be stashed in my wallet for safekeeping. The drive home was quiet. We listened to Dawn Upshaw singing Rogers and Hart (kudos to Larry for his involvement) and then to Rupert Holmes' Widescreen (kudos to BK for his involvement). Somewhere along the dark highway der Brucer missed a turn he'd planned on taking, so we went on a detour again, getting home very late and tired.
And even with six dogs in the house, the place seemed very quiet. There were no little growls or barks and little paws.
