Baxter's back! Family agrees to return deployed soldier's beloved dog after girlfriend sold him on Craigslist... even though their children were attached to him



Robert Gabbert raised his Shiba Inu Baxter from a puppy and left him with his girlfriend when he went to Afghanistan

The family that bought Baxter said their children have become too attached to him after a month of their home

Supporters are now raising money to help get Baxter back

The family who bought a deployed soldier's beloved dog Baxter when his malicious girlfriend sold him on Craigslist has agreed to return him to his rightful owner.



The parents had initially refused to return Baxter to Robert Gabbert, who has been in Afghanistan for the last six months - his second deployment. They said their children had become too attached to the dog in the month it had been in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, home.



However, after Mr Gabbert's plight elicited a social media campaign and news stories, the family changed course.



'I think the people that bought the dog and read the stories and felt bad,' Mr Gabbert's father Robert Sr told MailOnline.



'I guess, there’s been so many people supporting Robbie, that the family came forward with the dog and they’re going to return it.'



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Such heartache: Robert Gabbert was devastated when he learned that his girlfriend had sold his dog Baxter after he went to Afghanistan

So loving: Gabbert's father said the soldier is overjoyed that the family has agreed to give back the dog



Mr Gabbert raised Baxter from a puppy and his Facebook page is filled with photos of him lovingly embracing his dog and taking him on adventures outside Fort Carson, Colorado, where Mr Gabbert is stationed.



Before he left, Mr Gabbert posted a photo collage of him and Baxter together. 'Thinking of turning this into a blanket,' he wrote.

'That’s his baby. He bought that dog before he went the first time. He did a lot of research to find the right one with the right color coat. He paid a lot of money for that dog. This kid even belongs to the kennel club,' the elder Mr Gabbert told MailOnline.

'It upset him pretty much when he found out she got rid of it.'



During his first deployment, he shipped Baxter to his father in Columbus, Ohio. The elder Mr Gabbert said it wasn't any trouble taking care of the pup because has already has a dog of his own.



This time around, when he got word he was going to deploy, his girlfriend told him she could look after the pup.



A few months ago, she told Mr Gabbert she was having trouble caring for Baxter, the soldier's father said. He gave her his dad's cell phone number and said he would pay to have the pup shipped back to Ohio.

'She never did call me,' the elder Mr Gabbert said. 'Next thing we hear, she'd gone and sold him on the Internet!'

The elder Mr Gabbert said he plans to send the family that had the dog money so they can find another dog for their children.

'I do feel bad for them. They bought him and didn't know that he wasn't hers to sell. The kids should have a dog.'



Very dangerous: Mr Gabbert has bound himself having to worry about his beloved pet while deployed in Afghanistan