A delivery driver has shared footage of the heartwarming interaction he has with a dog he regularly passes on his route.
For the past five years, Chris Basker, a UPS driver from Sherman, Texas, has enjoyed regular visits from Max the dog while out doing his deliveries.
It’s become something of a routine for both of them, but it took a little getting used to. Basker recalled the first time he met Max, saying he got straight into his truck. “I didn’t know how to get him out,” Basker told Newsweek. “I called the local school where the owner’s mother works and the lady told me to just pick him up and carry him out.”
Though Basker admits he was “hesitant” to do so, he needed to get back to work. “I ended up picking him up and carrying him out like a big baby and he gave me the biggest lick across my face and covered me in slobber,” Basker said.
Max climbing up into Chris Basker’s truck.
Chris.Basker
That interaction proved to be the start of something special between man and dog. “We’ve been friends ever since,” Basker said. Now they regularly check-in 3 to 5 days a week, with Max hopping on to Basker’s UPS truck for a quick cuddle, before jumping off again to chase after a treat Basker has thrown for him.
Basker shared a video of one of their interactions to his TikTok account @chris.basker, which has amassed more than 500,000 views since being shared earlier this week. “This is my friend max and our daily delivery routine,” the caption says.
Dogs have been known to be wary of postmen, delivery drivers and other unknown individuals dropping things off at their owner’s front door. The feeling is sometimes mutual too.
According to Stanley Coren, an expert in canine behavior and human-animal bonding at the University of British Columbia, this is largely a case of dogs doing the job primitive humans originally domesticated them for.
“For wild canines it was seldom the case that someone coming into their territory was there for a friendly social visit,” Coren wrote on Psychology Today. “So to protect themselves, or defend their mates, their offspring, or their food supply, these wild canines would confront such intruders with loud barking, growling, and even direct aggression if necessary to drive the interloper out of their territory.”
Basker doesn’t seem to have these kinds of issues when he’s out driving for UPS. In fact, he estimates he spends over $100 a month on dog treats for his “extended pets” on his route.
“I’ve always given him treats,” Basker said, referring to Max.
“I actually have photos of Max and other dogs on my route that I love,” he said. I love dogs. I have 4 myself. I know dogs love treats, so I decided why not get them every time with something to make them happy.”
He’s clearly made quite the impression on his canine friends too. “I’ve had owners tell me that their dogs listen to me, better than them,” he said. Basker loves his job and if the dogs on his route have had anything to do with that, they deserve all the treats they get.
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