PEOPLE can hardly believe their eyes when they see Marvin being taken for walkies on a lead through the streets of Baxenden.
For Marvin is a four-year-old albino ferret who thinks he’s a dog.
He is the apple of his owner’s eye and loves nothing more than a stroll around the village, receiving lots of attention.
Tony Kenyon, 60 of Shelley Drive, got Marvin from the RSPCA as a present for his son but has ended up taking care of him himself.
He said: "I’ve had Marvin for about three years and he is a brilliant pet. Ferrets can be lovely animals but they can also be difficult. When I got Marvin from the RSPCA there must have been at least eight other ferrets needing homes but he was the only one that the staff would pick up without gloves because he was hand-reared and used to human contact."
Marvin is now a popular face in Baxenden and many of the local schoolchildren refer to Tony as "The Ferret Man".
Tony said: "He loves going for walks, or rather drags, in Back Lane. I take him every day around noon. He is very sweet-natured and likes to bounce all over.
"My mum is 82 years old and she loves him to bits.
"Some of his mannerisms are very much like ours.
"When you play with him you can hear him laugh out loud. He is great fun to watch."
Marvin also used to be a regular at the Dog and Partridge pub but he had to stop going when a few people got scared of him.
