I had a roomate in a similar landlord situation with a stray dog. She used what I thought was a great line with her- "Don't feel like you have to make up your mind right away..." Made the landlord feel like she didn't have to make an immediate all-or-nothing decision and meanwhile the stray cleaned up and learned a few manners, and saw that Jill would clearly be a very responsible pet owner. Hailey stayed. Best of luck with the lad!