I guess I have a bit of a strange outlook on pets. Seeing as I am allergic to pretty much everything with fur, and most other options (like reptiles) don't really interest me, we are pretty much limited to fish (at least until Miah is old enough for us to qualify for greyhound adoption, since they are hypoallergenic).
Well... back in 2006, Seth decided that he wanted a pet, and he began to save for an aquarium! On January 10, 2007, he finally had enough saved to purchase a tank, some rocks, a plant, a multi-colored fish castle type thing (that never fit in the tank), and 3 goldfish: Bobby, Larry, and Gordon.
I wish I could tell, for sure, which one is Bobby. I think he's the one near the top.Well... within a month we had said our good-byes to Gordon... and then Larry... and sent them on their way with flushing ceremonies. But Bobby (who seemed very sickly from the beginning, and whom we never expected to outlive the others) held on until April 3, 2010. For anybody who's counting, that's 3 years, 2 months, and 24 days...
Bobby had a very full life for a goldfish.
I found him looking rather sickly on April 2, and to be honest, I thought he was dead already. I was on my way to bed and figured I'd leave him in the tank until morning, because the kids were already asleep. Except, when I went to deal with him in the morning, the poor thing was still breathing (although barely). Now, being the humane (and somewhat delusional) person I am, I decided that I should at least try to save the fish, if at all possible. I moved him to a bowl and made a valiant effort at feeding him little pieces of fish food, but I couldn't get him to actually inhale it. He did make an attempt at one last swim. Eventually, I returned him to his tank, where he continued to breathe until night time, and I felt terrible about it the whole time (and piled things in front of the tank, so the kids wouldn't see him that way), but I couldn't bring myself to just take him out of the water before he was dead.
So, it was actually the next afternoon when we told Seth that Bobby had died, and although he was slightly sad, he was also happy that Bobby had lived such a long life. We decided to bury him in the back yard, rather than flushing him, which I am pretty sure Phil found just a tiny bit humorous. However, Phil did go dig the hole and led a mini eulogy. Among our favorite memories of Bobby were: getting him at the store (Grace, Caleb, and Ian), thinking he was doing exercises when he swam around his plant (Seth), the way he would come to the side of the tank and seemingly ask for food when he was hungry (me... and yes, I still believe that fish can talk), and the various car trips we took with Bobby's tank between my feet with me trying not to get splashed (Phil).
I've always had a soft spot for goldfish, I guess. I thought I was doing pretty good when I brought "Lucky Montana" the free goldfish home from Meijer's kid's week and managed to keep him alive for 2 years, when I was a kid. This was especially notable since I promised my dad I would release Lucky in a pond that night if he let me take him... hehehe... guess dad had a soft spot for goldfish, too...
Already, Grace has asked about getting more fish...
Guess we'll see...
Lisa
Bobby had a very full life for a goldfish.I found him looking rather sickly on April 2, and to be honest, I thought he was dead already. I was on my way to bed and figured I'd leave him in the tank until morning, because the kids were already asleep. Except, when I went to deal with him in the morning, the poor thing was still breathing (although barely). Now, being the humane (and somewhat delusional) person I am, I decided that I should at least try to save the fish, if at all possible. I moved him to a bowl and made a valiant effort at feeding him little pieces of fish food, but I couldn't get him to actually inhale it. He did make an attempt at one last swim. Eventually, I returned him to his tank, where he continued to breathe until night time, and I felt terrible about it the whole time (and piled things in front of the tank, so the kids wouldn't see him that way), but I couldn't bring myself to just take him out of the water before he was dead.
So, it was actually the next afternoon when we told Seth that Bobby had died, and although he was slightly sad, he was also happy that Bobby had lived such a long life. We decided to bury him in the back yard, rather than flushing him, which I am pretty sure Phil found just a tiny bit humorous. However, Phil did go dig the hole and led a mini eulogy. Among our favorite memories of Bobby were: getting him at the store (Grace, Caleb, and Ian), thinking he was doing exercises when he swam around his plant (Seth), the way he would come to the side of the tank and seemingly ask for food when he was hungry (me... and yes, I still believe that fish can talk), and the various car trips we took with Bobby's tank between my feet with me trying not to get splashed (Phil).
I've always had a soft spot for goldfish, I guess. I thought I was doing pretty good when I brought "Lucky Montana" the free goldfish home from Meijer's kid's week and managed to keep him alive for 2 years, when I was a kid. This was especially notable since I promised my dad I would release Lucky in a pond that night if he let me take him... hehehe... guess dad had a soft spot for goldfish, too...
Already, Grace has asked about getting more fish...
Guess we'll see...
Lisa
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