Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Puppy the Great


Let me tell you a little story about the greatest creature there ever was. Stronger than an ox. Mightier than an elephant. More resilient than a bacteria. {gross}

Today I am going to tell you about Puppy. The fish.

You see, it all started back in February of this year. Canon wanted a dog. {He still wants a dog, but we aren't quite ready for one yet so that's a different story.} Anyway, he was going to spend the night with my mother and he told her about his desire for a puppy. We, however, adamantly told her "no dogs allowed!" so she  - somewhat reluctantly - denied his request.

She did, though, take him to the pet store so they could see the dogs. While there, Canon asked to look at the fish. And then, of course, he asked for a fish. We have no problem with him having fish right now, so we agreed. He picked out several fish, by color of course, and one of them turned out to be a Dalmatian Molly. I kid you not - they do exist. They are black and white with spots.

This is not Puppy, but rather what a Dalmatian Molly looks like. Puppy is more black than white.


My mom thought it would be funny for Canon to call us and tell us that he got a puppy after all, but he didn't quite get it and the fish actually was named Puppy from that day forward.

Along with Puppy, he got four other fish that day. Apparently, Puppy wished to be the fish that ruled them all and so he ate the rest once they made it into the aquarium at home. Not even kidding. So the big fish stands alone.

It should be noted at this time that we have tried on two other occasions to keep fish and have been extremely unsuccessful for reasons unknown to us. I was hesitant to kill more creatures just for Canon's short term excitement over a pet, but Puppy has survived. Against ALL odds.

I expected Puppy to live a few days in our aquarium since no other fish has survived there, but this little beast has surpassed all expectations. When we lived in Pensacola, our dear neighbor, Sonia, would feed him twice a day when we were out of town. We cater to him constantly because Canon loves him so. Because of this, he has thrived.

Sorry for the poor quality - bad lighting and a camera phone don't mix. This was taken on a day when Canon and Anderson were playing at our house. Even the toys and Puppy were tapping out that day. Everyone was exhausted.

Fast forward to us finding out we are moving. I started to panic a little because I feared that Puppy wouldn't be able to handle the stress of the move. Craig and I researched how to move a fish. We read that keeping as much of his water that he was used to was paramount, so we decided to give it a try.

On moving day, Craig had to leave quite a bit earlier than Canon and I since the little man had one last doctor's appointment before leaving town. This meant that the job of moving Puppy fell to me.

No pressure.

I decided to face this challenge head on and was determined that Canon wouldn't lose his pet. I mean, it was hard enough leaving the only home he had ever known, his friends, and his family. I couldn't bear the thought of him losing Puppy too. So I did what any sensible mother would do. I got a rubbermaid bin with a lid, two gallon size water jugs, and got to work moving Puppy. I filled the bin about 1/3 full of aquarium water and put Puppy in it, feeding him as soon as he got in the bin to help calm him. I then filled both jugs with water from the aquarium, and was left with about a 1/3 full aquarium as well. All of this went onto a red wagon {because it was too heavy to carry} and was wheeled out of the house and into the car. Seriously, I wish someone would have been there to take a picture. It was ridiculous.

I put Puppy in the bin on the seat next to me and held him steady for the entire 6 hour drive. My arm was so sore the next day that I had a hard time using it to unpack the truck. No lie.


Again, sorry for the low light and camera phone. Here is Puppy, thriving in our new Georgia home.

But we made it to the new house and Puppy was still swimming. After two days of being in the house, we were supposed to head to the mountains for a family vacation with Craig's side of the clan. For 6 days. Now, when we lived in Pensacola that wasn't a problem. Sonia was there to help feed Puppy. But now? We came to the gross realization that we had to take a fish to the mountains. I know that some people would have said "forget it!" and let the thing die, but I saw that as cruel to both Puppy and Canon so we just couldn't do that. We used the exact same method for him as we had when actually moving and it worked beautifully. Never mind the fact that everyone laughed at us for bringing a fish on vacation. Puppy is the world's most traveled pet fish. Someone give him a backpack and travel journal, stat!


The thing is - this fish has endured more than I ever gave him credit for. He has brought more joy to Canon than I could have ever guessed. He really is Puppy the Great.


He is Puppy the fish and he is so loved.







2 comments:

  1. That is one seriously loved fish - the lengths you go for him (well, I suppose for Canon) is remarkable!

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    1. Hahaha, you are not even kidding Erica! It is all for Canon, though. It's hard to cuddle a fish...without it gasping for air. They are so dramatic.

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