Fish!

We decided that a pet would be a good gift for Dax's 4th birthday. Our hope was that it would be something fun and exciting as well as an opportunity to provide him with a little more responsibility. He was excited!

A few days after his birthday we went to PetSmart to look at the fish and get all of the supplies we would need. We left with a tank, fish food, a plant, statue, rocks, a heater, and plans to return for a tetra or guppy after getting our tank ready.  Our heads were spinning a bit about the preparation it would take to get ready for what we thought would be a simple pet. Dax was still pumped, though, so we forged ahead happily.

All we need now is a fish!

A few days later, we returned to PetSmart to pick out his new pet. After careful consideration, Dax chose tetras. The salesperson suggested getting three as they are schooling fish, scooped out the little guys, and we were on our way (with a net and water conditioner that we had failed to pick up on our first trip!).

Upon returning home, we let the fish get acclimated for awhile and then put them in to their new home. It was an exciting moment! Dax named one Seed, Jake named one Dolph Lundgren, and I was taking my time in naming the third.

Unfortunately, none of them survived the first night as they all got sucked into the tank's filter. We debated how to break the news to Dax and were dreading the conversation, but he seemed to take it okay. Jake cleaned out the tank and we restarted the process of creating a hospitable environment for our future pets.

Dax was certain he did NOT want more fish after his original experience, but we convinced him to head back to PetSmart a few days later. This time he picked out a couple of guppies. They were very quickly named Thor and Loki, began exploring their new home immediately after being released, and caught both of Dax and Addy's attention.

There was an incident in which I thought Loki was stuck to the filter and doomed to the same fate as the original fish, but they both survived the night and have been happily living with our family since. Dax does a pretty good job remembering to feed them and takes that job very seriously. Ads loves to climb up onto the stool and watch them. And, we are all thrilled to have two thriving new members of our family. Though it had a rocky start, pet ownership has turned out to be kind of great!