Why is it still acceptable to sell goldfish at fairs/carnivals? The kind where they are hanging around in either a big tank with a gazillion fish that are all struggling to breathe, or they are in individual baggies. How many of those fish are gonna live beyond the rest of the weekend? If you’re thinking… hey, it’s just a fish…. apparently you’re not alone. And I think it’s really sad that so many of us still condone this practice.
My son came home from the Guilford Fair last night with a fish in a cup. Yes, a cup…the paper soda kind. Apparently a family had won the fish, and the bag began leaking as they were getting in their car. They decided to throw the bag with the fish on the ground outside the car and depart. My son and his friends were standing nearby waiting for their ride, so they scooped up the fish-in-the-bag and dumped him in an empty soda cup.
The only thing we have at home is a goldfish bowl that used to house a beta. So here he sits, looking very lonely and unhappy in such small confines. I don’t blame him. Not sure how long he’ll last, but atleast he is not embedded in a tire tread in a now empty grass lot.
When will we regard ALL living things as something to be respected? When will we all give a damn enough so that this stupid stuff doesn’t happen? It’s not just the idea of the fish… we all know it goes way beyond that.
Thank you to you and your son for saving the fish. How we treat the little things speaks volumes about who we are as people and a society.
From observations, we are in deep trouble.
You are not. Bless you.
it certainly does. we as humans are selfish, egotistical beings…
Goes to show you just how much has become disposable! Grrrrrrr!
Bless your Son for rescuing the poor little thing. We know that with him in your care… he will have a good life, for however long he has!
I'm 100% with you on this. Here is a quote I love which says it all.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
Mahatma Ghandi
Blessings,
Tia
You've raised a good son Karen. He did an honorable thing and he's to be commended.
Sam
Agree, agree, AGREE!!! And you have raised such a nice son! Caring and thinking–something we are all in need of, apparently!
Can the little darling be released into a small pond…a neighbor's home, perhaps?
Here's a good story about a county fair goldfish. Five years ago, a friend and I were doing a home visit for a couple who applied to adopt a greyhound from the organization that I worked with at the time. My friend and I were amazed at the sparkling clean 10-gallon tank on the couple's kitchen counter, and we were told that the fish inside the tank was a county fair fish that they brought home three years earlier. The obvious care of this fish was one of the deciding factors when we recommended that this couple's adoption application be approved. We had a meeting at their house last weekend, and this fish is still living on the kitchen counter in his sparkling clean 10-gallon tank.
Your son is so caring! What a gentle kid he is and I hope he stays like that. And I hope the fish doesn't croak and hurt his feelings. My sister had a goldfish that lived several years and outgrew the bowl {which was large!!}
XO,
Jane
How sweet and caring of your son…and what a cutie that little fish is! What was that family teaching their child when they threw the fish on the ground? Sad…
Your boy sounds like my own. He was a rescuer too. It is sad that there is so little regard for animal life sometimes. We followed alongside a cattle truck on the way to the slaughterhouse today and you could hear all the panicky MOOOOOs. They were all jammed together in there and jostled over every bump……sad…and I'm still eating beef….even sadder~ xo Diana
What are those parents teaching their children? So sad. Thank goodness your son had the good sense and compassion to step in and rescue the fish.
You are right it goes so beyond just one goldfish.
Your son and his friends showed their humanity well.
x
C
I hear ya. That is awful that someone just tossed him like that to die. So glad your son saved him. There have been so many dog abuse cases on our local news lately and it makes me sick to my stomach. The latest is a pit bull who was shot very close to one eye with an arrow. A man saw the dog and took him to a vet and he will be okay.
i agree. amen !!
I hear ya. And totally agree. Never really thought about the gold fish thing before, but yeah, how happy can that little bugger be? I had a gold fish once, I named him Quinby. He actually committed suicide. Jumped right out of the darn bowl. You probably didn't really want to hear that, did ya.
My son came home with one of those once. It lived for THREE YEARS!! I didn't even know that was possible …
(And yes, I agree with you!)
You have raised a very special son and you should be proud Karen!!! It makes me very angry also!!
This must have really touched me because I dreamed I found a random goldfish dried up and nearly dead and we used a cup and some cutter water and it came to life and grew really big.
Why do people think some living beings are more valuable than others? I don't get it. Personally, I believe every living being is precious. No exceptions. Thank you for this post!
xo
Claudia
Oh, so with you on your post today!!!! Wonderful of your son to care enough to pick up and bring home!
Missed this wonderful post, so true… people that have no conscience infuriate me. We have drivers out here that go way too fast on our country lane, there are deer and other animals that don't have a chance against a car or truck. It would devastate me to hit one so I creep and get honked at a LOT. Your son has listened and learned from you to value life and to practice kindness. Probably one of the most important lessons we will ever learn.
You are right! And you obviously have brought up a wonderful son who has the right idea too 🙂 Hope the fish will live a long and happy live. He looks a bit bewildered.