This morning my dogs saved a life.
This life:
That’s a photo I took just now of my large Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) that I raised from a baby to its present size of about ten inches.
I was in the bathroom early this morning when Runty (who was downstairs) let out with a huge startled bark. Then Coco chimed in and ran downstairs. Figuring someone (typical of Sunday would be an annoying activist “saving” something or other, or maybe a scammer) was at the door, I hurriedly half-dressed myself, but as I went downstairs I could see no one was at the door. It also wasn’t the same bark they normally make when someone is at the door, plus they weren’t barking at the door. I vaguely thought I had heard a thud like a phone book being dropped, and assumed maybe someone had left something on the front porch, so I went back upstairs, put the rest of my clothes on, then came back down for the morning dog walk.
There was my beloved Oscar, on his side on the floor! Runty was looking concerned, and I noticed the fish’s gills and mouth were moving, so I grabbed a t-shirt, gently picked up the fish, and put him back in the aquarium. He headed for the nearest corner and went into a sort of hiding mode at the bottom, quite alive, but no doubt in shock.
Despite the fact that I have the tank covered as well as I could, he had managed to jump the tank. But the dog saved his life, because the barking alerted me, forced me to go downstairs and investigate, so no more than a minute had elapsed between the barking and my finding the Oscar. I added some aquarium salt as a general precaution, and I am going to seal the tank with a better, weighted-down lid, so it cannot happen again.
Oscars are known for jumping their tanks. Whether dogs are known for saving them is less clear.