Presented by PetSmart. All opinions are my own.
~ Robert’s First Pet Fish From PetSmart ~
Evan and William grew up with our two dogs, Buster and Bailey, but they were way too young to help take care of them. By the time Dylan and Robert were toddlers, we unfortunately had lost one dog and had to give the other one away. While it was an extremely hard decision to make, it was the right one for William and Dylan, who we found out were allergic to the dogs and that had been what was causing their awful asthma attacks.
Robert was very little at the time and ever since then he’s been constantly asking me for another pet, which is why I was so happy when I was given the opportunity to take him shopping for his very own first pet fish at PetSmart. Even though we haven’t really had any animals in our house, Robert would often ask me to take him to our local PetSmart to look at the cats, birds and fish. This time around he was actually going to pick out his fish. To say he was excited was an understatement!
It was so cute to watch him pick his fish. He initially wanted a beautiful Finding Nemo looking fish but when Becky, the nice PetSmart associate, told us it needed a 30 gallon tank and a ton of other stuff to keep the fish and tank going, Robert’s exact words were, “yeah, that’s a bit much for me to handle.”
After Robert asked tons of questions (so grateful Becky at PetSmart was super patient with us) about feeding it on time and keeping his new fish happy, we finally decided that the colorful betta fish was perfect.
It’s a hardy fish that’s easy to take care of. I was so impressed that Robert was putting in a lot of thought into the whole process.
Now it was on to the fun part, picking a fish tank!
Robert made a really quick decision and picked a castle fish tank with LED lights (he’s always loved castles), some trees for the betta fish to hide behind and some rocks that were recommended by Becky. It was like Christmas for Robert!
As soon as we got home, Robert immediately found a safe spot for the fish, fed it and started to put together the tank. I’ve never seen him act so protective and take so much initiative towards anything! I probably should have done this a long time ago!
Robert is still a little boy, but he is entering middle school next year. After witnessing him shop and pick his fish at PetSmart, I know that having this fish will prompt him to be more responsible, knowing that something depends on him. I couldn’t have picked a better place to help my little creature pick his first little creature than PetSmart!
So happy for Robert! That was an excellent read. I’m currently looking for a tank for my grandson who wants “absolutely” a goldfish!
Bob
Oh, my kids are envious of your son. They say how lucky he is and you’re better mom than I am… 🙂 cause I don’t let any pet in our apartment temporarily: LittleOne is too young for a pet.
That’s so cute! We bought our daughter a betta fish for our first family pet several years ago. She loved it and took care of it so well! I think it’s a great way to teach responsibility, plus it was a lot easier (and cheaper) than getting a dog, lol!
How exciting! Congrats to him and his first pet fish! The fish tank is super awesome!
What a fun experience for your son! I love everything that having a pet teaches young children, too.
This was so cute. Beta’s are great fish and he is so into the process that I’m sure it will be wonderful. Glad you like PetSmart as much as we do!
Super cool lighting! We recently bought a pet fish for our youngest there too. He’s so overjoyed to have a pet.
How fun! My girls were so excited when we got our first beta fish too. Fish are a great low maintenance pet!
Looks like he found the perfect pet! We have so many relatives with allergies that a pet like a fish seems like the perfect fit.
It sure looks like he loves his fish! We like looking at them in the pet store as our cat would do more than look a the fish at home… Neat tank!
This is a very neat story, and I’m glad you shared it. As a Pet Care Associate, it’s parents and children like you that make me love my job. My family and I have had fish my entire life, and the work and care that goes into keeping an aquarium is a great way to instill responsibility and respect for other animals. I hope he is inspired enough to eventually get that 30 gallon and (what I’m assuming was a cichlid or tiger barb) the fun challenges of keeping different fish.
PS: I hope you were able to tell the store how grateful you were for Becky. It’s always a special moment when we can be recognized for the care we put into our animals and customers.
You are wonderful,
Ems