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  • Update on Terri-Lazarus

    For anyone that does not know, I own fish.  I have two aquariums.  Currently my first and favorite fish is in an aquarium by himself.  He was initially called Terri on the night my friends and I won him at a local fair.  We played one of those ping-pong games just to pass the time.  Before I knew it I discovered a new hobby and a new passion of mine: aquatic life.  Terri is now in a 10 gallon tank.  But he was originally put in a 29 gallon tank with his buddy Klyde.  I purchased Klyde with a temporary home that night at the fair back in April 2021.  They are both Comet Goldfish.  Since that night their community has grown to include live plants including Horwort, Anacharis, Pennywort, & two types of Java fern.  I’ve also added Nerite and Mystery Snails to help keep down on the algae.  Occassionally I’ll add Ghost Shrimp.  Ghost shrimp have a double purpose in the goldfish tank.  They help clean it but they are also live food.  I’ve had a few survive for weeks.  But eventually it seems they all get eaten by the goldfish.  Lastly, two baby bristlenose pleccos were added.  They were originally in the plant tank.  But they were moved to quarantine Terri.  So why is Terri quarantined right now you ask?  Ah yes, let’s get back to that story.

    About 2-3 weeks ago from the time of writing this blog, I came downstairs to Terri on the floor.  He had jumped out of the 29 gallon tank through the feeder door.  A door I have now taped shut and no longer use.  I certainly freaked out because Goldfish are not known for jumping out of water.  I have no idea how long he was there.  He wasn’t wet as I picked him up off the floor and placed him on the hutch by his tank.  After a moment of hesitancy, in faith I put him back in the water.  I probably should have rinsed him off first.  His gills immediately began to move.  He soon sank to the bottom  and I thought that meant he was a goner.  After saying some intense prayers, as again this is my frist and favorite fish, he began to move!  I cannot tell you the spectrum of emotions I had that morning.  I was shedding tears over a fish.  Something I didn’t know was possible for me to get so attached to.  But when I look back on these 8 months that I’ve had them, they’ve been a big emotional support to me.  The hobby keeps me busy as their tanks require constant attention with daily monitoring.  Once it was clear Terri was alive, I added the middle name “Lazarus” because I was certainly praying resurrection prayers that morning. A shout out to my older sister Jess for the middle name suggestion.  When Terri started swimming around again I noticed he was only using the left fin.  He had damaged the right fin during the fan.  I cleaned off his right side inside the water.  Next, I began a water treatment to kill off any bacteria or parasites he may have picked up.  About 2-3 days went buy and after seeing what I thought was fin rot, I quarantined him.

    Long story short, we were just at the vet earlier this week.  Who knew vets would require you to take a sick stressed out fish to their location?  But I guess in person is always better visual quality than over zoom.  The vet let us know that it wasn’t fin rot after all.  He reviewed my progress pictures as well as how Terri was that day.  Turns out everything is trauma related.  The fit died off from lack of blood flow while he was out of the water.  Since he grew back a portion of his missing fin when I first rescued him i believe his tail fin will make a full recovery.  His  discoloration, loss of slime coat, and scales regrowing in are all from the trauma as well.  Terri swims around pretty regularly now with both fins.  The black marks he had outlining a few of his fins and on his body are already beginning to disappear.  My little guy is on a good track.  He has had many people speaking life and saying prayers for him.  Even the  vet was amazed he was alive seeing Terri’s condition.  Keep on swimming Terri-Lazarus for many years to come!  He’s my Christmas Miracle.

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

    Author: A.S

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  • A New Business Adventure Begins

    I absolutely love animals, and people too. I have been great with pets since I was little. I have had my own hamsters, parakeets, hermit crabs, a chinchilla, & now aquariums. Growing up I have often house/pet sat for my neighbors, family, coworkers, and friends while they were away or busy with work. I currently don’t own a dog nor a cat. I am looking at husky rescues and hope to adopt one soon. I do have 2 aquariums. One is a Goldfish tank with 2 Comets, 2 Fancies, 11 Nerite Snails of various types, and 3 Mystery Snails. The other is a plant tank with 2 Bristlenose Plecos.

    Recently while recovering from post-concussion syndrome I got the idea to do dog walking. I thought, why not turn one of my passions into income. I looked up various apps and websites and decided to bring my 27 years of experience to Rover. It charged fewer fees to me the sitter than Wag (which only does dog walking) and offered a much better platform than Petsitter. I have yet to give Care a try. I may do that in the near future to help continue to grow my new business as I continue to recover. For now, I run all of my business through Rover. They offer a great app, it gives accountability to both parties, and they have a substantial guarantee that provides limited liability and an excellent support team in times of emergency. The first paragraph and the following paragraphs were directly copied from my Rover sitter profile. You can see my 5-star reviews and photos of me with animals there. Check it out any time by clicking here or reading on.

    Pets that have been under my care include small to large dogs, cats, caged animals, aquariums, & terrariums. I can handle requests with multiple pets at once. My farm animal/pet experience includes goats, horses, pigs, and chickens. I also have experience with exotic pets. While living in Alaska for four years, I often house sat there too. One of my regulars had multiple pets including a half-wolf/half-husky. I have also taken care of an African Grey Parrot. Pets that are not normally good with people, or ‘trouble’ pets, I am good with as well.

    The gold shield on my profile signifies I paid for the extended background check.

    Additional rates for my services may apply. Rover will automatically calculate these for you. Examples include additional pets, puppies, baths, and extra time.
    Additional rates I add manually if they are applicable:
    + $5.00 – one time first-time client fee
    + $0.56 x ? – mileage at the current IRS rate for any services over 1 mile is added for both ways. This fee is potentially reduced or waived if there are multiple pets. Anyone living in Fleetwood or Mohton areas are in the 10+ mile range from my home office. Which would roughly be an extra $11/drop-in for an example of the max distance I am willing to travel.

    I do Rover Full-Time. I currently have a flexible schedule. I am sleeping on a regular schedule: up by 8am and in bed by 11pm. I can adjust to an earlier rise if needed. Please note the following times I am consistently not available:

    Sundays: 9:45am – 12:30pm
    Wednesday: 5:30pm – 9:00pm
    Thursdays: 5:30pm – 9:30pm

    Unless your animal is caged and is easily transportable, I am currently not able to offer any boarding nor daycare services in my residence. I am happy to adhere to whatever needs your pet has while taking care of them in their own home. I have experience with homes that have invisible fences, regular fences, or no fences. If you have a pool I’d be happy to check on that as well. I have experience with pools and jacuzzies too. I will stick to your pet’s normal routines and will love them as my own.

    What We Would Like to Know About Your Pet

    Let me know of any special needs your pet(s) may have ahead of time. Especially if your dog has any trauma or triggers in its past. For example, if it doesn’t like someone wearing hats, I will gladly leave mine at home. Or if I need to avoid trails with bikes during our walks.

    When We Watch Your Pet

    I love to go on walks and explore. As long as your dog is down for it, I have many places we can go. There are a few good dog parks in the area, dog friendly trails, or we can just walk around their neighborhood. If the dog is high energy and good with bikes I can keep them leashed and take them for a run while using my bike. I also enjoy playing fetch with their favorite toy or a frisbee.

    Thanks for reading my profile in its entirety! I look forward to hearing how I can help you care for your pet(s).

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