Yesterday I had a big day. First I helped dad clean the fish. Well, their homes anyway, which are called “tanks” or “aquariums” for short.
A fish tank is a big glass box that fish live in. The box is full of water that I’m not allowed to drink or smack my paws in (don’t ask how I know). Actually one of the tanks has water I probably could drink because it’s called “freshwater” even though I think it has been in there my whole life. The other tank is called “saltwater” or “reef” for short (don’t ask, I don’t know) and that’s the one I definitely can’t drink. Dad says I wouldn’t like it anyway, so I’ll take his word for it.
A lot of helping dad involved staying out of the way, so I sat and played on my laptop and searched for information about fish and dogs and stuff. You’ll never believe what I found out…
Did you know that some cultures believe dogs actually came from fish? Sort of like a Selkie where a seal becomes a woman? Well the story goes that a long long time ago, before chew sticks and hot dogs and iPhones, there were fish swimming around in the sea; and those fish looked out to the land and wanted to go there.
Now back then they didn’t have U-Hauls or “Two Fish and a Truck” or anything like that, so they had to wait for people to show up and figure out how to build boats. Then they started following those boats around, watching and learning. They avoided getting speared or caught or netted as the centuries passed, until one day one of the fish just jumped into a boat next to a very startled fisherman.
The fisherman noticed the fish wasn’t struggling to breathe — it was just looking up at him. He thought that was strange, but he still picked it up to toss it back in the water (I guess it wasn’t a “good eatin’ fish” or something.)
As soon as he touched the fish, fur sprouted from its scales! He held the fish and watched in amazement as its fins turned into paws, which were pushed out by legs, and the tail fin became fluffy. Ears replaced gills, the face became a snout, and in no time at all, the first dog was standing there wagging its tail and looking for a tennis ball. Well the other fish saw this and they spread the word, and as more fish followed suit in different boats around the sea, more breeds formed, and dogs spread all over the world.
As time passed and one generation of dogs made way for the next, most forgot about their past life in the sea — but not all of them. For some dogs the call of the water remained very strong, and that’s why some dogs love the water while others don’t. It’s also why some dogs love jumping into a lake but hate getting a bath — the lake calls to ancient memories in their heart. The tub, not so much.
Isn’t that a cool story?
Ok, dad says I have to come clean and admit the story is total worpal-woof. But it’s still a good story right? And it kept me busy while dad was working. And it’s on the internet now so you know it’s true!
Back to cleaning the fish (tanks).
Most of the time I just watched, but one of the tanks is next to an outside door.
And there’s a bell hanging on the door.
Well, I realized that it was pretty cold outside and if a fish got out there it would be in trouble. So I made sure to I rang the bell a LOT so I could go outside and make sure no fish had got out there. Like every 6 minutes or so. Dad thanked me every time by saying I was being a bit of a pest, so I was proud of myself.
Every time I came back inside dad assured me that no fish were out there by saying “I knew you didn’t”; but I still asked to go out again and again to be sure.
Eventually dad accidentally attached my leash to a dumbell that weighed more than me, so I couldn’t get to the door anymore. But I watched closely while he finished up and I didn’t see any fish get out, so I think we’re ok.
I’m a good helper. 
As a reward for being such a good helper, mom and dad and I went out on the town to a place called, “Casual Animal Brewing.” Apparently they make beer there, not animals casual or otherwise. Beer is a liquid that smells vaguely like our back yard, but mom and dad like it anyway.
We sat at a big table that had tree stumps for chairs, and there were a bazillion people in the room. When we first walked in I was super excited but dad told me I had to stay with him and wouldn’t let me drag him anywhere. Mom found us a spot at the end of the table where I had a place of my own to sit or lay down, and as long as I was sitting and being quiet, treats magically fell from the sky (ok, I know it was dad).
There were a couple of other dogs in the room that were much bigger than me. They were probably security staff or something. I’m not sure. I also really expected there to be a big buffalo behind the bar but it was just a couple of normal people. Since the Casual Animal logo has a buffalo, I think that’s misleading. Who doesn’t want to be served their beer by a buffalo?
But the place is really neat and has lots of big trees and plants and stuff that are all real, so it’s like being outside inside of the outside.
Anyway, it didn’t take long for other people to notice there was a celebrity in the room, and groups of people started coming over to pet me. That was awesome. I made lots of new friends!
Turns out dad had called ahead to see if I could come into the brewery with them, since the website doesn’t say either way, and they said if I’m well-behaved, it’s fine. I guess I passed the test because nobody threw us out. I was a little worried when the cops showed up outside, but they weren’t looking for me.
I didn’t get any beer though.
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