Amateur Pet Owner

Meet my two newest co-workers:

P-nut. He likes to chill.

M&M. He's swims around like there's no tomorrow.

P-nut and M&M.

How these two came about starts with a text I received while on my way to work Monday morning:

LD was our office's pet frog. A colleague brought him in from her home, where she didn't feel like keeping him around any more. We gladly accepted him. Daily, we fondly greeted, loved, conversed, and played with him. He was the first thing you saw on your in to work, and the last on your way out. He never had any thing mean to say, and would always meet your finger tapping on his tank. The perfect little buddy.

With only one little tiny hole for air, we would turn the top of his tank kitty corner (or catty corner, depending on your taste), to give him some more room to breathe. We usually closed it back up at night.

Usually.

Just this past Friday, I was one of the last ones out. In my excitement for the weekend, I totally let LD down. I ignored him, and didn't give him the proper goodbye. If only, then it wouldn't have been his last goodbye! Most importantly that fateful evening, I didn't close up the tank.

We found him between a plant and cubicle wall. Not able to look, a male peer took him to the nearby restroom in attempt to revive him under the faucet. To no avail, we heard the flush shortly thereafter.

We like to think happy thoughts of his demise, that he was trying to get to better places, perhaps to find a friend. We say to ourselves that he must have loved the taste of freedom. Unfortunately for him, that taste contained way more O then H2O. If only he knew, poor little guy.

I blame myself. I feel terrible. I'm a frog killer, people! I opened the door for LD; I was his Kevorkian, if you will. Oh, the shame!

So today, in remembrance of our dear friend, LD, we got a few juniors. This time we went for a pair, hoping they will be happier with a fellow frog around. We also got them a bigger tank (with more air holes - future crisis averted!) and some extra toys - some shells and a barrel with barnacles. I mean, who doesn't love colorful barnacles?

While we are excited for our new friends, they can never truly replace our LD.

You'll be missed, little guy.

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What was your favorite pet? Have you ever accidentally acquired the title of pet murderer? How did you deal with it? Along with my American Idol Anonymous group, I'm thinking a pet survivor support group might also be in order. Who's with me?