“We are watching snails for a few days”, my wife said. “Oh, and her fish.”
I think fish is nice, but then I think that rain is wet, so who am I to judge?
Douglas Adams, author Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
A friend of ours is going out of town this week, and asked Sheri to look after her fish tank. My wife asked me to get a towel to put down on the dining table as the tank had sloshed a bit on the floor of the SUV bringing it over. I went out to the car to bail water which was only a couple spoonfuls-worth. Back in the kitchen, when Sheri set the water pitcher-sized thing down, I peered inside expecting to see a Beta or something similar. What stared back was not expected. Instead, I saw a very tiny fish, darting around a little white and neon yellow plastic coral.
For the last two mornings she also has been looking after our other friends’ female black Lab, while the woman and her husband are spending a few days away. While the fish-sitting is not mobile – unless one counts bringing the tank over here, dog-sitting is actually dog-walking. Sheri is only looking after her for one day; for the next few mornings, she retrieves the dog for walks while they are away. They have someone else house-sitting, but fish feeding and dog-walking were not part of the deal. At least the snails require little effort. A bit of frozen zucchini at the bottom of the tank seems to be all need. Snail-care, dog-walking, and the like. These are the sort of things that friends do for each other.
It's a Dog's Life 