First Pet-Test Pet

My very first pet was a “test pet”. the idea was to find out if I was responsible enough to care for another living thing.

I don’t know how old I was, but I do remember where we were living at the time. So I must have been maybe 7-ish.

I don’t know if parents do this now-a-days, but mine did. It was quite a surprise when they brought the little green guy home with his little plastic island-type home. I wish I could remember what I named him/her/it. Never did know what sex it was, was too young probably to care. Unfortunately the pet stores at that time knew next to nothing about the care and feeding of them. And my “Book of Knowledge” encyclopedia had very little information about it also. I know I changed the water in the bowl daily, and gave him a little lettuce to eat every day. But, eventually he died. I think it took me about a week to admit to myself and the parents that he did die.

I also remember burying him in a shoebox out in front of the house with the whole family standing by to say goodbye.

It wasn’t much later after that that I finally got what I really wanted: a kitten!

60 years later and there’s a whole lot of information about these little green turtles available.