Fish Story is No Tall Tale

(Apache Junction, AZ) – Most six year old boys have dogs and/or cats for pets.  Tiger Cub Shane Swift of Pack 638 in Apache Junction, has that, plus three aquariums with aquatic turtles and various fish, including red oscars (cousins to piranha).

On the evening of Tuesday, September 2, 2008, Shane was playing one last video game before bedtime, when he noticed the sound of rushing water suddenly coming from the aquarium containing four aquatic turtles, five fish and about 75 gallons of water.

Realizing the danger to his pets, Shane rushed out to alert his mother of the impending danger.  He grabbed her by the hand and hurried her into the room where she was panic stricken by the water gushing from the aquarium.  With the water level depleting rapidly, they could both see quick timing was essential to save the creatures. 

Together, Shane and his mother first captured the fish and transferred them to a friendly aquarium (not with the red oscars!).  Then they quickly set up a spare aquarium for the turtles in Shane’s bedroom.  Because the new water needed to stabilize, they decided to let the turtles stay put for the night, as they could survive in a few inches of water, which was about all that was left in the tank.  They kept a close eye on the turtles throughout the night to ensure their safety.

Thanks to Shane’s quick response in accurately assessing an emergency situation, his four turtles and five of his favorite fish are still alive as testimony to this happy ending of quite a fish story.

Guest article submitted by Shane’s mother Valerie
Apache Junction, AZ