Victoria’s Read

Sammy’s owner’s decided to take Sammy along with them on vacation since it would save them the aggravation of traveling three hours in the opposite direction to their daughters to have him baby-sat.
Sammy was a creature of habit so arrangements were made to insure a comfortable and relaxing trip for Sensitive Sammy.
Sammy likes plenty of fresh air to breath. As well, he is very picky about the temperature of his surroundings.
The big day came and Sammy’s owners thought he would enjoy sitting on the dash of the van so he could experience some new views but Sammy soon showed signs of discomfort. He seemed frightened by everything rushing by him so fast. 
Sammy’s owners decided to move him down onto the floor. Sammy soon began fussing about and his owners realized that he has overheated from having the van heater blowing on him.
To cool Sammy down, his owners put him on the back seat. A little time later when Sammy’s owners looked back to check on him, they realized that Sammy was shivering. 
Poor Sammy was freezing! He was soon warmed up sitting at his owner’s feet under the heater, once again.
But, he wasn’t happy at all! Only when they stopped at a hotel for the night did Sammy settle down. His owners prepared a quiet stop for him beside the television where he bunked down  and slept.
In the morning, Sammy woke rejuvenated. His owners had warmed up the van for him in the hopes of Sammy being more accustomed to traveling but he wasn’t.
Sammy’s owners stopped at a welcome center where they saw other pets just like their Precious Sammy. Sammy’s owners, knowing that Sammy was extremely unhappy with the whole ordeal, contemplated leaving him there but his owners hearts ached at the thought of not ever seeing Sammy again. After all, he had made it this far and they loved him so much!
So, once again after doing their best to make Sammy as comfortable as possible, the little family hit the road only to have misfortune strike. The van broke down and Sammy’s owners called for a tow truck.
Sammy’s owners put him in his traveling case and carefully placed it in a safe place at the back of the van, sure that he’d be fine there during the lift and transportation of the their broken down vehicle.
John, the tow truck driver was a very nice young man. He was a 6′8” tall good-looking firefighter who drove tow truck during his off time. As John loaded the van onto his truck. Sammy’s owners climbed into the cab of the tow truck and made the one hour drive to the nearest dealership.
Once the tow truck arrived, Sammy’s owners rushed to the van to check on their pet. What they saw was devastating! Sammy’s body was smashed up onto the side of his case and he looked as though he was dead. Sammy’s owners picked up the carrying case but Sammy didn’t make a single move. They yelled out “You killed our fish!!” John, the tow truck driver was horrified. At some time Sammy’s case had fell over, leaving him with only enough water to barely immerse his snout in!
John didn’t know what to say as Sammy’s owners ran around frantically looking for water. It was just a Betta fish, wasn’t it? NO…Sammy wasn’t just a fish. He was the cutest and smartest fish you could ever know, as told by his devoted owners.
Sammy’s owners filled his case with bottled water (Sammy’s favorite) and watched anxiously for any sign of movement. What felt like an eternity to Sammy’s owners, he finely moved. Sammy was alive!!
Needless to say, the rest of Sammy’s journey was pampered and once they arrived at their vacation destination, Sammy enjoyed himself completely.
As their vacation time grew to a close, Sammy’s owners prepared themselves for the drive home. They made a car seat out of a cardboard box for Sammy and his ride back home was much more subdued but it took Sammy a good month to get over his motion sickness. Morale of the story: Fish get car sick!     

Written by Victoria Evangeline Reed