We have all heard stories that involved the ghost of a pet. It seems plausible that our pets may actually have some form of an afterlife, but could a living pet actually communicate with a person through a dream? I had an experience with an eight inch Oscar that makes me tend to believe it.
Some years ago I bought a very small Oscar fish. When I brought it home I put it into a 15 gallon aquarium. It was barely an inch long so it seemed to have a lot of room. That small fish grew quickly and when it reached almost six inches in length I moved it into a larger tank.
Oscars seem to exhibit a distinct personality and they are actually very intelligent. My Oscar could recognize me and when I came into the room after being away for awhile it would come up to the top front of the aquarium and wag like a dog wagging its tail! I would go up to it and touch it on the forehead. The Oscar actually pushed back against my finger. Believe it or not I petted my Oscar and it seemed to enjoy it. It would rub against my hand while swimming back and forth.
When it was little I fed it pellets, but as it grew I started experimenting with various insects and earthworms. I can tell you that Oscars really love to eat live earthworms. Eventually I started offering it table scraps occasionally. I shared my steak and fried chicken, among other foods, with my Oscar. Oh, and this Oscar would eat right out of my hand.
I tell you all this so you can see what sort of relationship I had with this fish. I did more than just feed it and change its water. I interacted with it and even talked to it.
One night I nearly lost the Oscar. It was really strange how it happened. I was asleep and in my dream the Oscar was calling for help. Eventually I began to waken from the dream, for a few seconds I lay there thinking about the dream, it seemed so real and vivid. Out of curiosity as well as concern I got up to check on the Oscar. It wasn't in the tank! I turned on the lights and found it laying on the floor.
When I picked it up it was very stiff and dry to the touch, but it's mouth was moving slightly. I returned it to the water and watched it floating on its side, thinking that it was going to die. After about an hour the Oscar fish began to move around more until finally it was swimming around and behaving as though nothing had ever happened. Did that fish actually contact me in a dream to call out for help? Did my subconscious somehow pick up the sounds and incorporate them into my dream?
Some people may think it was only a fish, but I really got attached to it. Eventually there came a time when I needed to find a new home for my Oscar. I was very hesitant about who got it and wanted to be as sure as I could that it would be taken good care of. I found out about a woman who was as much a fish lover as I am. She had several aquariums including a 55 gallon that wasn't being lived in.
This all happened more than 25 years ago, but to this day I still think about that Oscar from time to time and wonder how it's life went in its new home.
Learn more about Oscars and other aquarium fish at TheHomeAquarium.com
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