Dorothy - A Very Special Fish

This morning our goldfish named Dorothy died. There is definitely a void in our home, as her bowl is empty. Dorothy was 4 years old. She was a large goldfish and had grown to about 2 inches long and her tail was another 2 inches. Her bowl was in the kitchen and sat on a buffet. Next to her bowl was the basket of fruit and near the buffet is the back door. Everytime someone would get fruit or go out the back door, Dorothy would be looking out the bowl, waving her body and opening her mouth. I think she was saying "Feed me, feed me!". She was always ready to eat. After she ate, she always knocked around the stones on the bottom of her bowl, getting the food that fell to the bottom. The noise could be heard through out the house.

Dorothy was a replacement fish. The first Dorothy was won at the Orange County Fair, 7 years ago, by my granddaughter. Dorothy was named after Elmo's fish. The first Dorothy died when I was cleaning her bowl and she jumped into the dishwater. I was hoping she would survive, but the soap was just too much for a fish. I made a quick trip to the pet store to find a replacement before my granddaughter noticed her fish was missing. Even though the fish really didn't look the same, they were the same size. The replacement worked. Dorothy thrived and just kept growing and growing. I was wondering just how big she could get and if I was going to have to get an aquarium.
This morning Dorothy was at the bottom of her bowl, lying on her side. My granddaughter wrapped Dorothy in a paper towel and put her in a box. We had a little memorial for her and buried her in the backyard. Goodbye, Dorothy, we will miss you. You were a very special fish.