A fish-out-of-water tale, literally

Animal shelter rescues 60 abandoned goldfish struggling to live in a muddy backyard pond

Terry Hankins Animal control officer Jason Pietsch gives rescued goldfish their afternoon feeding at the animal shelter. Zoom Photo

Unknown tenants of a Flint Place home who skipped out without their landlord’s knowledge left more than confusion in their wake.

They also left 60 brightly colored goldfish to fend for themselves in a murky backyard pond.

“It had just about turned to mud,” said Nancee Tavares, manager of the Petaluma Animal Shelter, which got the call when neighbors realized the fish owners had left their pets behind.

“It was so dark you couldn’t see the fish in it,” Tavares said of the 4-by-6-foot pond. “We spent four hours getting them out — we had to bail it out by the bucket.”

That wasn’t the only problem — the shelter had to figure out where to put the creatures, which require a decidedly different environment than stray dogs or cats.

“We had to go out and buy everything,” Tavares said. “We called Rivertown Feed for advice because they sell koi pond supplies.”

Tavares and Animal Control Officer Jason Pietsch said the fish don’t appear to be koi, though some are up to seven inches long.

“They’re not your average goldfish,” Pietsch said.

They’re now under care in clean water at the Hopper Street shelter, waiting to be adopted out — no charge, Tavares said.

“They’re doing a lot better,” she said, but noted, “They’re starving.”

Pietsch is trying to track down the tenants. It’s unknown at this time whether the owners will face any legal repercussions if found.

“Technically, they did abandon the fish,” said Pietsch, though he noted the murky pond didn’t get that way overnight.

“The fish had been in a deplorable pond for quite a while,” he said.

(Contact Corey Young at corey.young@arguscourier.com)