Anyone who knows our Keegan knows his LOVE for insects and animals. After 14 years of his passion it can be overwhelming at times. Take 4 months ago for instance ... All the Anderson kids and their cousins were on holidays, rounding up slugs, larva, dragon flies, and yes even large toads. It was entertaining to say the least and it was something that even I did as a child. Keegan however can never part with his "friends" and always wants to invite them home. Even after explaining that they can't be let go in our eco system and on and on and on ... He still insisted that he could provide a nice home for his new toads. Let the record stand right now that I plain out said NO! I don't have a problem being the bad COP in the family, after all ... I know it will save me heart ache and frustration in the end. Well, fast forward to this fall. Keegan (the owner of two BC toads) started grade 9 in a new school with a teacher who was just as passionate about the eco system and the animals that it contained. Unfortunately he is a little extreme and told Keegan that he can NEVER, EVER let the toads go. Ever was a hard word for us. Especially since with all the windows being shut now, those darn toads were really beginning to stink. And, unfortunately Keegan's heart was taken by a new little lizard friend in the pet store. So, like most moms out there I set forth a plan. We would buy the lizard and hide him in our closet while PLAN A - We try to give our toads away or PLAN B - If no one takes them by Christmas we can send them back to their original home with Aunty Corey. Should have just gone with plan B. So I (not Blaine but ME) put an ad on Kijji, explaining that they can not be let go. It was a long shot anyways and no one responded so I (once again, just me) decided to go with PLAN B but forgot to delete the ad. Well yesterday (the night before Christmas Eve) Here I was ... At work, working with gmail when I noticed on my gmail account a reply to my ad. First thought ... Oh shoot, I forgot to delete that ad. Then I notice my reply was from a Fish and Wildlife officer - Tammy, can you please call me? Second thought ... Are you stinking kidding me? I know they are from another province but seriously???? I reply ... " It's all good, they are going back to their original home the day after boxing day." And I carry on with work. 10 minutes later ... a second email "Tammy, please call me." Third thought .. Oh my goodness. Am I in trouble? I have five minutes left of work. I will go home, explain this whole thing to Blaine and then get him to call. :) So I packed up from work, shut everything down loaded my two work kids in the truck and we headed home. Just as I rounded the bend into our cul de sac I noticed THE TRUCK! A Fish and Wildlife truck to be exact. "Just stay in the truck!" I tell the kids. I walk inside and Blaine is cooking supper while Keegan is sitting at the table, glued to his lap top with his earphones on." "Does no one notice the the Fish and Wildlife truck outside?" I ask. "Yep", Blaine says. "He came to the door and asked if we had toads from BC here. I told him yes and he asked what species they were. I told him I had no clue so he took them to his truck and is looking them up now." Moments later the officer returns and proceeds to tell us that collecting ANY animals in ANY province is an offence. Bringing them across to another province is another offence and since Keegan is under age we are responsible for his actions therefore held accountable for these offences. I was honestly waiting for the handcuffs to come out. And ... Apparently not knowing any better is not an excuse in the court of law. Instead of giving us fines of up to $5,000.00 and charging both of us we were handed 2 warning tickets and our names were added "to the system." So, the officer took with him two toads and gently closed the door. The minute that door closed we had anger, we had embarrassment, we had sorrow, we had every kind of tear you can imagine. Not just from one child either but from all of us. The only way to salvage the evening was to take Keegan into our closet and unveil the hidden lizard Christmas present. Lessons learned? I think so. 1. NEVER say yes to new friends, especially foreign ones. and 2. Big Brother is the real deal. All I had on that ad was my postal code and my name.
I still can't believe all of that over 2 toads. Can you imagine if he would have asked to search the house and found a lizard in our closet. We would have really looked suspicious. Oh the joys you bring to our lives dear Keegan. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment