Date: Fri 30-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Drug-Center-homeless-fish

Full Text:

Even Homeless Fish Can Get "In The Swim" At The Drug Center

(with cuts)

BY DOROTHY EVANS

Sometimes Drug Center employee Cathy Dahlmeyer has to think fast when she

answers the pharmacy phone.

This happens when instead of asking about prescription refills, a caller wants

to know if "this is the place that takes fish."

Ka-chunka! You can almost hear Mrs Dahlmeyer switch mental gears as she

answers, "Yes, it is!"

Since the caller has a pet goldfish that needs a home because the family is

moving away, Mrs Dahlmeyer drops right into her Fish Adoption Case Worker

mode. She knows now is the time to go over certain relevant fish issues before

accepting the case.

What kind and how big? When must the transfer take place? Will there be

subsequent visitation rights? Are there any health-related or behavior

problems?

When the conversation ends, Mrs Dahlmeyer goes back to business as usual and

her "regular" job of helping pharmacy customers.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the line, some Newtown parent is heaving one

huge sigh of relief before telling the children the good news: There will,

after all, be a home for the beloved family goldfish when they all move to

California next month.

Better yet, the parent may be thinking, there won't be any need to send the

poor unsuspecting creature down the porcelain path to oblivion or make a

midnight trip to a local pond.

Thank you, Drug Center!

An AfFINity For

Displaced Fish

Make no bones about it, Drug Center co-owners Don and Diane Bates love keeping

fish.

"I think I got Don into it when we first got married," said Diane, adding that

her own interest came as the result of an uncle who was breeding guppies.

Now, she added, her husband is really hooked.

"We belong to the Danbury Area Aquarium Society and will give our club card to

anyone who asks," Mr Bates said.

"We understand how hard it is for children (and even some grownups) to say

goodbye to a pet," he added.

To meet the need, Mr and Mrs Bates have several good-sized fish tanks in

constant operation with space available for new tenants. There are five tanks

at home and four at the store, where customers may view the latest adoptees

swimming happily.

One aquarium in particular attracts plenty of attention since it is located

upstairs next to the cash register. The other three are downstairs in the

employee's lounge.

Where The Catfish Rules

On a recent afternoon, Mrs Dahlmeyer was kind enough to take 15 minutes away

from her pharmacy post at the back of the store to lead a visitor down a set

of narrow stairs.

Together, they visited the basement employees' lounge where so many of

Newtown's favored fish have found homes.

"Some of these even came over from our old place," Mrs Dahlmeyer said.

She was referring to September 1995 when the Drug Center moved its business

from the Queen Street Shopping Center to 61 Church Hill Road.

As the plumpest of several fat goldfish swam into view, Mrs Dahlmeyer

remarked, "There's Ernie!"

Ernie, it seemed, was once a tiny feeder fish that had belonged to her

8-year-old son, Alexander. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Ernie had

grown out of his 1« gallon tank at the Dahlmeyer's house. He needed a roomier

environment -- something a bit more up scale , you could say.

"That was years ago. He's been doing great here in the Drug Center tank and I

can't believe how big he's gotten," she said. Best of all, Alexander gets to

visit Ernie every now and then to check on his progress.

Other success stories came to mind as they paused in front of the big

downstairs tanks.

A very shy and retiring lungfish was lounging in a dark corner.

"He belongs to two sisters, Jessica Anne and Sarah," she said.

In the next tank were the two goldfish who belonged to a Mrs Green. They were

swimming side by side past several other goldfish whose exact histories were

lost to memory.

All the Drug Center's adopted fish are watched over by the biggest, baddest

catfish that ever swam this side of the Amazon River, the magnificent

Plecostomas .

This splendid specimen with mottled black and gray markings that look rather

like the pebbly bottom of a stream bed, apparently spends its days and nights

hanging tail down from the side of its tank.

The catfish is locked onto the inside glass by a most impressive set of

sucking mouth parts.

"He's eating algae and keeping the tank clean for us," Mrs Dahlmeyer

explained.

When the downstairs tour ended, the visitor commented upon what a happy scene

this was. All these once-doomed Newtown fish enjoying a second chance at a

longer life in Drug Center aquariums that are maintained year in and year out

by Don and Diane Bates, or by any employee who shows an interest and an

inclination.

What more could any town ask of its full-service community drugstore than

this?