Pet snail for a day

Although we are not pet people, we found a little snail shell lying helpless on a friend's doormat the other day. Brendan was the actual discoverer and he let Audrey hold the tiny shell for the car ride home.

About a mile away from the house, Audrey's bloodcurdling scream blocked out the "Tunes for Toddlers" CD playing in the van, when the snail's slimy head poked out and we realized that there was actually a creature inside. As soon as we were home, B. built a little habitat with a rock, some greenery and water, and a branch for crawling. He watched the snail all evening, named it Sam the Snail, and was surprised to see that little Sam was able to crawl completely over the edge of the habitat container and leave a trail of slime on the counter. As I put Brendan to bed that evening, he began to cry, realizing that he had taken the snail from its home and how lonely little Sam must be. We also had no idea what snails eat, so B. was worried about Sam feeling hungry. "Can you please bring Sam back to where we found him?" he asked. Luckily, our friend, whose doormat was Sam's, happened to be coming for a visit that evening. We placed the little snail in a bag and he was returned to his place of discovery. Li'l B was so happy that Sam was back where he belonged. He came downstairs three times after I tucked him into bed to say goodbye and make sure Sam was comfortable before being taken back to his doormat home.

It was precious to see Brendan put such care and thought into little Sam's comfort. I confess that while I'm not a pet person per say, I don't mind a cute snail around the house every once in a while (as long as he remains in a walled habitat with no chance of slime secretions on the furniture and/or countertops).