Family Gets Mysterious Note That Someone's Living In A Puddle In Their Yard

“My first thought was, 'How is this possible?'"

When Dr. McArthur Billing found a note on his trash can that read, “Did you know there are goldfish in the puddle …" he thought someone was playing a prank on him. He asked his kids to go and see if they could figure out what the note was referring to, figuring it would be a fun activity for them. He was shocked and still very skeptical when they came running back to announce that there were in fact a bunch of fish in a nearby puddle.

He followed his kids to a little puddle across from their pond and truly couldn’t believe his eyes.

Dr. McArthur Billing

“I was shocked … completely shocked to see goldfish in a puddle,” Dr. Billing told The Dodo. “My first thought was, 'How is this possible?' … [and] my second thought was, 'We need to save the fish,' because the puddle was very temporary and would only last as long as it kept raining.”

As he and his kids raced to rescue the fish, Dr. Billing couldn’t help but ponder how this was possible. Had the fish been abandoned in the puddle? That seemed unlikely. As a biologist, Dr. Billing found the question particularly fascinating. He concluded that the fish had likely ended up in the pond somehow, maybe from someone abandoning them there, and had been living there undetected for some time. When it started to rain, the pond began to overflow, sending several of the fish careening across the road to a nearby puddle.

Dr. McArthur Billing

The situation seemed absolutely absurd, and if the family hadn’t recorded it, people may not have believed them.

After rescuing the puddle fish, the kids went around looking for any other fish who may have spilled out of the pond. Dr. Billing knew the fish shouldn’t be there in the first place and was determined to get them somewhere safe where they'd receive proper care.

Dr. McArthur Billing

“As a biologist, I knew the fish were likely invasive as they should not be in UK ponds or streams,” Dr. Billing said. “We collected and added [them] to our fish tank.”

The puddle fish are now transitioning well to their new home. They went from being trapped in a puddle to having the best new biologist dad to care for them, and the whole family is thrilled with their new additions.

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