Where do you draw the line???

I love my pet goose, Peep-Peep.  He arrived as an egg.  I incubated that egg (along with 11 others that didn't make it!)..I was there every step of the way when he first "pipped" (a small crack in the shell...signaling the beginning of his emergence into the world) .  I monitored his progress (or lack there of) for nearly 48 hrs., before I had to make a tough decision:  either REMOVE him from the egg shell....which, if done incorrectly could KILL HIM...or watch him die from dehydration and exhaustion ANYWAY.  With these as my only options, I figured it was worth the gamble.  I carefully helped him extract himself from the confining shell. 

This, was the end result of my diligence...and HIS will to live!  (Isn't he CUTE??!) I named him "Peep-Peep" because for those nearly 48 hrs he was trapped in his shell, his constant cries were "peep-peep!  peep-peep!!"  Well, as time went on, he became VERY attached to me and my Honey.  We fixed him up a "home" in a large plastic box.

He seemed to be a happy gosling.  We were happy and loved to come home each night and play with him.  We'd take him out of his box and let him roam around the house a little while (supervised, of course!) 

He quickly out-grew his plastic box!  Fortunately, the immediate "back yard" was already chain-linked fenced.  We had to move our beloved little Peep-Peep outside!!  The first night was HORRIBLE...for ME.  He weathered the transition just fine.  I had a sleepless night, worried that "something" might get him during the night!   Nothing did, of course, and after several nights, I was finally able to once again sleep peacefully, know Peep was going to be alright. 

As the weeks turned into months, Peep was finally big enough to learn to swim.  Our first excursions to the pond were successful and Honey and I believed it would be easy to eventually relocate him to the pond.  WRONG!

After a 'close encounter' with a very large catfish, Peep was terrified of the pond & would do anything he could think of to avoid the pond!!  We even physically picked him up & carried him to the pond & pitched him in the water.  He would frantically made a run for 'home'...he never wanted to leave the confines of the back yard.  Poor peep!!  I felt so sorry for him & wanted to him to be able to enjoy water like a normal goose....so I got the kiddie pool out of storage, put it in his yard, and filled it up.  OH, MY! He was one happy little goose! 

He lived for many happy months in the backyard & we eventually had to get him a larger pool.  He sat in his pool for hours each day....content to view the world from the safety of his chain-link enclosure.

I worried about his having no shade while swimming, so devised a 'make-shift' cabana for him.