When Victoria Schild headed out the door of her house for a quick trip to Walmart, she had no intention of bringing any new pets home. When she passed by the fish department at the store though, one fish on the back of the shelf caught her attention and she couldn’t help but rescue him and take him home with her.

The Betta fish was on the back of a display shelf in a tiny little cup. He was in really bad shape too. Victoria knew that if she left him there he would surely die. His normally bright colored body had become pale and discolored, and his tail was  mostly gone from disease. He was in dire condition, and Victoria’s heart ached just looking at him. She knew she had to help him.

Although Victoria knew his chances of surviving were grim, she took the little Betta fish home anyway. She bought him a large, spacious tank and decorated it beautifully. If tonight was going to be his last night alive, at least he was going to be in a beautiful place and not in a tiny cup on a shelf at Walmart.

Victoria says when she got home, she started researching ways to help her new little pet heal. Her new fish which she named Argo, didn’t seem to be doing very well but within a week of having a nice, clean environment and some medication, his condition started improving a bit.

Little by little Argo got better and better. His color began returning and he even began to grow back his tail. Victoria said she could see him improving, but she had no idea how beautiful he would eventually become. She was just thrilled with the new addition to her family because of his spunk and will to survive.

Slowly Argo began moving around more in his new home, and within about four weeks of being rescued, his transition was unbelievable. Victoria said she could hardly believe that the beautiful fish in her aquarium was the same fish she brought home.

Argo is now bright red and blue colors with a beautiful, flowing tail. Victoria says she likes watching him swim and follow her around the room. She says he will also jump out of the water to get attention and food. What an amazing transformation!

While people may think that fish don’t need the love and attention that some other pets do, Argo and Victoria’s story is proof that even a fish can benefit from some tender loving care.