A pet just for the holidays

I am on holiday in the Hamptons. Conrad Black’s guilty verdict merited two paragraphs in the newspaper. I feel totally starved for news.

I found a turtle on the lawn on my second day here. My niece and nephew wanted to keep it as a pet. I took them to the pet shop in an effort to get the shopkeeper to reinforce my mantra that it is cruel to keep pets when you are a mere “visiting tourist”. I grew up thinking pets were forever, not just for Christmas or summer. But I forgot this was America. “Ma’am many of our holiday makers take temporary custody of animals for the duration of the holiday season and then just give them back when the holiday’s are over,” explained the pet shop manager with a big “have-a-good-day” grin. Easy come – easy go.