Idle bug still racking up miles

[+Mushroom finder]

So around Christmas time last year my family had a get together and the kids asked if I would take them Geocaching. No one else in my family caches but several of them have gone with me a few times. On this occasion I took the kids to one of my own hides just because it was close by. While there my 11 year old niece took a shine to a travel bug that was in my cache. I explained to her what a TB was and that it wasn't a trade item and why it needed to stay in the cache. Then as 11 year olds often do, a mini melt down started to occur. To diffuse the situation, I finally agreed to let her take it on the condition that she only got to keep it for a little while and then had to put it in one of the caches in her neighborhood. She was fine with that and when we got home her Dad agreed to make sure it happened.

 

I didn't really know how it was gonna work out since they don't have an account and would have no way to log the drop. I didn't want to put it in my inventory since it wasn't in my possession, nor did I want to mark it as missing since it wasn't missing, so I just put it on my watch list. A month later someone logged a "grabbed it" and promptly placed it into another area cache where someone else picked it up and began dipping it. At that point I assumed that my niece had followed through with her promise and either dropped it in a cache or handed it off to a school mate that cached. Either way, the TB seemed to have safely made it back into circulation so I left it at that.

 

Fast forward to yesterday when my family was once again together for a holiday picnic. One of the activities we had planned for the kids was a bike ride to an area park to find a cache. My niece was along and so was her Dad. When we got to the cache he asked her if she remembered to bring the TB with her and she said no, she had left it at home. Turns out she still has it and has had it all along.

 

So now the question becomes; how has this bug managed to move over 30 times and pass through the hands of more than one person while sitting on my niece's dresser? My best guess is that someone found my cache specifically to retrieve the bug and when it wasn't there, rather than mark it as missing, they created a fake and let it go. What I can't understand about that is what anyone (especially someone who isn't the owner) would have to gain from that.

 

My next question is what happens when I get the real bug back from my niece and set it free? How are the drops and retrieves even gonna be kept straight? I forsee a lot of grabs happening back and forth. Since the bogus bug is now several states away, a grab and drop here and a grab and drop there are really gonna screw up the miles. Part of me says to leave well enough alone and not even try to rescue the real bug but then I think that if I were the owner, I'd be interested in my bug's travel history and not some imposter's. Help me out here, I'm not really sure what to do but I feel some responsibility for it.

[+kunarion]

I feel some responsibility for it.

 

I can't imagine why.

 

Contact the TB owner and explain the situation, and if you can get that TB back from the niece, ask the TO what they'd like you to do (maybe mail it to the TO?). Regardless, if you didn't make a Retrieve log when you took it from the cache, do that now (for the date you took it). Make a note log on that TB's page telling what happened to the original (for today's date). And never again remove Trackables to hand out to non-cachers.

 

Maybe the TO decided it was gone forever and released a copy tag. I couldn't immediately tell what TB you're talking about, so that's just a wild guess. It might be good to write to some recent holders and ask for a description of the TB they found.

 

With a copy currently traveling, it's not good to place the original now. The TO might like the original back, or might prefer to first get the copy removed from play, and have you place the original into a cache.

Edited September 5, 2012 by kunarion

[+terrkan78]

I understand the dilemma you were in - it's tough to come down hard on a kid that's not yours.

 

If it were me, I'd pester dad until hopefully he gave me the TB. Then I'd e-mail the TO and give them the run-down, offering to mail it back to them, or release it. I might also e-mail the person who's been dipping it most recently and ask them what it looks like (copy vs original) - just for my own curiosity as much as anything.

 

I'm a little surprised the TO didn't mention anything on the TB page when he released the copy (and I can't imagine anyone but the TO releasing a copy). Were the numbers/letters on the tag easy to read? (No big gash through the middle of an "I" that made it easy to misread as a "T" or something?) I suppose it's always possible that the niece did give it to a friend, or just misplaced it (and hasn't mentioned that to dad), and it eventually made it's way into the hands of someone who knew what it was.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Quite the dilemma really.....

 

 

But, I really have to toss up the obvious (to me, anyway).

 

YOU allowed (actually gave) a TB to a non-caching youngster 'cuz she was gonna throw a hissy-fit. I'm sorry, but the monkey is squarely on your back. A youngster that you have little (or no) say-so or control over. Now, time has passed -- making things more difficult than before.

 

You KNOW (or think you know) where it is and yet your concern is about how/why it is being supposedly being moved? What is wrong with this picture?

 

Sorry to seem so hard-core about it.... but you had no business setting this scenario into action. True, you did not have to come here and label yourself as a TB thief, but the way I see it, this is exactly what you have done. It's up to you to straighten it out.

 

Help me out here, I'm not really sure what to do but I feel some responsibility for it.

 

What would you do if it were your kid that you knew had something that wasn't theirs and refused to relinquish it? A niece is not that far removed.

 

Yup, the monkey is on your back, and he's chewing on the back of your head.

Edited September 5, 2012 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+kunarion]

Was that niece very excited about the actual TB dogtag? If not, it's possible that she kept the toy, and a family member placed the original dogtag (attached to perhaps a less niece-coveted object) into the Geocache. I'd almost bet that's what happened.

Edited September 5, 2012 by kunarion

[+BlueDeuce]

So around Christmas time last year my family had a get together and the kids asked if I would take them Geocaching. No one else in my family caches but several of them have gone with me a few times. On this occasion I took the kids to one of my own hides just because it was close by. While there my 11 year old niece took a shine to a travel bug that was in my cache. I explained to her what a TB was and that it wasn't a trade item and why it needed to stay in the cache. Then as 11 year olds often do, a mini melt down started to occur. To diffuse the situation, I finally agreed to let her take it on the condition that she only got to keep it for a little while and then had to put it in one of the caches in her neighborhood. She was fine with that and when we got home her Dad agreed to make sure it happened.

 

I didn't really know how it was gonna work out since they don't have an account and would have no way to log the drop. I didn't want to put it in my inventory since it wasn't in my possession, nor did I want to mark it as missing since it wasn't missing, so I just put it on my watch list. A month later someone logged a "grabbed it" and promptly placed it into another area cache where someone else picked it up and began dipping it. At that point I assumed that my niece had followed through with her promise and either dropped it in a cache or handed it off to a school mate that cached. Either way, the TB seemed to have safely made it back into circulation so I left it at that.

 

Fast forward to yesterday when my family was once again together for a holiday picnic. One of the activities we had planned for the kids was a bike ride to an area park to find a cache. My niece was along and so was her Dad. When we got to the cache he asked her if she remembered to bring the TB with her and she said no, she had left it at home. Turns out she still has it and has had it all along.

 

So now the question becomes; how has this bug managed to move over 30 times and pass through the hands of more than one person while sitting on my niece's dresser? My best guess is that someone found my cache specifically to retrieve the bug and when it wasn't there, rather than mark it as missing, they created a fake and let it go. What I can't understand about that is what anyone (especially someone who isn't the owner) would have to gain from that.

 

My next question is what happens when I get the real bug back from my niece and set it free? How are the drops and retrieves even gonna be kept straight? I forsee a lot of grabs happening back and forth. Since the bogus bug is now several states away, a grab and drop here and a grab and drop there are really gonna screw up the miles. Part of me says to leave well enough alone and not even try to rescue the real bug but then I think that if I were the owner, I'd be interested in my bug's travel history and not some imposter's. Help me out here, I'm not really sure what to do but I feel some responsibility for it.

 

You should feel responsible as this is your fault. Not only did you give a bug to a non-geocacher and left it listed, you haven't followed up with the owner to explain the situation.

 

Either contact the owner or pass the bug info to me so I can.