Real English Conversations: Don’t step in the Dog Doo (part 3 of 4)

Posted on October 29, 2008
Filed Under Intermediate, Listening, Pets, Real English conversations | 6 Comments

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Hi! Lori here, welcoming you to another episode of Real English Conversations from betteratenglish.com. In today’s conversation, which is part 3 of 4, my British friend Michael and I continue our discussion on dogs and cats, focusing on the way that human beings tend to get emotionally attached to their pets. As always, you can find the full transcript and vocabulary notes on our website, www.betteratenglish.com. OK, here we go!

Conversation transcript

Note: words in bold are covered in the vocabulary list.

Lori: Well, do you…you don’t have a dog now though, right?
Michael: No, not personally, no.
L: Would you consider getting a dog?
M: Well, that’s a good question. I mean, I do love dogs. But they really are a commitment and a responsibility, of course. And that isn’t to be taken lightly. But…
L: A lot of people do, a lot of people…especially in the States. People here in Sweden seem to treat their dogs much better overall than people in the States. But you see…I’ve seen the most horrible things back in the States. People get a dog and, you know, they’re all excited about it at first, and then they just, you know, the novelty wears off…
M: Right.
L: And the poor dog just spends its life out in the back yard chained up somewhere, barking its head off, and…
M: Right.
L: You know, that’s really sad.
M: Now that’s a real shame, that’s a real shame.
L: Yeah, yeah…
M: But I think that… this is kind of a morbid thing, but, you know, dogs die.
L: Yeah.
M: You know, their life expectancy is, what is it—about, maybe about ten years, depending on the breed?
L: Yeah.
M: And that’s something that, you know, you’re a lot more likely to go through that… and if you have another dog, you know, it’s something you’re going to be experiencing several times in your own lifetime, and that’s traumatic, if you, you know, regard the dog as a family member.
L: Yeah, you do get quite attached to your pets.
M: Yeah, oh yeah. So, you know, I mean a friend of mine, her dog died just recently, and that was terrible.
L: Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.
M: That was really bad; you know, I mean the dog was 18 years old, I mean, it was a very long-lived dog. But, you know, that’s…for her it was half her life, you know, so a terrible trauma to go through. So I’d rather not go through that, you know, I think?
L: I don’t know. I think the benefits of having a dog, I mean, as long as you can handle the responsibility and have, you know, a good place for the dog…I don’t think, you know, a German shepherd or a Great Dane would do very well in someone’s tiny little apartment.
M: No, for sure.
L: But as long as you can handle that, I think the benefits of having a dog would outweigh the sorrow of when the dog finally, you know, gets old and dies. But I guess everyone is different. I would love to have a doggy, I really would. A small one. A little one.
M: OK, but aren’t you allergic to dogs.
L: Yeah, that’s why I can’t have one! I’m too allergic and also I’m not really sure my life is organized enough to be fair to a dog, or that it would fit in with my…with my life.
M: Is that because you don’t have a regular schedule for things, or…?
L: I don’t have a regular schedule and sometimes I do work really, really long days and I wouldn’t be able to take the dog with me, so I’d have to leave it locked up in my apartment all day long. And, you know, the poor thing, you know, it would need to go to the bathroom or would just be lonely. I’d have to leave it alone so much that it just wouldn’t be fair.
M: Right. It would probably tear the place up. I think, yeah.
L: Because they are social animals, you know. They’re pack animals so they really don’t do well when left all alone for long periods.
M: Right. Right.
L: So it’s rather cruel. But I would love to have a little doggy, a little Border Terrier.
[laughter]
M: Oh yeah.
L: Yeah, but I would worry about getting a purebred dog because sometimes they’re so inbred that they’re completely crackers, and completely free of all intelligence.
M: Yes. I know what you mean. Yeah.
L: I think mutts are generally much more robust and tend to have better personalities ’cause of the…they have a much more varied genetic makeup.
M: Right. Right. Well that’s what they say when it comes to genetics that you should be spreading the genes apart and not…
L: Hybrid vigor!
M: There’s a good reason why you’re not allowed to marry members of your own family.
L: Yeah. Yeah.
M: Let’s tell the British royal family that.
L: Oh, no! Naughty!
[laughter]
M: Well they’re all related on some level or another you know.
L: Oh my god. Yeah. Oh I don’t want to be dissing the royal family so we’d better not go there. Seriously, I would love to have a cute little doggy that I could take with me everywhere…

[This conversation will continue in part 4 of 4]

Download the vocabulary list here.

Final Words
That’s all for today. We’ll be back soon with part four. If you found today’s topic interesting, we’d love to hear your comments. You can leave a comment at our web site, www.betteratenglish.com, or e-mail us at info@betteratenglish.com. Bye for now!

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Real English Conversations: Don’t step on the dog doo (2 of 4)

Posted on October 19, 2008
Filed Under Intermediate, Pets, Real English conversations | 5 Comments

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Hi! Lori here, welcoming you to another episode of Real English Conversations from betteratenglish.com. I’m traveling abroad this week so I have had to edit this show on my laptop. There is no theme music today because I forgot to bring my music files with me. But I figured that having no music is better than making you all wait until I get home before I post this episode.

In today’s conversation, which is part 2 of 4, my British friend Michael and I continue discussing dogs and cats, and which we prefer. As always, you can find the full transcript and vocabulary notes on our website, www.betteratenglish.com. OK, here we go!

Conversation Transcript

Note: Words in bold are explained in the vocabulary list.

Lori: Well anyway, we’re digressing. Enough about dog poo. What do you think the best thing about doggies is?
Michael: Well, it’s difficult to say any one thing. But I like the kind of nature and the relationship that dogs have with their owners. And they are generally interested. And they are genuinely affectionate — or they can be — genuinely affectionate to their owners, which is something that I really don’t see in cats.
L: Yeah, cats are interesting. They’re interesting. It’s hard to know where you have a cat.
M: Uh huh.
L: I mean, if a cat is coming up and rubbing against your legs and being what looks like affectionate, it’s like, are they really…?
M: Right. [laughter] That’s called cupboard love.
L: Cupboard love. Yeah, are they really just in it for the food? Or are they really…? You know, ‘cause dogs — I agree with you — dogs really can seem to be genuinely affectionate towards their owners. I mean, the best thing in the world has to be coming home, when you left your dog at home for a few hours, and you come home and your dog is so happy to see you. And you’re the best person in the world and it’s just the most exciting thing ever that you’ve come walking through the door.
M: Right.
L: One of my favorite sayings is “I wish were the person my dog thinks I am.”
M: Aww. Yeah. I know what you mean.
L: Because they just think that you’re just the best thing ever, and every time.
M: Well some people can be like that too.
[laughter]
L: Yeah, but not every time.
M: No. Maybe not.
L: I mean, seriously, with dogs it’s, like, every time. You only have to leave them for 20 minutes and then come back and they’re just all over you ‘cause they’re so…just…overwhelmed with happiness.
M: That’s true. Yeah. Without fail. Without fail.
L: Yeah it’s fantastic.
M: You know I like that. The interaction you can have with a dog. They really want to play. And yeah, that’s just… I’m a dog person.
L: Yeah…I think…I like cats too. I know we differ about that, but I do like cats. But I would have to say I feel more affinity towards dogs.
M: Well, I like kittens. You know?
L: Oh kittens! Don’t even get me started on little kittens.
M: Kittens… well yeah they like to play and they’re full of mischief. They can be fun. That’s before they turn into cats and that’s when it all goes horribly wrong for me.
L: Oh, yeah. Kittens are just the cutest thing. And…but cats like to play too. You remember Janne and Ozzie’s cat, with the laser pointer. What fun we had.
M: Yeah, that was a lot of fun, yeah.
L: Yeah. Cats go absolutely crazy if you have one of those laser pointers and taunt them with it.
M: Yeah, but…the thing is though, they’re trying to kill it.
L: [laughing] Yeah, that’s true again!
M: That’s the problem. While we’re going, “Aww, that’s so cute.” But the cat is thinking, “What is that little creature? I’m going to kill it and eat it.”
L: Exactly. [laughing] And, no, “I’m going to catch it and toy with it first and then I’m going to kill it.”
M: Right, yeah. “I’m going to toy with it until it dies of a heart attack and then I’m going to eat it.”
[laughter]
M: You know, “Tear it apart and bring its entrails to my master.”
L: Exactly. Yeah, that’s a funny thing that cats do. I don’t know if that is just anthropomorphizing, you know, when you want to, kind of, impinge human qualities onto animals. People tend to say that, if their cat has been out in the garden and killed a bird and left it inside the house, that the cat has left them a “present.” And I don’t know if the cat is just saving it for later…or something…you know, why does it have to be a present?
M: It’s bringing it to you saying, “Hey, can you stick this in the fridge for me?”
[laughter]
L: Exactly. “I want to save it for my dinner.”
M: That’s the reason. It is because the cat can’t open the fridge, that’s why.
L: When I used to have cats, I used to find dead birds and things in my room that the cat had…you know…killed and left under the bed…and…that’s kind of unsettling.
M: Yeah, that’s not so much fun.
L: Yeah, that’s horrible. Well, you don’t have a dog now, though, right? You personally.
M: No, not anymore…

Final Words

That’s all for today. We’ll be back soon with part three. If you found today’s topic interesting, we’d love to hear your comments. You can leave a comment at our web site, www.betteratenglish.com, or e-mail us at info AT betteratenglish DOT com. Bye for now!

Download transcript and vocabulary list.

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Real English Conversations: Don’t step on the dog doo (part 1 of 4)

Posted on October 6, 2008
Filed Under Listening, Pets, Real English conversations, Weird stuff | 12 Comments

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Hi! Lori here, welcoming you to another episode of Real English Conversations from betteratenglish.com.

In today’s conversation, which is part one of four, my British friend “Michael” and I begin by talking about whether we are “dog people” or “cat people.” Then we move on to discuss the social etiquette of dog walking – particularly picking up after them in public places.

As always, you can find the full transcript of this podcast and vocabulary notes on our website, www.betteratenglish.com.

OK, here we go!

Conversation Transcript

(Note: Words in bold are featured in the vocabulary list [PDF])

Lori: Would you consider yourself a dog person or a cat person?
Michael: Oh, I’m a dog person, I can tell you straight away.
L: Really?
M: Absolutely, 100% confirmed, dog person. You bet.
L: [laughter] Dog person… Have you ever had a dog?
M: Yes, I have. Yes, I had — let me see, this would be about 10 years ago. I had my own doggy; I had a Norwegian Elk Hound.
L: Oh, was he cute?
M: He was very cute; he was painfully cute. He was great. But I don’t have a dog nowadays, but I have…I walk my neighbors’ dog.
L: Oh right, yeah, Bertie.
M: That’s right, I was telling you the other day. They’re a lovely old couple, who I’ve known for years, but they’re getting on a bit and they’re not so active, so I take their dog out for a walk quite often.
L: OK! Do you have a law in England or in your city that you have to pick up the dog poo when you’re walking your dog?
M: Well, I think it depends on the council, the local government. Because if you go to certain areas, they have signs up and it will say, “Don’t let your dog foul the footpath!” and they will actually tell you that there is a fine of fifty pounds or whatever. I think it can be a lot more than that, actually. But I don’t know whether it’s a blanket law, you know, I don’t know if it’s a law for everywhere. I think it’s more down to the local authorities.
L: OK. Do you notice that people are good about picking up dog poo when they’re out with their dogs? Do you find a lot of, you know, doggy doo?
M: I still see quite a few dog turds on the pavement, I’m afraid. And unfor- I’m sorry to say, and not nearly as much as in the seventies. That was part of my childhood. I remember.
L: Oh, stepping in dog poo, totally, in the summertime when you’re running around barefoot.
M: Oh when it squishes between your toes?
[laughter]
L: Oh. That is, oh, the worst. But at least if you’re barefoot it’s easy to wash off. It’s almost worse when you step in a pile with your sneakers on. It gets all inside the tread, oh man.
M: Oh. Right. OK. Like the Adidas trainers that used to have the ridged soles as well. So it would get.
L: Yeah, or any hiking boots or anything at all that has a, you know, a pattern and ridges and texture on the sole.
M: Well, my parents actually had a special stick and a scrubbing brush which was specifically for getting dog poo off your shoes.
L: Yeah, ’cause…that’s, oh, it’s such an annoyance. But I, you know, I have to say that here in Sweden I think it is some kind of law that you have to pick up after your dog. And when people go out walking their dogs they have little…special little plastic bags, little black bags…and there are actually special garbage receptacles for depositing the dog poo. And people are pretty good about it, I have to say.
M: Well we have those bins here, at least the area that…you know, around here where I take Bertie for a walk. There are quite a few of these special dog bins, these red bins, and there’s a picture of a dog on the front of it. So that’s never a problem. But, for me, still you find that people just let their dogs foul the footpath, even though there are these bins around. And I don’t know, I guess it’s not, it hasn’t quite caught on.
L: Maybe people think it doesn’t apply to them, or whatever.
M: Well, who knows? It’s no fun. I must admit I don’t relish…
L: No, it’s not nice.
M: …picking up the dog’s mess, but…
L: But you pick up after Bertie?
M: Absolutely I do. Yeah.
L: Do you have special little bags?
M: No, I just use my Tesco bags.
L: [laughing] Tesco bags?
M: Yeah, Tesco are great. You know how I feel about Tesco, but…
L: Yeah, maybe it’s almost like I feel about Google.
M: Yeah, Yeah. [laughing] It’s almost to that level. But the problem with that actually is because they’re typical plastic supermarket bags, you know, and so they’re actually perforated.
L: Oh, dear.
M: Yes. If you don’t hold the bag in the right place, then there can actually be contamination, and that’s not so nice. So…
L: Oh no. Oh dear. Well, are they…? That sounds like they could be big as well, so it could be a bit unwieldy.
M: All right. Quite. They’re quite big.
L: You should just take some little plastic baggies with you.
M: Well. Yeah. Yeah. I suppose so. But I manage OK with the Tesco bags. You know?
L: I could send you some from here…special plastic doggy-poo bags
[laughter]
M: No. That’s OK. We do have them here in England you know. But…
L: I hate to think of you getting contaminated. I think Bertie would probably hate it too.
[laughter]
M: He’s very cute. But I’m afraid, you know, his poo does smell. So it’s… you wouldn’t think so to look at him, but..Yeah.
L: Well anyway, we’re digressing. Enough about dog poo. What do you think the best thing about doggies is?