Read this opening conversation:
Kid: Mommy, can we have a puppy?
Mom: Go ask your father.
Kid: Dad, may we please have a puppy?
Dad: No, our house is too small and we don't have enough room.
Kid: Please, please? Just a small one.
Dad: Who's going to take care of it?
Kid: I will.
Dad: If you don't we'll have to give it to uncle Brian.
Kid: O.K. I promise I'll take good care of it.
Dad: All right, let's go to the pet store.
In America, small children often beg their parents for a pet. Parents and children often disagree about pets. Especially who's going to take care of them. Read these example conversations:
Michael: Who's going to take care of it?
Michiko: I will.
Michael: Who's going to feed it?
Michiko: Johnny and I will.
Michael: Who's going to clean up the mess?
Michiko: Mom and I will.
When you go to a pet store, you can tell the clerk one of these sentences:
"I'm looking for a puppy"
or
"I'm looking for a bird"
The clerk will tell you what they have. Then you can say:
"May we see them?"
The clerk might want more details of what you want. In this case the father wanted a small house dog with short fur. What is the opposite of house dog? We just say: "My dog lives outside."
If you don't know what kind of dog you have it's called a mutt or a poi dog in Hawaii. If your animal is purebred it's called a pedigree. They usually have pedigree papers that confirm their ancestry. Read this next conversation:
Jolene: What a beautiful dog! Is she a pedigree?
Jessica: Yes, she is but we don't have her papers because they were destroyed in a fire.
Jolene: That's too bad, you could make a lot of money breeding her.
Jessica: The vet said she's too small to have babies. She was the runt of the litter you know.
Read these example sentences:
"Is your dog a pedigree?"
"She was the runt of the litter"
The runt of the litter means that the animal was the smallest and weakest of the family. When you are looking for a dog you can ask if it's a pedigree or you can ask if it's the runt of the letter.
Here are some other questions you can ask:
"How big will this dog grow?"
"Will it eat a lot?"
or
"Is it a boy or girl?"
Usually the pet shop clerk will have some kind of information about the dog. Let's read this next conversation:
Frank: Is that dog housebroken?
Man: No, of course not. That's your job.
Frank: Oh. How do you train them?
Man: Every time they make a mess, you should spank him and say "No!"
Frank: Could I send him to obedience school?
Man: Hmm, I don't think they teach those kinds of things there.
If your dog knows where to go to the bathroom, then we say they are "housebroken." For example:
"Is that dog housebroken?"
Now, let's read this next conversation:
Dad: Well, we've bought you a new pet. Are you happy?
Kid: Yes, thank you so much daddy.
Dad: What are you going to name him?
Kid: I think I'll name him Taffy.
Dad: Why did you choose that name?
Kid: He's just a taffy color.
Dad: How about if we name him after Uncle Peter?
Kid: No way, he doesn't match that name. I like Taffy better.
Dad: All right, I'll leave it up to you.
Everyone has their name because of some reason. In the conversation above, the daughter wanted to name her dog "taffy" because the color of the dog was taffy. You may be curious to know the reason for choosing a name. Now read this next conversation:
Dad: Look at our new dog. His name is Taffy.
Mom: Oh, he's really cute!
Dad: Let's give him some dog food. He might be hungry.
Girl: How many times a day should I feed him?
Dad: I think once a day is best. If he eats more than that, he'll get fat.
Mom: I'll give him some water. Remember Rona, you have to change his water everyday.
Rona: I know, I'll remember.
Mom: Rona, I made a list of things you have to take care of. Listen carefully all right?
Rona: O.K.
In this conversation, the mother gave her daughter some instructions. She said:
"I made a list of things you have to take care of"
These kind of instructions are called commands. Read these example sentences:
"Take him for a walk"
"Change his water"
"Clean up his mess"
"Give him his heartworm pills"
"Feed him once"
Read this next conversation:
Johnny: Hi Rona! That's a cute puppy.
Rona: His name is Taffy. I got him yesterday.
Johnny: Can I pet him? Does he bite?
Rona: No, he doesn't.
Johnny: Does he have any fleas?
Rona: Of course not. He's clean!
When you first come across a new animal, you shouldn't try to pet them right away. You should make your hand into a fist and let the dog smell your hand. You should also ask the owner if it's safe to pet the animal.
Read these example sentences:
"Can I pet him?"
"Is it OK to pet him?"
"Does he bite?"
One common question that people will ask is if your dog has fleas. Fleas are the tiny little insects that jump and are hard to kill. Ticks are those big round insects that cling to an animals skin.
Now what happens if you lose your animal? You could check around your neighborhood or call the humane society. Read this next conversation:
Rona: I can't find Taffy Dad.
Dad: Why don't you check around the neighborhood?
Rona: O.K.
Man: Hi Rona, how are you?
Rona: Not so good. My dog is missing. Have you seen him?
Man: No, I haven't. Where did you last see him?
Rona: I saw him in the yard this morning.
Man: Well, I'll keep my eyes out for him.
Rona: Thanks, I appreciate it.
It's common for dogs or cats to stray from their homes. You could look around your neighborhood and talk to people.
Here are some example sentences you could use. Read these example sentences:
"My dog is missing"
"I've lost my dog"
"I can't find my dog"
In the conversation above, the girl asked the people in neighborhood about her dog.
If you are looking for something, you can say one of these sentences:
"I'll keep my eyes out for him"
"I'll keep my eyes peeled"
Now if you want to call the humane society, your conversation might sound a little bit different. The humane society is the place where they keep stray animals. You can report a wild animal or a domestic animal. Read this conversation:
Michael: Hello, Humane society, may I help you?
Michiko: Yes, I'd like to report a missing dog.
Michael: Did it have a license?
Michiko: Yes, the number is 35Y87.
Michael: All right, can you describe it to me?
Michiko: Yes, he's a two month old male and he's a brownish, golden color.
When you call the humane society, tell them the purpose. For example:
"I'd like to report a missing dog"
If you were to find a dog or some kind of animal you could say:
"I found a stray cat"
or
"I found a lost dog"
The last topic on pets will be about taking your animal to a veterinarian. A veterinarian is an animal doctor or vet. If your animal looks or acts strangely, you might want to take it to the vet. If you think something is wrong with your animal you could say these sentences. Read this example sentence:
"My dog is acting funny"
"My cat is behaving strangely"
