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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