Compelling Conversations: for Advanced students
11
LOVING DOGS AND OTHER PETS
“Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
—Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer and humorist
Sharing Memories
Ask your conversation partner about their dog or other pet. Take turns so the conversation flows. Encourage your partner.
1. Are you an animal lover or a pet person? Can I call you a “dog person”?
2. What is the name of your favorite pet? How did you choose it?
3. What does, or did, your favorite dog/pet look like? Can you describe your pet?
4. Can you tell me about your dog’s personality? What makes this pet special for you?
5. How did your dog join your family? What were some factors in your decision?
6. What are your favorite photographs of your dog? Are they displayed?
7. Did you train your dog? How? To do what? Why?
8. How do you take care of your dog? Give specific examples.
9. What makes a good pet owner or guardian? What are the tips and taboos?
10. How do you play with your dog (or other pet)? What do you enjoy doing together?
11. Does your dog like car trips? Beach walks? Hikes? Parks? Playing with Frisbees?
12. What else does your favorite pet like to do?
13. How did others in your family feel about your favorite dog/rabbit/fish/bird/other pet?
14. Why are dogs good pets? Do you agree that dogs are the ideal pet?
15. What are some challenges of having a dog?
16. What are some dog breeds that you think are beautiful? Strange?
Vocabulary
Define the words you know.
personality | rescued | mutt | purebred | veterinarian
spayed | guardian | train | pamper | allergies
fashionable | dogma
Idioms
Do you know these common idioms? What do they mean?
His bark is worse than his bite.
It’s raining cats and dogs.
She’s sniffing the air before making a decision.
He’s like a dog marking his territory.
Proverbs
Can you think of another proverb about dogs?
Let sleeping dogs lie. —German
A dog is man’s best friend. —English
Two dogs can kill a lion. —Jewish
The Conversation Continues
1. What is a purebred? What’s a mutt?
2. Have you ever owned a purebred dog? What kind?
3. Have you ever owned a mutt? What did your mutt look like?
4. When did you first get a dog? How old were you?
5. How do dogs help people? Can you name some professions for dogs?
6. Have you ever known an animal that rescued a person? How?
7. What’s the most extraordinary thing you’ve heard a pet do?
8. What are some disadvantages to having pets? How could pets cause trouble?
9. Have you ever taken a pet to a veterinarian? Did it get a vaccination? Why?
10. Why do some cities encourage people to spay or neuter their pets?
11. How did you express your grief when your pet died? What did you do to honor your memories together?
12. Are pets treated differently in the United States than in your native country? Can you give an example?
13. Have you ever watched a dog show? What was your reaction?
14. Are you allergic to any animals? Which ones? What do you do for your allergies?
15. Can you name movies that star dogs? Other animals? Which was your favorite?
16. What books or songs celebrate dogs? Other pets? Which was your favorite?
17. What do you think children learn from having pets?
18. Pet robots and virtual pets are now available. Why do you think these hi-tech toys have become fashionable?
19. Who do you think might buy pet robots? Why?
20. Why are we so devoted to our pets? Why do we love them so much?
Discussing Quotations
With your conversation partner(s) or on your own, read the following quotations out loud. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Why? Explain your reasons.
1. “If you lie down with dogs, you’ll rise up with fleas.”
—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American icon
2. “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.”
—Noel Coward (1899-1973), dramatist
3. “A dog starved at his master’s gate, Predicts the ruin of the state.”
—William Blake (1757-1827), English poet
4. “To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the popularity of dogs.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), British novelist
5. “The more I see of men, the more I like dogs.”
—Madame de Stael (1766-1817), French writer
6. “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
—Mark Twain (1835-1910), writer
7. “If man’s best friend is a dog, his worst is dogma.”
—Leo Rosten (1908-1997), writer
8. “I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cat look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”
—Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British Prime Minister
9. “Animals are such agreeable friends-they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”
—George Eliot (1819-1890), English novelist
10. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight-it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
—Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower (1890-1969), 34th U.S. President
11. “Dogs are our link to paradise.”
—Milan Kundera (1929-), Franco-Czech novelist
On Your Own
Some people say that dogs and their owners look alike. As you walk or ride around in the next few days, observe dog owners and their dogs. Try to find at least five examples. What do you think? Do dog owners resemble their dogs? What did you find out?