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3岁小毛驴以为自己是狗

2021-04-18

阅读与作文(英语初中版) 2021年2期
关键词:布里奇格里夫小毛驴

Meet Dougie, the 3-year-old miniature donkey who thinks hes a dog.

The pet lives with his owners Cal and Tom Stockbridge in Pickering, Yorkshire, England, where he has the run of the house and goes for walks.

The animal loves company, is often found in writer Toms office while he works—and bizarrely, also loves watching tennis.

Cal, 53, who runs a theatre company, said, “He acts more like a dog than a donkey, he loves attention from people. Dougie was raised with a lot of human contact so when we got him aged 8 months old we wanted to maintain that. All our animals have the run of the house and we wouldnt have wanted Dougie to be any different.”

Cal first got Dougie as a present for her 50th birthday, having visited a friend who had a donkey.

When he was 8 months old she brought him home to their small holding which is surrounded by 250 acres of Wildlife Trust land.

Cal added, “We are like pretend farmers. We have lots of animals, but its not a working farm. Dougie was put into the wildflower meadow at the bottom of our garden with a little shed for shelter. We have French windows that open out into the garden and before long Dougie found his way into the house.”

Dougie quickly made friends with the other animals, including Griff, Cals 7-year-old Irish wolfhound, who is the same size as the donkey.

Cal said, “We take Dougie for walks with Griff and he gets very cross if he sees us going and we dont take him with us. Griff gets a bit jealous of Dougie because he doesnt like to share me.”

The little donkey does get up to mischief, often holding ladys skirts or cardigans firmly in his mouth.

Cal said, “He doesnt chew or rip their clothes; he will just stand very close to them and not let go. It doesnt faze my friends; they are used to me having so many animals around. Dougie never steals food, though, not like the pigs who sometimes come in the house. If there is an apple or carrot on the side he wont be interested, hes just looking for his daily dose of affection—usually a scratch and a tickle.”

Cal has some advice for anyone who may be considering getting a miniature donkey of their own. She said, “They make incredible pets; they all have their own personalities and theyre very affectionate but donkeys need shelter, grazing and company so you need to do your research—especially as they can live well into their forties.”

來认识一下3岁的迷你驴道基,但它以为自己是只狗。

这头宠物小毛驴和它的主人卡尔·斯托布里奇和汤姆·斯托布里奇夫妇住在英国约克郡的皮克林镇,在那儿它可以在屋里随意跑动,也可以外出散步。

它喜欢人类的陪伴,经常在作家汤姆工作时出现在他的办公室里。它还有一个古怪的爱好——看别人打网球。

53岁的卡尔经营着一家剧院公司。她说:“道基表现得更像一只狗而不是驴,它喜欢得到别人的关注。它在与人类关系紧密的环境中长大,8个月大时来到我们这儿,我们想保留它亲近人类的性格。我们养的动物都可以在屋里跑来跑去,道基也不例外。”

卡尔在拜访之前养道基的朋友之后,那个朋友把这头驴作为卡尔50岁的生日礼物送给了她。

道基8个月大的时候,卡尔把它带回家,一处周围有250英亩的野生动物信托用地的小房产。

卡尔补充道:“我们就像在扮演农场主的身份。我们养了很多动物,但这并不是真正的农场。我们把道基养在花园尽头的野花地里,有一个小棚屋为它遮风挡雨。我们的落地窗对着花园敞开,没多久道基就发现它可以从那儿进入房子了。”

道基很快就和其他动物交上了朋友,比如卡尔7岁大的爱尔兰猎狼犬格里夫,它的体型和道基一样大。

卡尔说:“我们带道基和格里夫一起散步,如果道基发现我们出去散步却不带它,就会很生气。格里夫有点吃道基的醋,因为它不想和别的动物分享我。”

这头小驴子也会调皮捣蛋,常把女士的裙子或羊毛衫紧紧衔在口中。

卡尔说:“它不会把她们的衣服嚼烂或撕碎,只是紧贴着她们站着,就不松口。这吓不到我的朋友们,她们已经习惯我身边围绕着各种动物了。但道基从来不偷食物,不会像猪一样有时会跑到屋子里找食物。即便旁边摆着苹果或胡萝卜它也不感兴趣,它只是为了得到每天例行的爱抚——通常就是给它挠痒痒。”

卡尔给想养迷你驴的人提出了一些建议。她说:“它们是很棒的宠物,有着独立的个性,很有感情,但要注意驴子需要住所、吃草和陪伴,所以养之前你得做好准备——尤其要注意它们能活到四十好几岁。”

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