Having a Pet

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

  • have a taste for
  • put down
  • that said
  • like a cancer
  • grow on
  • cuddle
  • euthanize
  • pound
  • point
  • responsibility

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

There’s a saying in English that dogs are “man’s best friend.” That’s because dogs usually make loyal, affectionate companions. Plus, they love to cuddle and they never talk back to you. So in that way, maybe they’re even better than a best friend.
Dogs and cats are the most popular pets, but there’s a huge variety of pets out there, from little furry animals like rabbits or gerbils to reptiles like lizards or snakes. Some people even keep rats or spiders as pets!
But not all people are pet-people, and not all countries have pet-owning cultures. Listen to Mason try to convince Ella that owning pets is a beautiful thing.

3. Listen - Listen to the audio without reading the dialog.

Dialogue

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.


Ella /
Mason

Mason: Man, I gotta clean my rabbit’s cage. It’s been sittin’ there for like a week longer than it should have.

Ella: That’s disgusting.

Mason: Well, I mean, it’s one of the hazards that you go through when you’ve got an animal that you like.

Ella: Really? Why? Why would you ever want a pet?

Mason: Well, listen, the rabbit kind of fell into my arms. It was my sister’s and she couldn’t take care of it anymore. So I was like, yeah, alright, I’ll take your rabbit. But I mean, man, that thing has grown on me.

Ella: I bet.

Mason: Not like a cancer or anything, like something that blossoms in your heart.

Ella: Well, I don’t know. I just think that animals should just be eaten. Why should we have them as pets?

Mason: Animals should just be eaten, why should we have them as pets…I have eaten rabbit. That said, I don’t think I could anymore. You know, there’s definitely something that…Like, that caring instinct. And they’re cute.

Ella: Have you ever had a dog or a cat growing up?

Mason: We grew up with dogs in my family. Cats, I have no taste for cats.

Ella: It’s a lot of responsibility?

Mason: A lot of responsibility, no… I just don’t like their personality. They’re…They don’t need me. I like things that need me, that’s kind of the point of pets, in all honesty.

Ella: Did you take it to the dog pound or get it euthanized?

Mason: The dog, we did have euthanized. We had to put it down, and it was tragic.

Discussion

Mason tells Ella that he needs to clean his rabbit’s cage. Cleaning up after pets is one of the many responsibilities of being a pet owner. Mason thinks it’s worth it, but Ella doesn’t understand why he would ever want to own a pet.
Mason explains that he didn’t want the rabbit at first. It belonged to his sister and she asked him to take care of it for her. Now it’s really grown on him.
When he was growing up, Mason had a dog. He likes dogs better than cats because cats aren’t as affectionate or needy as dogs. Mason was really sad when he had to take his dog to be euthanized.
Do you have any pets? Or do you think being a pet owner is too much responsibility?

Grammar Point

Definite & Indefinite Articles
Ella asks Mason if he had a dog or a cat when he was growing up. She uses an indefinite article here because she is referring to any dog or cat. She is not talking about a specific object.
The is the definite article. We use the to talk about a specific object that is familiar to both the speaker and the listener. For example, Ella asks Mason, “Did you take the dog to the dog pound?” She uses the this time because she is talking about a specific dog, the dog Mason had when he was growing up.