📕 Part 1: Pets

Rory, have you ever had a pet?

Yeah, our family had a tradition of keeping Chao-chaos. That's a breed of dog from China. It's one of the seven ancient breeds, actually, I think. And we also had fish, stick insects and an assortment of other small creatures from the local area that my little brother and I picked up. We don't have them now, but we did before when we were younger.

Do you have a pet at home now?

No, I live in a rented and shared apartment, so that wouldn't be fair. And I haven't the time to look after another animal, to be honest with you. I would like a dog, though, when I have a family of my own. I think it's helpful for kids to have a pet to help them learn about the world and cope with the struggles it brings.

What kind of pets do you like?

Well, I like dogs. If anyone has a dog, they have immediately won me over. Specifically big dogs. Though I like dogs in general too. They're really welcoming and they create this air of warmth in a household, which is really nice to have.

Did you have any pets when you were a child?

Well, like I said, we had two of man's best friend, and numerous goldfish, and small creatures. I think it helped a lot growing up to have companions. Though I should have appreciated it more at the time. I don't think you ever do when you were a child.

What kinds of pets are common in your country?

Ok. Well, at the risk of flogging a dead horse in terms of topics, dogs are very popular. You can see them everywhere. And cats are also a common sight in our neighborhoods and the surrounding neighborhoods as well. As our fish, although the fish will be outside in their fish tanks. And I heard that people are increasingly keeping ducks, but I'm not sure if that's true or not. Scotland freedom. Do what you like. Keep your duck.

No comments from me. Why do some people keep pets at home?

Well, they're good company and they add to the general ambience of the place. And they serve as a sort of furry security force. There are lots of other uses. I think companionship is the main desire they cater to, though. Animals are really good company to have.

Would you like to have an exotic pet?

I already do. I have you in my life. -

Ha ha ha. This is a hilarious joke, Rory. V: Sexist.

What? How is that sexist?

You are my pets.

I didn't. I talked about Maria. I could talk about you in the same light. V: But you talked about Maria.

Well, she was talking to me. Usually you talk to women when they are talking to you. That would be sexist not to.

Can you actually say that? Like, can you refer to people as pets? You are my pet.

You can. It's an expression of endearment in, I think it's Liverpool. People call each other pet to mean friend. It's like love. You don't mean you love them.

Hey, mate.

Yeah.

Yes, so we are discussing the woods now, basically all the questions. All the questions have been asked and answered

And now we're going to discuss them.

Pets. Oh, it was so cute when you said we had a tradition of keeping Chao-chaos. Chao-chao is was such a cute dog. If you have no idea what a Chao-chao is. You should Google it right now. Yes, dear listener you do need to know some specific words about pets. Rory mentioned Chao-chaos, also fish, stick insects. OK, not just insects. He preferred stick insects. Rory, could you explain your choice to us? Why not butterflies? Why not like bugs? Ants? Or build the whole universe.

We did keep bugs, though.

Wow. Snakes?

No, we knew people that kept snakes, but we didn't have.

Spiders?

There are already spiders living in the garden.

Why why keep them at home? Well, why keep them at home when you can keep them in the garden and they live longer. That's a thing, though. If you find a spider in your house, you're not supposed to put them outside because they die. They're specifically adapted to living in your home. That's why they're there. If they wanted to be if they wanted to live outside, that's where they would be.

Exactly. Yeah. So never kill any spiders inside your home. Because they kill flies. They kill all other creatures you don't want in your house.

Pest, which is different to pets.

Yeah. Pests.

You want pets. You don't want pests.

No, no. Pests are like insects you don't want. An assortment of other small creatures.

Yes. An assortment of something just means like a mixture of different ones. So we had like, oh my God, woodlice, ants, crabs.

Crabs? You had crabs?

Well, we live next to a beach. You just go down to the beach and lift up a rock and you can pick up a crab.

So you picked up crabs and just put them in a box?

Well, you don't put them in a box. You put them in a bucket.

Bucket? They live in a bucket?

Well, or a fish tank.

Wow. Have you ever had turtles?

No, there aren't any turtles in Scotland. I don't think. I've seen a turtle, though. When I went diving in Fiji we spotted a green turtle and we got to name it as well. And I think we call it Bob.

No, there aren't any turtles in Scotland. I don't think. I've seen a turtle, though. When I went diving in Fiji we spotted a green turtle and we got to name it as well. And I think we call it Bob.

You didn't call it Vanya?

No, I didn't know Vanya at the time. Would you like to be a turtle, Vanya? V: Yeah. Why not?

So when we have pets, we look after our pets. So we look after our cat or a dog. And Rory is a dog person. He eats dogs and he keeps dogs. Ha ha ha ha ha. I'm so funny.

Well, I'm glad someone thinks so.

Yeah. So it's nice to keep a dog to cope with the struggles it brings. It brings. It means not the dog brings but the world brings. Rory, you said that dogs create this air of warmth in a household.

Yeah. So if you create an air of something, it's like you create an atmosphere of something. So when you go into a house and there's dogs and the dogs are happy to see you, then it's like it's nice. It's a nice feeling.

At home or you can say in a household that's a nice paraphrase.

Yes. We talked a lot about homes already, I think.

I really enjoyed how you used this idiom. Flog a dead horse.

Yes.

Yeah, that was crafty.

Well, there's only so many times you can mention the word dog. What are the ways to paraphrase dog? Canines, that's very scientific. Four legged friends, which I did use.

Four legged friend. Oh.

Four legged friend is very contrived. So probably not the best choice.

Yeah. And Rory was mentioning like, dog, dog, dog. Yeah. Like what kinds of pets are common in your country? Dogs. And Rory said at the risk of flogging a dead horse in terms of topics. So when you flog a dead horse.

You repeat the same thing again and again.

Yeah, yeah. And that's idiomatic language. So we can say that cats are a common sight in my country or goldfish are a common sight. Dogs are a common sight in my country. Fish live in fish tanks.

Yes. And oh, I have friends, Dave and Steve. They have a lizard. It's a bearded lizard, I think. And I think the bearded lizard lives in something called a vivarium, which is like a fish tank, but it's for a lizard. Vivarium?

Vivarium. Yeah, I think so.

You can't say lizard tank. It's Vivarium, I'm pretty sure.

Yeah. We are using very nerdy specific words here.

I think a Vivarium is warm whereas there's another one, a terrarium which is just...

What's the difference, Rory? What's the difference?

I think terrarium is just decorated nicely, whereas a vivarium isn't, it just creates the conditions. Let's look this up. I know those words are things. And I know there's a difference between.

The answer to this question is really important because we do we use this vivarium, whatever it is every day. So you go shopping and they ask you, oh, how is your fish? I keep my fish in a fish tank and lizard in a vivarium. Right.

Ok, so vivarium is, I'm going to generalize here. So if there are any biologists listening, sorry about this. A vivarium is a tank that's used to study animals specifically, whereas a terrarium is like a fish tank, but a fish tank is for, or an aquarium is for water, terrarium is for land. But all of these things are used very interchangeably. But there's a giant chart that I'm not going to waste people's time explaining. Just take my word for it.

Thank you. Why do people keep pets? Well, because pets are good company. They add to the general ambience.

Yes.

Ambience is like environment?

The ambience is...

Ambience.

No idea what that is actually.

It's like the general atmosphere in the house or like...

Yes, it is. It's the atmosphere. But if you run out of words for atmosphere, then just say ambience and people will understand you.

Yeah. You also said like furry security force. That's funny. Pets are our furry security force.

I could have said guard dogs, but I'd already said guard dog. So I was like, what's a good paraphrase of that. Furry security force. There we go.

Yeah. So why do people keep pets? I don't know.

Furry security force.

Yeah. It's a furry security force. Fluffy, sweet. Yeah, so our pets cater to our desires.

Yes, and if you cater to a desire, it just means that you help meet the desire, satisfied. You might have a desire to cuddle your furry security force. To be honest, the more I say that, the more I really want a guard dog to cuddle with.

Yeah, it's nice to cuddle a dog. Fluffy fluffy dog. Yeah. You can also keep some exotic pets like lizards, chameleons, crocodiles in your bathtub. Who else, Rory?

I don't know. The only animal in my bathtub is the hair.

Of my roommates.

Actually, no, they don't do that. I should I have a very good roommate. So that is not a problem for us.

Yeah, we can also use this word pet. Like, oh, it's my pet subject. Can I say that?

Pet subject, pet student.

Pet student. Oh yes, pet students.

Well, I wouldn't say I was a pet student, but I was pretty popular with the teachers.

Yeah, a pet student means like a favorite student. Like a teacher has their own pet students, their favorites.

Do you have pet students?

No. No, I don't.

And on that note of that enthusiastic answer, let us bring this. Let's bring our pet episode to an end. Scotland freedom. What a coincidence. Band nine score.

So what should I say now? You've said it all.

There's one thing I didn't say and that was quality.

I always say quality. You say everything else and the only word for me which is left is quality.

Have a quality weekend. Bye!

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