このページはフレーム対応ブラウザ用に作成されています。下のリンクは非フレーム使用ページですのでそちらをご覧ください。
この記事をプリントする
お人形さん扱いされるイヌ
日常生活のさまざまな局面で私たちを助けてくれてきた犬は、人間にとって最も古い友人だと言われています。ところが最近、犬を気の合う友人としてではなく、人間のアクセサリーとして扱ったり、商売の道具にする傾向が強くなっているようです。戌年の年頭にあたり、彼らとの関係をもう一度見直してみませんか。
Dog-to-dolls
I'm a dog person. Are you?
Don't take offense. People will often ask you if you're a dog person in English. It doesn't mean, do you have a tail and slobber when you see food and sniff other people's bottoms. It means, do you like dogs - often in comparison to cats. I don't hate cats but if I had to choose, I would definitely be a dog person.
The reason I'm talking about dogs this week is because 2006 is the year of the dog, and I look around me and I think, that's fitting, because the world is going to the dogs - in more ways than one.
Most of all, I think it's going to the dogs in a good way. Man's best friend is helping us out in more ways than ever. Dogs help police and rescuers find people trapped inside buildings after major earthquakes. Dogs provide companionship to the lonely or the elderly. They also assist the hearing impaired and the blind. And most of all, they're great friends for people of all ages.
The friendship of dogs and man is as old as time. No one really knows, though, how the relationship came about, but it's one that's always been particularly moving to me. Take, for example, the remains of a boy and his dog unearthed by archaeologists from the ruins of Pompeii. The dog seems to be pulling on the boy's clothes, as if trying to save him
Dogs have always helped man, and sometimes I can't help thinking we're not really returning the favor. Just look at the dogs-to-dolls trend going on nowadays, where our four-legged friends are becoming more like accessories than companions.
I have seen some pretty embarrassed dogs walking around in some pretty wild gear. Of course, some dogs may like this and that's fine, but there's definitely a silent majority that's suffering from the dog-to-doll evolution. Dog fashion is big business and lonely owners are leaping at the chance to customize their pooches. Dog brands, brand dogs, dog stores, dog jewelry, dog cosmetics, dog perfume, dog clothes, and even dog shoes! There are books on how to teach your dog to sing, and I've even seen toothbrushes and eyelash combs for dogs
Recently, my eyes fell on a poor puppy that was in a state of major distress. A lady was trying her best to squeeze it into a tiny sweater. The poor dog was whining and scratching as it tried to stay out of the rainbow-colored straitjacket
I couldn't help but think, dogs don't ask us to wear tails so why do we make them wear our clothes. I mean, we already demand that they live in our houses and eat our food. It seems odd to me that you can dress a dog to look like its master, but there aren't any fashion goods to help masters look like their dogs!
But to be serious, I think dogs have a lot to teach us about life and how to live it to the fullest. Dogs have so many great qualities that we people seem to have forgotten. Just to name a few, they are loyal, kind, forgiving and loving. If people were more like dogs, what a better world it would be! In fact I feel so strongly about this that I'm thinking of starting a man-to-mutt movement for 2006. What do you think? We can all start off by wearing tails.
Shukan ST: Jan. 13, 2006
(C) All rights reserved
- dog person
- 愛犬家
- take offense
- 気分を害する
- slobber
- よだれをたらす
- sniff
- 臭いをかぐ
- bottoms
- お尻
- in comparison to 〜
- 〜と比べて
- fitting
- ふさわしい
- world is going to 〜
- 世界は〜へと傾きつつある
- in more ways than one
- いろいろな意味で
- in a good way
- よい形で
- in more ways than ever
- かつてないほどさまざまな局面で
- trapped
- 閉じ込められた
- provide companionship to 〜
- 〜の相手をする
- the lonely
- 寂しい人々
- the elderly
- お年寄り
- the blind
- 視聴覚障害者
- as old as time
- とても古い
- came about
- 生じた
- moving
- 心を打つ
- remains
- 遺骨
- unearthed
- 発掘された
- archaeologists
- 考古学者
- ruins of Pompeii
- ポンペイの遺跡
- be pulling on 〜
- 〜を引っ張っている
- (are not)returning the favor
- 恩返しをしていない
- embarrassed
- きまりの悪そうな
- pretty wild gear
- とっぴな服
- silent majority
- 声なき大衆
- evolution
- 展開
- are leaping at 〜
- 〜に飛び付いている
- customize 〜
- 好みに合わせて〜を作り変える
- pooches
- イヌ
- eyelash combs
- まつ毛用のくし
- puppy
- 小犬
- that was in a state of major distress
- 悲惨な目に遭っていた
- squeeze it into 〜
- 無理に〜を着せようとする
- was whining and scratching
- 悲しげに鳴き、ひっかいていた
- stay out of 〜
- 〜を着せられまいとする
- straitjacket
- 拘束服
- odd
- おかしな
- master
- 飼い主
- live it to the fullest
- 精一杯生きる
- Just to name a few
- 少し例を挙げると
- loyal
- 忠実な
- forgiving
- 寛大な
- loving
- 愛情に満ちた
- man-to-mutt
- 人間の雑種犬化