狗狗天生知道如何愛

lingoma

http://www.worldjournal.com/view ... 9B?instance=wjengch

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker.
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身為獸醫，我曾被找去為一隻名叫「Belker」的10歲愛爾蘭獵狼犬看病。
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The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
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2 J* ]9 T' A* c" aBelker的主人羅恩，他的太太麗莎和他們的小男孩西恩都和Belker感情很好，也都期待奇蹟發生。

9 y, q+ Z2 F, j; Z2 aI examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

3 v" E3 ?4 h  g8 ]5 `6 |檢查後，我發現Belker罹患癌症，回天乏術；我告訴這家人，我們無法幫Belker做點什麼了，也建議在家中為牠實施安樂死。

+ b4 p% _  S' F' IAs we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

在我們準備的時候，羅恩和麗莎告訴我，他們覺得讓西恩觀察整個過程會是好事，相信西恩也許能從這段經歷學到一些東西。

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
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隔天，這家人圍繞在Belker身邊時，我和以往一樣有了哽咽的感覺。西恩似乎很平靜，最後一次輕拍這隻老狗，我甚至懷疑他是否真的瞭解情況。幾分鐘之後，Belker安詳地死去了。

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
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小男孩似乎沒有太多困難和疑惑就接受了Belker的離去。我們在Belker死去後一起坐了一會兒，感嘆動物的壽命總是比人類短這個哀傷的現實。
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0 p# u. i  y  p9 WShane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

靜靜地聽著我們談話的西恩，忽然冒出一句：「我知道為什麼。」

8 S* M) K& N7 C  D. U: L4 [Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

我們非常驚訝地轉頭望著他，接下來他說的話，令我大為感動，是我聽過最令人欣慰的解釋。他說：「人們出生就是為了要學會如何過好生活，比如愛身邊的人，好好對待別人，對嗎？」
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/ j1 ^, ^3 D3 ]( \2 G0 zThe six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."(allone.com)
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這個6歲的孩子繼續說：「而狗狗原本就知道怎麼做到這些了，所以牠們不需要活那麼久。」(取材自allone.com)
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2 d- M( I. w; F& H( }  U詞解：1.euthanasia：安樂死

" p0 h! |! V* X( P2.transition：過渡，轉變

7 Y$ Y7 Q! J4 B- a+ u  E' P1 ?3.pipe up：尖聲的說，脫口而出

' h6 m/ j- a. Z0 E. w" I●狗老師的啟示…
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Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

記住，如果狗狗曾經是位老師，你會學到這些東西：

$ U5 J+ `" ^# R: JWhen loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
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. l5 N' \) _. O當心愛的人回家了，永遠跑上前熱情地迎接他們。

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
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$ c* z) s6 O1 ]0 v' l永遠不要錯過能夠出去玩兒的機會。
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Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
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隨時尋求關注並讓人們撫摸。

, _& C; \( w% e& y9 iWhen you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
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; K4 e) G4 c3 m. ^  }) G" L$ A* B, Y- W高興的時候，跳舞並搖動整個身體。

$ t  w7 Z1 {( X2 E2 }9 yBe loyal.
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" A7 k" o% B2 ?9 l1 P/ Y. [9 Q忠誠。
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0 z0 _, |  p" K9 M7 ]0 z5 }Never pretend to be something you're not.

; A7 V  A5 z! ^5 d' _) }+ o永遠不假裝。
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When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

7 B- O# f& C3 R( c0 y/ i2 I如果家裡有人不開心，保持沉默，坐到他身邊，溫柔地拱拱他、安慰他。
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- S; S4 J( x$ c2 j: E2 BRead more: 世界新聞網-北美華文新聞、華商資訊 - 狗狗天生知道如何愛
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