The donkey who thinks he's a dog! Three-year-old Dougie has the run of the house and loves nothing more than walks, cuddles... and watching tennis
Meet Dougie, the three-year-old miniature donkey who thinks he's a dog.
来认识一下3岁的迷你驴道基，但它以为自己是只狗。
The pet lives with his owners Cal and Tom Stockbridge inPickering,Yorkshire, where he has run of the house and goes for walks.
这头宠物小毛驴和它的主人卡尔·斯托克布里奇（Cal Stockbridge）和汤姆·斯托克布里奇（Tom Stockbridge）住在约克郡（Yorkshire）的皮克林镇（Pickering），在那儿它可以在屋里随意跑动，也可以外出散步。
The animal loves company, is often found in writer Tom's office while he works - and bizarrely, also loves watching tennis.
它喜欢与人为伴，经常在作家汤姆工作时待在他的办公室里——很奇怪的是，它还喜欢看网球比赛。
Cal, 53, who runs a theatre company, said: 'He acts more like a dog than a donkey, he loves attention from people.
53岁的卡尔经营着一家剧院公司，她说：“它表现得更像一只狗而不是驴，它喜欢得到别人的关注。”
'Dougie was raised with a lot of human contact so when we got him aged eight months old we wanted to maintain that.
“道基在与人类关系紧密的环境中长大，它8个月大时来到我们这儿，我们想保留它亲近人类的性格。”
'All our animals have run of the house and we wouldn't have wanted Dougie to be any different.'
“我们养的动物都可以在屋里跑来跑去，道基也不例外。”
Calfirst got Dougie as a present for her 50th birthday, having visited a friend who had a donkey.
卡尔在拜访一个养着驴子的朋友之后，那个朋友把道基作为卡尔50岁的生日礼物送给了她。
When he was eight months old she brought him home to their small holding which is surrounded by 250 acres of Wildlife Trust land.
道基8个月大的时候，她把它带回家，一处周围有250英亩的野生动物信托用地的小房产。
Caladded: 'We are like pretend farmers. We have lots of animals, but it's not a working farm. Dougie was put into the wildflower meadow at the bottom of our garden with a little shed for shelter.
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。
'We have French windows that open out into the garden and before long Dougie found his way into the house.'
“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。”
Dougie quickly made friends with the other animals, includingGriff,Cal's seven-year-old Irish wolfhound, who is the same size as the donkey.
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（Griff），它的体型和道基一样大。
She said: 'We take Dougie for walks with Griff and he gets very cross if he sees us going and we don't take him with us.
她说：“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。”
'Griff gets a bit jealous of Dougie because he doesn't like to share me.'
“格里夫有点吃道基的醋，因为它不想和别的动物分享我。”
The little donkey does get up to mischief, often holding lady's skirts or cardigans firmly in his mouth.
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。
Calsaid: 'He doesn't chew or rip their clothes, he will just stand very close to them and not let go.
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。”
'It doesn't faze my friends, they are used to me having so many animals around.
“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。”
'Dougie never steals food though, not like the pigs who sometimes come in the house.
“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。”
'If there is an apple or carrot on the side he won't be interested, he's just looking for his daily dose of affection - usually a scratch and a tickle.'
“即便旁边摆着苹果或胡萝卜它也不感兴趣，它只是来接受每天例行的爱抚——通常就是给它挠痒痒。”
Calhas some advice for anyone who may be considering getting a miniature donkey of their own.
卡尔也给想养迷你驴的人提出了一些建议。
She said: 'They make incredible pets, they all have their own personalities and they're 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.'
她说：“它们是很棒的宠物，有着独立的个性，很有感情，但注意驴子需要遮蔽的地方、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。”
Vocabulary
shed：牲口棚
French window：落地窗
cross：生气的，愤怒的
mischief：恶作剧，捣乱
cardigan：羊毛衫
faze：使慌乱
graze：(牲畜)啃食牧草，吃青草，放牧
英文来源：每日邮报
译者：Garfield猫
