Do our pets care about us? - 6 Minute English

We love and care for our pets. But do they care about us in return? Do they know when their human owners feel afraid or in danger. Do animals know, or care, about human feelings? Neil and Sam talk about cats and dogs and teach you related vocabulary.

This week's question
‘Lassie’ wasn’t the only TV show to feature a boy and his pet companion. A similar show, Skippy, was set in Australia - but what type of animal was the star?
a) a rabbit
b) a frog
c) a kangaroo
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
domesticated
describes animals which are under human control and live closely with people, for example pets, working animals and farm animals

anthropomorphize
treat an animal as if it were human in appearance or behaviour

feign
pretend to have a particular problem or emotion

agony
extreme physical pain

distress
strong feeling of worry, sadness or pain

grooming
the way some animals clean themselves using their tongue or paws

[Cover: Getty Images]

You can download transcript and audio on our website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2022/ep-220210

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