We Love Dogs, But Not Enough

又一年就这么辞去了，仿佛是清晨的阳光，在不知不觉中，从你的床边挪到了窗边。是如此轻柔、是如此安静，它的离去从不会打搅你的小憩安睡，却在你的床单、你的枕头上留下了它的印迹——阳光的味道。
Another year has gone just before you know it as if the morning sun moved from your bedside to your window pane. Quiet and peaceful. The smell of the sun lingers on, leaving its footprints on your bed sheet and pillow while you were still sleep in.

那一年2018带来了不少欢声笑语，收获满满，还有一颗星在遥远的夜空中点亮了我，感谢你星星。辞去了狗年，迎来了猪年，在这年岁的交替中，我们还有这么一位特殊的成员——小可爱，它在自己的本命年中度过了一年六个月，正式成长为了一只成年狗狗。作为我们家庭成员中的重要组成部分之一，我们也感谢它那一年的真诚陪伴。
2018 has brought so much joy, especially that star in the sky that illuminated me, and thank you, my star. The Year of the Dog waved to the Year of the Pig in farewell. Before their departure, I’d like to appreciate my puppy for his sincere companionship, becoming one of our important family members. He’s been with us for one year and six months and has officially grown up on his own year.

倘若狗会讲人类的语言，那么它或许会说：“你是我的整个世界。每逢双眼与你相会，我看见的是你，只有你。”这句话，也只有它进入了我们生活后，才略有感悟。人类与狗狗的那份独特纽带犹如空气、风、水那般无处不在，那份友谊更是真真切切。
If the dog could speak human language, he probably would say:” You are my only world. As I looking into your eyes, I see you, ONLY YOU.” That’s what I come up with until my puppy comes into my life for a while. That unique bond between human and dogs just like the air, like the wind, like the water that friendship is everywhere.

有这么一个记忆，仍然挥之不去。那一夜晚，我坐在懒人沙发上，靠着玻璃窗，心在远方。那一刻无比失落、无比难过，好似每一处我触碰的地方都是如此疼痛。猛然，门吱呀的一声，开了一条缝儿，小可爱推开了门，径直朝我走来。我看了看它，它用那关切的眼神回望着我，脑袋向一侧微微倾斜，轻轻的摇摇尾巴。随后，它跳上飘窗，转了个圈儿，依偎在我身边，小脑袋则顺势枕在了我腿上。它伸出一只爪碰碰我的手，彼时，它触碰的每一处带着一丝温暖与仁爱……
I still remembered I sat on the bean bag, lying my back against the window pane. That night, I was feeling down, everything touch was hurt. Then all of sudden, I heard the door had been pushed to crack open. My dog came in and walked toward me. I looked at him, he looked me back with his concerned eyes while he tilted his head and waggled his tail a little bit. Then he jumped onto the bay window, leaning on my body and resting his head on my thigh. He reached out his paw to touch my hand. Everything he touched was warm and kind…

彼此间，无须多说什么，两者的情感却感同身受。狗能懂你，感知你的情绪，关注着你的每一个动作。因为，狗真心深爱着你。还不相信嘛，那么让我再给你们讲一个故事，这是一位旅人向我分享的他家与狗的情怀。
We don’t have to say a word, but we share the same emotions. Dogs understand you, they could sense all your feelings and watch each movement of yours. Because dogs love you with all their hearts. If you still have doubts, hear this experience a traveler once told me.

故事追溯到20世纪，那时他还很小。他们家养的是一只中华田园犬，它早已与这一家人共度了好多好多年，共同经历了酸甜苦辣。然而，没人能躲过自然法则的条约。他们家的狗步入老年，并疾病缠身。这时，他的母亲觉得留着它，则会是家庭的重担。
Dating back to the twentieth century, the story began in his young age. Their canine domesticus lived with the family for years, sharing both laughter and tears. However, no one could escape nature. The dog grew old and sickness found him. And his mother thought that would be a burden to the family.

因此，在某一个寒冬，趁夜还未袭来，她带着它进行了一次远足。他们走着走着，穿过了一个村庄又一个村庄，穿梭于丛林间，横渡了条条溪流。几个小时的远行，最终在一片从未来过的地方驻足。
So one day in winter, the night was still young. She went on hiking and brought the dog along with her. They walked and walked, passing the villages to villages, cutting through trees to trees, wading cross streams to streams. Hours went by, they didn’t stop until a place they were never been before.

她叫自己的狗狗坐下，并放上了充足的食物和水在它的食盆内。它闻了闻，摇着尾巴开始吃了起来。她深情的凝望着它许久，随后转身而去。它见到主人起身离开，随即不在进食，叫了一声，试图跟上她的步伐，无奈腿脚早已不怎么利索，踉踉跄跄。她见状，再一次回到它跟前，说道：“这就是你的家了，”边说边拍了拍它的脑袋。狗狗似乎听明白了，开始呜咽起来，靠着女主人更近了。
She told the dog to sit and placed plenty of food and drinks on his tray. The dog sniffed and ate some with the tail-waggling. She gazed at the dog for a long pause, then she turned away and started to get back home. The dog barked and stopped eating at once, stumbling to follow up with his old stiff legs. She went toward the dog again and told him to sit. “Your home is here now.” She said, patting his head. The dog seemed to understand her. He started to whimpering, clinging to her even closer.

过不一会，她起身再次返程。在不远处停下了脚步，回头看了看它。只见她的狗仍在原地坐着，摇摆着尾巴。当她转身，眼角处不经意间，瞥见它耳朵垂下，底下了头，而尾巴仍在摇摆着。紧接着听到了一声哀伤的悲嚎。
In the end, she got up and hit the road. She turned her back as she walked for a while. She saw her dog still sitting there with tail waggling in the distance. The dog saw her turning her back, he barked sadly and lowered his head with the ears dropped down. But the tail kept waggling.

这一次，她再也没有回头，继续往前走着，慢慢地被黑暗吞噬，消失于一片丛林中。身后的狗再一次哀嚎，或许它终于明白了主人不要它的事实。走了许久，在悠远的密林深处，再一次响起狗吠，而这一次却是如此的长久。彼时，寒风也在咆哮。那一夜，一场大雪纷飞而至。
She turned away, and this time she never looked back. The dog saw darkness devour his owner bit by bit and disappeared in the trees. He barked with the grievances, knowing he was no longer the member of the family. She heard her dog howled even longer but painfully behind her from far away. The wind was howling as well. At that night, big snow started to fall.

第二天清晨，一切银装素裹、白雪皑皑；一切又是死一般的寂静，万籁俱寂。一家人正在享用早餐，忽然听到门外有轻微的刮擦声。女主人打开门，撞见她家的狗正坐在门前。全身漆黑的毛发早已被染成了白色，它的眼睛微闭着，脑袋不由自主的下沉，却竭力控制着不垂下。当它听到开门的声音后，眼睛顿时有了神采。它深情的凝视着主人，摇了摇尾巴。随后，它侧身一倒，深陷在了厚厚的雪堆里，再也没有起来。一滴眼泪顺着它的眼角蜿蜒而下，溶于晶莹剔透的白雪之中……
On the next morning, everything was covered with white snow. It’s so dead silence, and not a sound was heard. The family was having breakfast while a tiny scratching sound was coming from the door. The housewife opened the door, finding out that their dog was sitting right in front of her. His black fur had turned into completely snow white. His eyes were almost closed, fighting so hard to not let his head dropped down. When he heard the door cracked open, his eyes widened with pleasure at once. He looked at his owner, waggling his tail for once. Then, he fell down to the side, never got up again. A tiny tear found its way to the corner of his eyes and dissolved in the snow…

一生中，我们拥有过的东西数不胜数，而狗狗仅仅拥有你，他们选择与你共度一生。然而，并不是所有人能够体会到这一点。我见过宠物狗沦落为流浪狗，我见过家犬沦落为某些人的腹中，我也见过健康的狗死于环境污染和人类之手。
We have a lot of things in our life while dogs only have you. They spent entire life to be with you. However, not all people could see that way. I’ve seen how a pet dog turned into a street dog. I’ve seen how a dog ended up in certain people’s stomach. I’ve seen how a dog died of an unfriendly environment and people.

自杭州颁发严厉的养犬令以来，我发现我国本土的中华田园犬却在禁养犬只的名单中。这实在令人难以置信，我们祖国土生土长的田园犬却被禁止饲养，不应该保护起来么？相反，其他常见的国外犬只品种却不在“榜单”内。而这些犬只，在他们自己国家也是本地犬而已。
Since the strict Limitation for Raising Dogs was released by Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, I found that Chinese Canine Domesticus was in this limitation list. That’s really unbelievable, our born and raised dogs were banned in our own motherland, shouldn’t that be protected? How come the other breeds from overseas are not on the list. They are local dogs in their Countries as well.

有人称我们自己的中华田园犬有较强的领地意识和攻击性，为此不适合饲养。我个人觉得其实有点过于偏见。因为狗作为大自然的动物成员之一，这是他们与生俱来的天性。而把它们纳入我们的社会，难道是它们的错？规章制度就像硬币一样，具有两面性。如何才能让这一制度更为合理，又如何把握这个平衡点，则需要我们多年不断的改进、借鉴，以及酝酿。
Some so-called experts said that our own domestic dogs are really dominance and aggression. That’s really unilateral, I guess. Dogs are animal, born with nature. Is that wrong they came into our society? Law and Rules like a coin that has two sides. How to make it more reasonable and be perfectly balanced need years to process and brew.

依我之见，其实归根结底是人的问题，人缺乏了该有的素养和教养。狗是聪明的物种之一，随着时代的变迁，早已能够被驯养，服从人类的各种指令。一定程度上，他们知道如何去适应人类的规则，以及人类的生存环境。
In my opinion, it’s people’s discipline and education problem. Dogs are one of the smart creatures, can be taught to obey and to follow people’s orders. They know how to adapt to peoples’ rules and environment.

我们一起来看下，其他国家的专家们是如何让狗逐渐适应人类的社会，并和谐共处之。携手兽医，他们花费多年研究狗狗行为学以及动物心理学。随后，在公开课上或训狗机构中，为养犬人士讲解，教授他们如何合理有效的训犬，如何教育狗服从和得体的“言行举止”。同时，政府也有实行一系列的饲养动物条例，另有专门的动物保护组织、动物收容所必要时可进行监督与支持。相关条例譬如养犬人通过完成一些基础训狗课程才得以获得养狗许可。外出散步，养犬人必须绳子牵着，并主动处理狗的粪便。每一条狗从出生2-6个月，就得接受如厕训练、行为训练、服从训练等。有的政府还为犬只专门设立了属于他们的活动空间，在人类的公园里，安置一块地方，四面铁丝网围好，只允许犬只在此游玩。
Let’s take a look at the professionals from other Countries how to let dogs live along with people. Together with veterinarians, they study dogs behavior and animal psychology for years first. Then, open public lessons to teach people how to raise a dog properly, how to teach dogs’ manners and obey orders. Meanwhile, the Governments draw up a series of animal raising rules, and the SPCAs or Animal Adoption Centre takes fully support and inspection if it’s necessary. Take owners have to pass the basic training lesson to earn Dog Raising Certification. Owners have to leash their dogs on a walk and take care of their dogs’ poop. Every dog has to learn the potty training, behavior training, obedience training, etc. when they are at two-six months. And they build parks for dogs only with iron wireframes all around the parks.

以上是其他国家的几个范例，我个人觉得还是非常值得借鉴，或许能给予我们更好的想法。同时，也不要忘记了其他宠物，比如猫、仓鼠、蛇或其他奇怪动物的饲养条例。狂犬疫苗对于猫或其他宠物型哺乳动物也需要实行，并非仅仅只是针对犬只。期望未来宠物们和我们人类能更和谐相处。也期望我们祖国能好好保护我们自家犬只品种——全球聪明的犬之一，中华田园犬，不要当我们发现自家本地犬几近灭绝了，才后悔万分。
Some of the examples from other Countries above are the great references for our Country to learn from it, I think. It should enlighten us a lot. And please don’t forget other animals, like cats, hamsters, snakes or other weird animals. Rules should be drafted for these pet animals as well. Rabies Vaccine should be also shot for cats or other pet mammals. Hope we and the pets could live in harmony together in the future. And please protect our own animal breed – Chinese Canine Domesticus, one of the smart dogs in the world. Don’t make anything that will be regretted that our Chinese breeds will end up in extinction.

狗年已渐行渐远，为纪念我们这位特殊的动物朋友，我撰写了这篇文章。同时，也以此纪念我好友的金毛犬，它死于去年的河流污染。
The year of the dog has packed up and got the show on the road once again. I wrote this article in memory of this year for our best friend – DOG. And this is also for my friend, in memory of her golden retriever, died of river pollution.

绘画/摄影/撰写/编译：BubbleSwan
Artworks/Photos/Writings/Translations by BubbleSwan

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