Friday, September 24, 2010

Poirot and Football

我が家の裏庭は小学校のグランドに面しています。グランドには基本的に誰でも入れるため、放課後などは近所の親子連れなどがキャッチボールなどをして遊んでいる姿をよく見かけます(Poirot も他に誰もいないときはリードなしで自由に走り回ったりしています)。そのため家の裏庭には野球のボールがフェンスを越えて飛んでくることがよくあります。私たちが家にいれば投げ返していますが、いないときはボールはそのまま庭に放置されているので Poirot の格好の遊び道具になります。

Our backyard is faced to the elementary school's play ground.  Basically anyone can enter the ground (when not in use, of course), so we often see parents and their kids in neighborhood playing baseball after school (Poirot loves to run around in the ground as well).  And as a result, we get many baseballs flying over the fence to our backyard.  When we are at home, we just throw them back to the ground, but if we are not at home, then balls just sit in our backyard and become Poirot's toys.

今日はなんと(ミニサイズの)アメリカンフットボールを裏庭で発見。Poirot は大興奮!

Today we found a football in our backyard.  Poirot got very excited!
このボールは形が楕円形のため、予想もしていないところに転がっていくので、Poirot も追いかけて捕まえるのに必死です。

Because of the oval shape, Poirot could not predict where the ball would go, and he had to work hard to chase the ball and catch it.
でもものの5分もしないうちにボール遊びには飽きて、芝生をむしゃむしゃ食べ始めました。ほんと、飽きっぽいよね~。

But in less than 5 min, he got tired of playing with the ball, and started eating grass.  Poirot, you really have a short attention span...
だからもうボールはいらないのかと思い、取り上げようとすると、足で抑えて(でも芝生は食べながら)阻止します。終いにはあっちに行けといわんばかりにあっかんべ~とされてしまいました。Poirot 君は欲張りで意地悪だね~。

Since he stopped playing with the ball, I tried to take it away from him, but he blocked me by putting his paw on the ball (while still eating grass).  And he sticked out his tough as if he was saying to me to go away!  Poirot, you are so greedy and mean.

4 comments:

  1. Poirot is so cute and looks like a natural with that football. He even knows to hold it with his paw like a real football player. He looks like he's saying "あっかんべ...!" in the last picture. Cute...!

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  2. Poirot loves any kinds of balls (baseball, tennis ball, football, etc) but he quickly loses interest in them unless food is involved in play, and starts doing something else (mostly looking for a food or walking around, thinking what kind of mischief he can make). But if someone (or dog) tries to use his balls, he becomes possesive and gives me "あっかんべ”(I sometimes think he is really meaning it!).

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  3. That last picture is my favorite I think..so cute and lots of personality.

    I've worked a lot with Penny so that she doesn't get possessive with her toys. I try not to play where I'm taking her toys from her mouth or play tug of war too much.

    Instead when she's playing with her ball, I'll lie right in front of her and if the ball rolls away from her, I'll quickly grab it and give it right back to her. That way she knows that "Daddy" isn't there to steal all her toys.

    Then when she's biting her toy, I'll pet her back or her feet that way she usually won't get excited. Once in a while, though she'll get sassy and deliberately look at me then pick up her toy and move away. Then I say...”Hmmm...むし。。。!” and go and do my own thing. :D

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  4. Penny must be too cute even when she is sassy!

    I, too, try not to play tug of war with Poirot because he'd never give up and I am afraid his teeth or mouse may get damaged.

    He does not get aggressive or anything when I try to take his toy away, but he just runs away (so fast!) from me. But the funny thing is that he does not want to leave my side, either, so if I walk away and let him play with his toy, he comes right back to me with his toy in his mouth. Then I try to take it away again, and he runs away again. Repeat and repeat... He does not want me to disturb his play, but wants to be near me (mostly on my lap!).

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