Baby animals; dog – puppy, sheep – lamb, cow – calf (and whale – calf), cat – kitten, horse – foal, pig – piglet, bear – cub

a flock of birds
a herd of cattle/elephants
a school of fish
a pack of dogs/wolves (1 wolf, 2 wolves)
a clutter of cats
a crowd of people
a parliament of owls (owl – búho)
an army of frogs!?!

Some useful expressions for dog/cat owners in an English-speaking environment

feed – pienso (to feed an animal)
dog passport
to chip a dog/cat = ponerle el chip al perro/gato
vet’s/veterinary fees
desparasitar = to delouse
flea = pulga
delouse – despiojar
flea collar = collar desparasitario
on a leash/lead = con correa
to spay/neuter = esterilizar
to be in heat = estar en celo
to go walkies = caminar con el perro
to walk the dog/to take the dog for a walk/take the dog out
animal rescue centre = centro de rescate de animales
to put down an animal / to put an animal to sleep – sacrificar, poner a dormir
– My dog has completed quarantine = Mi perro ha completado su estancia de cuarentena
– My dog has its vaccinations and tests up to date = Mi perro tiene las vacunas y analíticas en regla
– My cat’s taking its medication = Mi gato está tomando esta medicación
– My dog bit me when I went to touch it’s tail = Mi perro me ha mordido cuando he ido a tocarle la cola
– My cat has ripped off its dressing/bandage = Mi gato se ha deshecho el vendaje

Idioms/Sayings with a metaphorical meaning

“Let sleeping dogs lie” – Leave something alone if it might cause trouble.
“Its bark is worse than its bite” – When someone acts or behaves in a threatening way but is relatively harmless.
“Every dog has its day” – everyone will have good luck or success at some point in their lives.
a dog’s dinner/breakfast – a complete mess: give it to the dog!
in the doghouse – Somewhere you don’t want to be. When one’s partner is displeased with them for one or more reasons.
“I was in the doghouse yesterday for getting home late after work and missing the meal my wife made for us, so I bought her some flowers this morning.” (source: Urban dictionary)
hair of the dog – alcohol you drink with the aim of lessening the effects of a hangover.
“to see a man about a dog” – a way of saying that you do not want to tell them where you are really going, especially when you are going to the toilet I won’t be long. I’m just going to see a man about a dog.
barking up the wrong tree – to make the wrong choice; to ask the wrong person; to follow the wrong course.
doggy bag
dogfight – when to aeroplanes fight
catfight – when two womwn fight
mad dog – a crazy person
shaggy dog story
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”
puppy love
dogging – this is where people meet up in car parks and watch each other having sex. Sometimes other people join in, but its mainly about watching and getting off on it!
dog-eared
top dog
dog eat dog
dogged (determined)
bitch – female dog and…..(verb) Word used to describe the act of whining excessively. Stop bitching about it!
(noun) a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, especially a woman. “She’s a right bitch!”
Modern-day servant; A person who performs tasks for another, usually degrading in status. – Get me a drink, bitch! (used excessively in Breaking Bad)
Life’s a bitch! – Life’s hard.
son of a bitch – a person (especially a man) who you strongly dislike or hate “He’s a son of a bitch” Plural – sons of bitches.
cat/catty
pussy – female genitalia, cowardly man – cobarde
to pussyfoot
“Cat got/cut your tongue?”
fickle – caprichoso/a
trunk – elephants’ nose
abattoir, slaughterhouse – matadero

Discussion questions:

If you were re-born as an animal, which one would you choose?
Is a vet a good career choice? Do you know any vets?

*Dispones de más PODCAST en inglés publicados en los cuadernos anteriores
a los que puedes acceder directamente así como al índice de su contenido.