世界节假日博览 第145期: 国家忠犬日

There is a well-known expression that says a dog is a man’s best friend. It is right, therefore, that there is a special day to celebrate dogs. This day is National Dog Day. It takes place on the 26th of August. On this day you should let your dog know just how important he or she is. Dogs are very important in our society. Of course, many of us keep a dog as a pet. However, working dogs help many people every day. Our world would not be the same without police dogs, sniffer dogs (who find drugs and bombs), rescue dogs and guide dogs for the blind. National Dog Day's founder, Colleen Paige, said we need “to show deep appreciation for…their endearing patience, unquestioning loyalty, for their work and their capacity for love.”Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 15,000 years. It’s amazing how quickly word spread around the world that dogs were so intelligent and helpful.The fact that people could tame dogs meant they interacted easily with humans. This led to dogs helping humans hunt, herd animals and protect people. It’s also amazing how dogs migrated around the world. Historians believe it is because of sled dogs that the species moved from Russia to Alaska, across the Bering Strait. Today there are about 400 million dogs in the world. Dogsare now big business. Breeders sell pedigree dogs for big money. Unfortunately, many dogs are abused or abandoned and end up in shelters.

有一条著名的格言：狗是人类最好的朋友。确实是，所以人们专门设立了国家忠犬日来赞美狗狗。忠犬日在8月26日。这天你应该让你的狗狗知道它对你多么重要。狗在人类社会中非常重要。当然，狗被很多人养着当宠物。然而，工作犬每天都帮助很多人。我们的世界离开了警犬、嗅探犬（寻找毒品和炸弹），搜救犬和导盲犬会很不一样。国家忠犬日的始创人——柯林佩奇说我们需要“对狗狗可敬的耐心，无可置疑的忠诚，它们的工作和爱的能力表达感激之情。”人类养狗的历史已有一万五千多年。关于狗聪明有用的言论在世界传播的如此之快令人惊讶。人们能驯养狗说明它们容易与人接触。这就使得狗能帮人们搜救，放牧和保护人类。狗在世界的迁徙也令人惊讶。历史学家相信拉雪橇狗从俄国横跨白令海峡迁徙到了阿拉斯加。世界上如今有4亿条狗。狗现在是大产业。育种者靠出售纯种狗赚大钱。不幸的是，许多狗被虐待、遗弃或在避难所结束生命。