Todd: Hello, Matt!
Matt: Hello, Todd!
Todd: Matt, I'm going to ask you some questions about pet. (OK!) First question, do you have a pet?
Matt: Yes, in fact, my mom's house we have three, three pets; two dogs and a cat. My family actually raises dogs for helping blind people.
Todd: Oh, really!
Matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Todd: Wow, like how do they train the dogs?
Matt: How do they train the dogs? Well, I mean, it's a long process, right...we get them when they're puppies.....and so we train them basic...you know, sit, come... really basic things...then, after they're about two year old, they go a different training school.
Todd: Oh, wow , that's great!
Matt: Yeah, yeah!
Todd: Well, how many dogs do they train at a time?
Matt: Oh, just one! We have our own dog, and then we have a dog that we have that we are training.
Todd: Oh, OK.
Matt: Yeah, just one dog at a time.
Todd: Do you ever see the dogs you trained, like out on the street, or anything?
Matt: Sometimes we'll see them, they'll have like sort of conventions of reunions of the pets so, yeah, you get to see them once in awhile.
Todd: Oh, wow, that's cool. Um, why do people keep pets?
Matt: I guess the most important thing is companionship, right! So there is always somebody there for you that will like you no matter what.
Todd: Yeah, that's true. OK, besides cats, dogs, and fish, what are some other pets people keep?
Matt: Well, I guess if you are Sigreid and Roy you can keep a tiger or lion. I guess all types of things don't they.
Todd: Yeah.
Matt: I mean, my friend has a snake....I don't know if you mention that: snake and ferrets and insects, spiders...
Todd: OK.
Matt: All kinds of things.
Todd: All right, yeah, like there is so many. What are some costs associated with keeping a pet?
Matt: Food is probably the biggest cost, but also if you keep the dog, particiulary a dog in your house, when they are puppies, and we have a lot of puppies they'll chew up everything they can so we're constantly replacing shoes and, you know, cleaning up pee from the carpet and things like that..so.. it can be a hassle.
Todd: Yeah, OK. Thanks a lot, and by the way, where are you from?
Matt: I'm from the U.S.A., from Minnesota.