Japanese man turns himself into a dog

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2023/07/30

Difficulty: Elementary A2

PDF: Japanese man turns himself into a dog
YouTube: Japanese man turns himself into a dog

Vocabulary Match

viral -   - dogs
canines -   - strange
attire -   - but still
specifically -   - especially
weird -   - clothes
nonetheless -   - popular online

Article

A Japanese man, known online as Toco, has turned himself into a collie dog, all thanks to a special custom-made costume that cost him $14,000.

Toco has been sharing videos of himself on YouTube, dressed up in his collie costume, playing and running around just like a real dog. One of his videos recently went viral when he stepped out in public for the first time in his dog costume.

This unusual activity, Toco explained, has been a lifelong dream. Ever since he was a child, he dreamed of becoming an animal, specifically a collie. The costume was expertly made by Zeppet, a company that took 40 days to craft this realistic canine attire.

Despite his online popularity, Toco has kept this unique hobby a secret from his friends, family, and workmates. He worries they might think it's weird. Nonetheless, Toco seems to be enjoying his life as a dog, living out his childhood dream.

Quiz

  1. How did Toco turn himself into a collie dog?
  2. How long did it take Zeppet to craft the canine attire?
  3. Why has Toco kept his hobby a secret from his friends, family, and workmates?

Conversation

Man: Your dog is quite big, isn't he?
Woman: Yes, he's a Japanese collie.
Man: A Japanese collie? I've never heard of that.
Woman: Yeah, he's one of a kind, for sure!
Man: Does he talk? He seems very human-like.
Woman: Haha, only when he wants a treat.

Discussion

  1. Would you ever dress up as an animal? Why or why not?
  2. Have you ever had a childhood dream? What was it?
  3. If you could be any animal for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Vocabulary Answers

viral → popular online
canines → dogs
attire → clothes
specifically → especially
weird → strange
nonetheless → but still

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. By using a special custom-made costume that cost him $14,000.
  2. It took them 40 days to make the dog costume.
  3. He worries they might think it's weird.

Source Material

https://nypost.com/2023/07/28/toco-the-human-border-collie-steps-out-for-first-ever-walk-in-public/


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