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

Vocabulary Answers

viralpopular online
caninesdogs
attireclothes
specificallyespecially
weirdstrange
nonethelessbut still

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?

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.

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?

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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