「柿の木広場」へ行く前に、すぐ近くに住んでいるサスケの家に寄りました。ちょうど散歩に出るところだったので一緒に歩きだしました。
On our way to the Persimmon Park, we stopped at Sasuke's house, only a stone's throw away from the Park. It so happened that he was about to go out for a walk, too, so we set off together.
Sasuke is about 6 years old and we have known him since he was 4 months old, when he was adopted by the current family. At 4 months, he was already as large as a fully grown Shiba Inu. However, he was so scared of anyone approaching him that he crouched and seemed glued to the ground. Even now, as a huge grown-up, he is an extremely timid dog.
タイガが追いかけっこに誘います。
Taiga invites Sasuke for a chase.
とても懐こい子で、私を遊びに誘います。顔がカワイイので女の子に見えますが、何と、男の子だそうで、３歳のマル君。この子の大きな特徴はシッポ。柴犬特有の巻尾ではなく、真っ直ぐなシッポで歩きます。
サスケは外見が強そうなので、こうやって一緒に遊ぶ子は少ないそうです。
Due to his size and appearance, he has hardly anyone who would play with him like this.
この子は朝散歩中に四中横の草地で時々見かける黒い豆柴の子。いつもはお父さんが連れているのですが、今日はママだったので初めて近づいてみました。
I have seen this Black Shiba Inu during morning walks in another field, always with its dad. Today, its mom was with him, so I approached them for the first time.
A 3-year old male Shiba Inu, called "Maru". From its sweet face, I had thought it was a girl. His unique characteristic is the straight tail, instead of the hallmark curled tail of the Shiba Inu. He invited me for a play.
その場にいたみんなに「カワイイ！」を連発されて、とても嬉しそうです。生まれたときからずっと、自分の名前よりも「カワイイ」の言葉を聞く頻度のほうが高いことが容易に想像できます。
私はカメラで忙しいので、近くにいた人に挨拶を始めました。
As I was occupied with my camera, he directed his attention to another stranger.
He is so affectionate and sweet, and everyone there kept uttering the word "kawaii (sweet)". From his behaviour, you can tell that he understands the meaning of the word kawaii, since he must have heard it more often than his own name.
延々とこれが続きました。
He certainly knows how to capture human hearts.
一方タイガに対しては、「どうでもよろしい」対応。
Not all that enthusiastic when faced with Taiga.
そのうち四時半に下校を促すアナウンスが近くの小学校から流れて、音楽が始まったらマル君が競うように遠吠えを始めました。なるほど男の子でした。
At 4:30 p.m., we heard the loud announcement from the nearby elementary school, encouraging pupils to go home safe and sound. The announcement was followed by music and Maru started competing with it. Now, I am convinced that Maru is a boy.
