加拿大英屬哥倫比亞大學的前任動物心理學博士Stanley Coren在今年發表了一項研究結果，「狗狗其實不喜歡被抱。」引發熱烈討論。然而，真的是這樣嗎？進入文章前，先看看自己會不會講這三個形容詞：
(A) 微妙的
(B) 剝奪
(C) 忍受 A study analyzing 250 photos of dogs being hugged shows that dogs might not enjoy hugs from their owners. Eighty percent of the animals present (A) subtle cues of anxiety in the photos, such as folding their ears down, licking their lips and avoiding eye-contact. Psychologist Stanley Coren conducted the research. He claims that running away is a dog's first line of defense when facing stress or threat, and hugging (B) deprives dogs of that ability.
狗狗可能並不享受主人的擁抱，一項研究分析250張狗狗被抱著的照片得出此結論。照片中八成的狗兒表現出微妙的焦慮反應，諸如耳朵下垂、舔舌及避免眼神接觸。進行此研究的心理學家Stanley Coren表示，面對壓力或威脅，狗兒的第一道防線其實是逃跑，被抱住等於被剝奪了逃跑能力。 The study successfully drew attention, but did it really prove that dogs think hugs are hard to (C) put up with? Some experts find it hard to totally agree with. Animal behavior consultant Corey Cohen suggests that whether or not dogs like hugging depends on the intimacy they have with the hugger. Stanley Coren also admitted that the 250 photos used in the study were not peer-reviewed. This implies that the conclusion, that dogs dislike being hugged, may be inaccurate.
這項研究成功吸引了大眾注意，但它真的證實了狗狗不喜歡被抱嗎？有些專家不這麼認為。動物行為顧問Corey Cohen就說，狗狗喜不喜歡被抱，端看牠和擁抱者的親密度。Stanley Coren也坦承，研究中250張照片並沒有經過同儕審查*，顯示狗狗不喜歡被抱的結論不盡然正確。
What most dogs lovers care the most might be “so should I hug my dog or not?” co-director of Duke's Canine Cognition Center Evan MacLean suggests that a sudden cuddle or lifting a dog from the ground might not be a good idea, since it's against dog's nature.
"I would (1) advise against hugging dogs, at least in the conventional human form of hugging," says MacLean “However, there are lots of ways to have close body contact with dogs that don't require (2) wrapping your arms around them in a confining manner.”
毛主人最關心的可能是，說了這麼多，我到底該不該抱我的狗？杜克犬科認知中心共同負責人Evan MacLean認為，突然擁抱狗狗或是將牠們離地抱起可能不是個好主意，因為這樣的行為有違狗狗天性。「我建議不要抱狗狗，至少不要用人類常見的擁抱方式，」MacLean說。「有很多方式可以和狗狗進行親密接觸，不像環抱會造成侷限感。」
口語詞彙
1. advise against 建議不要
我們比較熟悉的用法是「建議人怎麼做」像
She advised us when to come. 她建議我們何時來。
Advise against好用但很容易被忽略。可以advise against連用，也可以中間有受詞：
I'd strongly advise against making a sudden decision. 我不建議這樣倉促決定。
His doctor advised him against smoking. 醫師建議他別抽煙。
2. wrap your arms around...用雙手環抱
wrap本是包、裹住，用雙手包住某人也就是環抱。
I wrapped my arms around my little boy and read him to sleep. 我環抱著小兒子，唸著故事直到他睡著。 | 
