How to bathe a buffalo
Water buffaloes love the water. That’s why they are called water
buffaloes. In Asia they are used to plow fields and rice paddies.
Water buffaloes are not pets. They are work animals. But children have
fun with them anyway. Most of all, they enjoy giving the buffaloes a
bath.
Water buffaloes hate the heat. They simply won’t work when it is too
hot. So, in the heat of the day the children ride water buffaloes to the
nearest lake or river. There the buffaloes sink into the water. With
only their eyes and noses showing, they wallow happily in the soft, cool
mud.
In the meantime, the children swim and splash around them. This is the
children’s time to play. When the air has cooled, the children scrub the
buffaloes until they are clean. Then they ride the buffaloes back to the
fields and paddies to finish the day’s work.
Eskimo dogs are work animals, too. The Eskimos use them to pull sleds.
They also use them for hunting. Full-grown Eskimo dogs are not very
friendly. But as puppies, they are cute. So Eskimo children play with
the puppies and treat them like pets.
Children love animals. If they take care of their animals, children can
learn a sense of responsibility. But most of all, animals are fun to
play with. It does not matter if they are pets or work animals.
