不忍心把寵物狗丟在家中 機器骨頭有妙用
I hate saying goodbye to my dogs; the two of them look longingly with their big dopey eyes as I close the door and leave for work. It’s enough to break a grown man’s heart.
我討厭和家裏的狗狗們說再見。每當我要出門工作時，它倆的大眼睛就會眨巴眨巴地直盯着我看，足足會讓一個成年人心碎一地。
That’s where GoBone comes in. A Kickstarter toy designed by PulsePet to give your dog attention and playtime when you’re not home, the GoBone is an autonomous bone that rolls around your house during the day just so your dog can chase it and chew it whenever he’s feeling playful.
衆籌網站Kickstarter上的GoBone正是PulsePet爲此量身打造的玩具產品。當你離家時，GoBone能關懷你家狗狗，陪它玩耍。GoBone是一款自動機器骨頭，能在你家滾上一整天，這樣不管你家狗狗什麼時候想玩耍，都能追它咬它。
While the GoBone looks more a cross between a remote-control car and a broom than a bone, it seems to get the job done. Two large, rubber wheels help GoBone glide over any flooring surface, and a crude tail keeps the toy moving when Fido inevitably flips it over.
雖然GoBone看起來更像遙控車和掃把的混合體，而不像骨頭，但它似乎能完成陪伴寵物狗的任務。兩個大大的橡膠輪能在任何室內地板表面滑行，一條簡略的尾巴能讓它被狗狗甩翻時保持運轉。
The folks at PulsePet say dogs fall in love with the toy since it’s not only something they can chase around all day, but also because you can also cram it full of treats or cover sections in peanut butter. The toy’s software can also be tailored to your dog’s age, size and activity level to ensure it keeps your dog engaged without running him ragged.
PulsePet公司裏的人表示，狗狗們都愛上了這款玩具，因爲它們可以整天都追着GoBone跑，而且你還可以在裏面塞滿好吃的或者在槽縫裏塗點花生醬。GoBone的軟件還可以根據你家狗狗的年齡、體型、活動量進行個性化配置，確保它不至於跑得疲憊不堪。
When your dog does eventually catch the GoBone, it automatically shuts down so he can chew it to its heart’s content. And when your dog is tuckered out and puts the toy down, it will start back up again and roll away.
要是你家狗狗抓到GoBone了，它就會自動停下來，讓狗狗可以盡情地咬它。要是你家狗狗累了，放下GoBone，它就會再次啓動滾走。
A smartphone app lets you take control of the GoBone when you’re home so you can use it to play with your dog, record video without leaving the GoBone app, schedule times when the GoBone should be active and view your pet’s overall activity. So if your pooch has a particularly large paunch, the GoBone might be able to help him or her shed some pounds.
在家時，你可以通過智能手機應用控制GoBone，和狗狗一起玩，用它錄製視頻，安排GoBone的活躍時間，查看寵物所有的活動情況。因此，如果你家狗狗有點大腹便便的話，GoBone或許還能幫它甩掉幾斤肉。
PulsePet also wisely chose to make the external pieces of its robo-chew toy replaceable, so when your pup annihilates the GoBone’s wheels, you can swap them out for a new pair.
PulsePet機智地將該機器咀嚼玩具的外層做成可替換的設計，你家狗狗要是把GoBone輪子咬爛了，你可以換對新輪子。
Here’s the thing, though. While one of my dogs is playful and would likely love the GoBone, my other dog is so skittish she’s afraid of her own shadow. I’m not exactly sold on the fact that my anxious dog would enjoy having a robo-monster zooming around the house when I’m not home. All of that is to say that the GoBone probably isn’t for every dog out there.
然而，還可能出現這樣的情況。我家裏有兩隻狗，一隻很愛玩，它可能會很喜歡GoBone，但另一隻很容易受驚，連自己的影子都害怕。我並不覺得，我不在家時，這只不安的狗狗會喜歡家裏有一臺噌噌跑的機器怪物。所以說，可能不是每隻狗都適合GoBone。
There’s one other caveat: Since a Kickstarter campaign is funding the GoBone, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be able to buy one. The company is, however, planning to begin mass production of the toy in September.
另外，提醒一下，由於GoBone的資金來源於Kickstarter網站上的籌款運動，因此還不能保證你能買到這項產品。但PulsePet公司計劃9月開始大批量生產GoBone。
So far, PulsePet has raised $24,000 of its $60,000 goal with 29 days to go before the fundraising period ends. If you pledge $300 to back the GoBone, the company says it will send you one and a second to a needy shelter pup. |
PulsePet的目標是籌到6萬美元，目前已經籌到了2.4萬美元，距離截止日還有29天。如果您承諾給予GoBone300美元的資金支持，公司表示將送出兩根GoBone，一根給您，另一根給有需要的流浪狗。
