Pet Owner or Pet Guardian? Which One are You?

If you’re pet owner, how do you define your animals? As a possession or a family member? The animal rights movement wants people to consider any living being as more than a piece of property. Unfortunately, current law considers animals hold no more value than a chair.

So what’s in a word? Well, when it comes to animal welfare issues — apparently a lot!

IDA (In Defense of Animals) is trying to promote the paradigm shift from “pet owner” to “pet guardian.” It’s a simple idea, really. And actually, not all that new.

Words affect thoughts and attitudes. By changing the term “pet owner” to “pet guardian”, you are making the statement that your pet is a living, breathing, sentient creature who is worth more to you than an easily replaced object.

IDA wants you to take the Guardian Pledge. Will you commit to refer to yourself and others as animal guardians, rather than owners?

Why not go beyond that and get your local government officials to make the change from pet owner to pet guardian? Contact IDA for their assistance at guardian@idausa.org.

Governments already making the change include:

Beverly Hills, CA
San Jose, CA
Imperial Beach, CA
Santa Clara County, CA
Albany, CA
Sebastopol, CA
Marin County, CA
San Francisco, CA
West Hollywood, CA
Berkeley, CA
Bloomington, IN
St. Louis, MO
Wanaque, NJ
Woodstock, NY
Amherst, MA
Menomonee Falls, WI
Sherwood, AR
Boulder, CO
Windsor, Ontario Canada

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) offers writing and speaking tips for the classroom on their Teachkind.org website. One of them is “Never refer to an animal with an inanimate pronoun (it; which; that).”

PETA takes language a step further by advising the substitution of “pet” with “animal companion.”

Think about it. Don’t you kind of feel differently already?

Flickr: Nicki Varkevisser

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Carol C.

3:01AM PDT on Sep 27, 2010

Hope so! I think of my cat as my child anyway.

send a green star

Past Member .

7:41AM PDT on Sep 16, 2010

I did what happen to it ?????

7:38AM PDT on Sep 16, 2010

My beloved dogs are my children God blessed me with there love and companionship to care for them till they leave this earth."

IN RETREAT D.

5:34AM PDT on Sep 15, 2010

i am my Animals' parent, they are my children.
Pledge taken anyway.

Pat C.

1:43AM PDT on Sep 15, 2010

My animals are very important to me and I love them with all my heart. They are always there for me and I am always there for them. We are all family as it should be. To say animals are of no more worth than a chair can only come from an idiot without any true feelings of life. Shame on those of you who can think that way. Your life must be so sad and empty!!!!

Koko B.

7:10PM PDT on Sep 14, 2010

If anything, my cat owns ME. I like to think of us as symbiots, neither wholly able to exist without the other. Because it's true: he takes care of me, too. When I am unwell and confined to bed, he is there. When I am handing out kitty treats, he is there too. He gets a clean pan, the best food I can afford, and trips to the vet. I get a nonjudgmental companion and whose loyalty is beyond price. Seems like a hell of a deal.

wixian l.

10:57AM PDT on Sep 14, 2010

i don't think change the language will change the way i feel & treat my dogs. they are my angels & i always love them with all my heart.

Lena R.

1:35AM PDT on Sep 14, 2010

Nice idea. It refers more to an unliving thing than an animal. With he or she they become actual persons.
And we're a one big furry family of course. I'm so grateful to live with them =)

Kit B.

8:34PM PDT on Sep 13, 2010

Great idea, but the truth is I am owned by furry family they are kind enough to allow me to live with them and share a bed. Language gives a mental awareness maybe this idea will take off - I do hope so.

Gail L.

8:08PM PDT on Sep 13, 2010

We are all one big crazy family! No ownership . . .