Transcript
You may like to pet your dog but don’t call it a pet.
That’s the new message from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk appeared on Good Morning Britain Tuesday to talk about the issue.
She is urging pet parents to change your language when talking about their dogs.
Newkirk says the word “pet” doesn’t show our furry friends the respect they deserve and basically equates them to inanimate objects, not beings with emotions.
She advises calling them “animal companions” instead.
Newkirk followed that by saying “owners” should not think of themselves as possessing a dog, cat, pig or any other animal, but rather their “guardians.”
She received some backlash over her statements with some saying PETA is trivializing all the work they’ve done by changing the name.
What do you think?
Is it okay to call a dog, cat or any domestic animal a pet?
I think of myself as a guardian for my precious pets.
No wait…my precious companions.