Here’s a Brief Reminder That Pets Really Are People Too

Can we agree to stop using the term pet ownership? You can no more own a pet than you can own a child. You can bring a child into your life. You can take responsibility for a child. You can befriend a child. But you can never own one, nor should you want to.

So why should it be any different for pets? We pet parents often say that pets are people too. But we forget how true that sentiment is, using it instead as a cutesy throwaway line that expresses a general affection for pets. But it is so much more than that. Some of the worst animal atrocities occur when we forget about the personhood of animals.

In 2011, almost 46,000 pets were abandoned. This happens when we fail to consider the true task of pet parenthood. When we think of it as ownership, then pets are property to be discarded when inconvenient. When parenthood is in view, the responsibility and relationship become clearer.

Here is a brief reminder of some of the ways that pets really are people too:

Pets Also Hate Pests