What do you call people who have pets—pet parents, pet guardians, or … what?
In recent years, it’s become less and less acceptable (to some) to call people who have pets “pet owners”—for obvious reasons (to some) and to avoid offending (anyone).
I asked our readers online:
What words have you chosen to use instead … and why?
Does the term “owner” offend you?
How about “pet parent”? Does it make you gag?
Is “pet guardian” appropriate, or way too much legalese?
I usually use the word “human.” Does that work for you?
Here are some of their answers:
Shannon Thier (North Carolina) I ask my clients when I first meet them if they’re opposed to being called Fido’s “mom and/or dad.” This makes it easier not to look like I’ve forgotten a student’s name, as it’s easy to say to the class, “Watch how well Fido’s mom does this exercise,” rather than, “Watch how well Sally does this exercise.” If pet parents object to mom or dad, I ask what they prefer to be called. The few people who do object usually want to be called “owners.” On posts on my Facebook company page, K-949: Training for Humans with Dogs, I used to call them “guardians” until several years ago when I started getting much more interested in canine consent and start buttons. Then I switched up to “caretakers,” then I realized last year that I prefer “caregivers”—giving, as opposed to taking, sounds better. So either “parents” if they don’t object, “owners” if they do, or “caregivers” when speaking generally to my entire demographic. When referring to a pet parent and a dog together, they’re a “team.”
Maeby: “My mom likes when I look cute, which is always.”
Photo by Shannon Thier
Sandy Robins (California) Pet parents! They are fur kids.
Bonnie Hess (Pennsylvania) Human parents or owners. (If I say guardians, people think that means the pet is in a foster home.)
Debby McMullen (Pennsylvania) Parents. But I don’t use the word “pet.” I use the specific species with the word parent. Example: “dog parent.”
Nikki Lussier (British Columbia) It’s long-winded, but I prefer “companion animal guardians.”
Ruth L. Heller DVM (Pennsylvania) Owners—legally, that’s important. Without being their owner, approving surgeries or euthanasia has the possibility of becoming very problematic. Emotionally? Parents.
Aimee Gertsch (Utah) Pet parents.
Hilary Lane (Colorado) Pet guardian, usually.
Trish Ryan (South Carolina) Hoomans.
Stephanie Presdee (United Kingdom) My club, Good Dog Ownership School (DOGS-GDOS) was founded in early 1980. In 1976, the late Lesley Scott-Ordish founded “Pro Dogs” in response to what she saw as a growing anti-dog movement in the media and its damaging effect on public perceptions of dogs and their owners. Over the years, we tried to highlight the beneficial influence dogs can have and to provide an umbrella organization for responsible dog owners. The charity gathered a panel of vets and medical experts to respond to health scares, and organized national campaigns against restrictive laws on dogs and where they may be exercised/allowed. In 1983, Lesley started ‘Pets as Therapy Dogs’ (P.A.T. dogs), where carefully screened dog owners visited seniors/care homes, hospitals, prisons, courts, the sick and elderly on a regular basis with their dogs. I was Chairperson of DOGS-GDOS in Oxford, and with some others, we had the first P.A.T. dogs. I still believe that according to the law, we own dogs and should be responsible for their socially acceptable behavior.
Glenda Lee (Maine) Stephanie, parents are responsible for the behavior of their human kids. I can’t feel that I own another living, breathing being no matter how many feet it has. I do understand what you are saying; I just respectfully can’t agree. Owner takes me back to when folks owned other humans. Guardian is not offensive. Our fur kids are part of the family. We cook for them, clean up after them, and do their laundry (towels and bedding). We also buy them toys and treats. All the things moms and dads do.
Amy Fumetti (Washington) Parents, mom and dad.
Jaxon Riley (Washington) We call them guardians. Our job is to safeguard them from harm, and in return they give us limitless joy.
Diane Gray Constable (Michigan) Person. Fido is Jane’s dog, Jane is Fido’s person.
Peggy Modjeski (Kentucky) Dog mom or dog dad. I teach classes and I’m not as great about remembering people’s names as I am with dogs’ names. So sometimes I say “Tansy’s mom” or “Wolf’s dad.” People know who I am addressing. I think clear communication has to be understood by the person speaking as well as by the listener.
Ann B. DeChant (Michigan) Dog or cat owners.
Marla Cooper (California) Dog mom and dad.
Alisha Ardiana (California) Guardians or caretakers.
Tony Cruse (United Kingdom) Depends on the person. Some people are offended by the term “dog dad” or mum. I’ll call them whatever they want to be called. I don’t want it getting in the way and distracting from the important information to be given. Most of the time, I call them owners and we move on.
Lauren Fetterman (California) Owners.
Lee Ellen Copstead Kirkhorn (Minnesota) Pet parents!
Lori Adams (Greece) Owners. I may say “I’m your mom” to my dogs, but otherwise, I am so old that I’ve moved from master to owner. It’s our legal relationship and contractual as well.
Sue Brown (Colorado) Honestly, I tend to avoid it mostly. If needed, I often use “human,” as in Fido’s human, just like Fido is Bob’s dog. In classes, I often refer to them as Team Fido. “How did Team Fido do with their homework this week?”
Olwen Turns (United Kingdom) Sue, I like the teaming idea. Thank you.
Claudia Black-Kalinsky (New Hampshire) I’m a dog mom.
Marc Goldberg (Illinois) Owners. Because that’s what they are.
Jill Kern (Rhode Island) Human parent.
Marcy Rauch (New York) “Pet parent” makes me gag, as does “fur baby.” They’re very much my family, but I’m not their parent. They’re my dogs and I’m their human. Guardian is fine as well.
Colette Kase (Mexico) It’s dependent on the relationship with the dog. I don’t use pet parents. Guardians, keepers, carers are my go-to terms. People in Mexico and other places in the world may have a responsibility for a dog that can’t be defined by ownership. They may be feeding street dogs and getting them sterilized. They may be fostering a dog or only be in possession of it for a day for the purposes of sterilization or veterinary care. I tend to keep guardians more for those living with dogs. However, that tends to be my preferred choice—living with a dog. People who live with a dog or who have a dog as a companion.
Jessica Greenwell (Ontario) Never call me a dog mom, it makes me cringe. Guardian or best skin friend.
Susanna J. Sturgis (Massachusetts) I’m fine with “owner” because it’s a legal term, but I often refer to Tam, my malamute, as my roommate (even though he doesn’t help with the rent).
Steven Cogswell (Colorado) I dislike fur babies, fur kids, all of that. I will call them my kiddos or my pups on occasion, which implies ownership, I guess. I pretty much always call myself their human.
Jennifer Grant (New Mexico) I do not say anything that implies animals are objects. I have said guardian for decades now. Some clients seem offended by parent, which doesn’t happen with guardian. Sometimes they ask, “Am I the guardian?” and I say yes, but they don’t seem offended by it. Many clients don’t mind being called parent, as most of my clients see their animals as part of the family. Clients often refer to their animals as their babies.
Kellie Sisson Snider (Pennsylvania) Lately I’ve been saying guardian, although my habit is to say owner, and I slide back into that sometimes.
Erika Deasy (Washington) I tend to use the pet “mom” or “dad.” It’s more for being charming than politically correct, though. My son and his wife don’t have children, but they refer to their cockatiels as my “grandbirds,” which I am okay with because I adore them.
Cherie Marshall (Washington) Staff.
Karla Smele (United Kingdom) It does depend who I’m talking to. I do say owners (cannot stand all this parents and fur babies stuff), but probably use humans (Fido’s human, etc.) more than anything … it’s extremely hard to not offend someone nowadays!
Sheila Gomez (Washington) I use mom and dad, as most animals are pretty needy of someone to care for them.
Deborah Watson (Nevada) Pawrents.
Jean A. Roberts (Oregon) Owners.
Don Hanson (Maine) Before we decide how to label our relationship with our dogs, it is imperative that we first acknowledge that our dogs are sentient beings who are cognitively and emotionally equivalent to human toddlers. With that comes the moral responsibility to ensure that we as their whatever-we-choose-to-call-ourselves have a moral responsibility to meet our dog’s physical, mental, and emotional needs and to protect them from tools and methods that involve the use of fear, force, or pain. We must also work to change laws so this likewise becomes a legal responsibility. If we could go to jail for doing something to a toddler, the same should apply if we do it to a dog.
Carlos Alden (Washington) Pet owners. I joke that they are our kids but that is mostly to amuse my wife. As much as we love them, in our minds it’s clear they are domesticated animals and we are responsible caring stewards.
Darren Sweet (British Columbia) ALERT (Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team Society) uses Owner/Guardian to satisfy the legal and moral responsibility.
Kim Rinehardt (California) I’m my dog’s owner. Always have been, always will be. I do “parent” my dogs, but I’m not actually their parent.
Lori Leah Monet DVM (Colorado) In the exam room, usually “mom” or “dad.” On the medical records, “owner”—so far, very few object. When they do, my mouth says owner … my brain says “uptight person who doesn’t realize that the cat or dog is just like a child to them.”
Kathleen Huggins (Washington) Moms, dads … mommy, daddy.
Sheri McEachran (Washington) I have often been referred to as my dog’s mommy. I had to break the news gently to my boys that they are adopted.
Ivy Maxwell (California) I’m mom. My clients are parents of (dog name); e.g., Twig’s mom and dad, Zoe’s mom, Zeke’s dad. They’re my kids. I’m Aunt Ivy to my client dogs.
Carol Byrnes (Washington) At Diamonds in the Ruff, most of our instructors refer to the dogs and people in class as “Team Rover,” although I am also apt to refer to “Rover’s mom” or “Rover’s dad”—because I am awful at remembering names. My own adopted four-leggers are my “kids” and we are their “mom” and “dad.” We are family. They are “sisters” even though two of them are actually cousins and one isn’t related to the other two at all. (We call her “the Queen.”) I am more bothered by “fur kids” than “owner” and I never use guardian. It just doesn’t come naturally for me to say. Never ever “master” or “pack leader.”
Victoria Day (Washington) I am Tabitha’s cat mom; she has loving aunts and uncles who proudly refer to themselves as such. My mom referred to my cats as her grandkitties.
Kim Campbell (British Columbia) I often refer to them as the pet’s wait staff.
Marianne Good (Oregon) Moms and dads.
Lis Carey (Massachusetts) There are times when being able to say you’re the owner is important to asserting your right to make decisions for their benefit. In other contexts, “dog mom” or “dog dad” connects a lot better to what we feel about our pets, and why we love them. Generally, though, I try not to get hung up on the words other people use.
Olwen Turns It depends on the person. Some people are owners; they have a dog as property—the people who own a dog because they have always had dogs. They tend to be authoritarian; some have a neglectful parenting style. Guardians is the new word for parents, and they would have an authoritative approach, with some being permissive. I do ask for individual preferences for one-on-one—i.e., “Would you like to be called Fido’s mum?” I do get people who still prefer master. I’m my dogs’ hooman. They are related to each other. With two mothers in the family.
Nicole Wiebusch (Minnesota) I usually say pet parents when I’m talking about pet dogs. With sports-dog blogs, I often say “handler.”
Courtney Dunham (California) Mama—and I always call them my babies and friends/family call them The Babies. No one owns anyone, especially such precious beings.
Laurie Schlossnagle (South Carolina) I mostly refer to my clients as “pet families.” It seems to work better for me and I’ve not had anyone question it.
Nyssa Gatcombe (Maine) It depends on who I am talking to. Some people love the term pet parent, others are offended by it. After a while in this industry, you start to figure out what people prefer to be called. I just wish we had better terms to choose from in English.
“Hooman is a slang term derived from ‘human,’ which is often used by pet owners to refer to themselves or other people in a cute or endearing way.
“It is most commonly found in social media posts or conversations pertaining to animals, particularly online pet communities. This term often conveys a sense of affection or adoration between pet owners and their companions, and it is considered to be an affectionate way of referring to themselves. At its core, it is simply a shorthand way of referring to ourselves or others as human beings, and in particular, humans who love and care for animals.”
Difference Between Pet Parent and Pet Owner
Pet Parent or Pet Owner: Which One Are You? – Petterati.com
Naming Pet Owners
Pet owners: What do we call you? | Pet Camp
Pet Parent vs Pet Owner
Pet Parent vs Pet Owner: What Do You Call Yourself & Your Dog? – Dogster
Are You A Pet Parent?
Dog Parents Or Owners: What’s In A Name?
Pet Parent Or Pet Owner?
Pet parent or pet owner: Caring for cats and dogs is not like raising children.
