May is Animal Guardian Month
May 3rd, 2008 by omidog
How do you identify the relationship with your pet? Are you a pet owner? Most people with pets would probably say “of course I am!”, but IDA’s Guardian Campaign would like us to take a step back and really think about what we’re saying when we say “pet owner”. In an effort to spread more awareness about pets and their existence as sentient beings (meaning that they’re able to feel pain and interact with their surroundings), the campaign wants people to refer to themselves as pet guardians. This takes the ownership aspect out of things, and that in turn puts animals at a higher place in our language than a mere object that someone has purchased.
I think it is a bit picky, because certainly most of us don’t refer to ourselves as pet owners out of our view that our pets are just objects that we have like our couch or our books on our bookshelves! But when you get down to it, I suppose it does make sense. Many of us view our pets as near and dear to our hearts as children would be. They’re our babies, our little ones, our family. We don’t own our siblings, children, or our parents, so perhaps we should see our pets similarly, too! We take care of them, watch over them, make sure that they’re well-fed and happy, and in turn they provide us with the love and laughter that a happy pet/guardian relationship should be full of. And that definitely goes beyond mere ownership. When’s the last time your car came rushing over to you when it saw you entering the parking lot, beeping its horn in excitement?? (okay, maybe this would actually happen, the way things are going with technology. But not yet!)
According to the campaign, this also helps to teach young children a more compassionate way of treating animals just through the language alone. Helping them to understand continuous care and compassion that guardianship brings as opposed to using the words “owner” or “master” actually instill more positive results, apparently.
I think it will take awhile for people to grow accustomed to this terminology, but I’m certainly not opposed. Though I tend to refer to myself as a pet parent, or a “mommy” to my little fuzzy babies. To each his own, just when you say that you own your pet, don’t take it too literally.