In a past post, I explored various guidelines for referring to an animal by the gendered pronouns he and she rather than the neutral pronoun it. But what about the relative pronoun who, which generally applies to people? Can you write “The cat who sits on the porch every morning has bright, green eyes”? Or do you need to write “The cat that sits on the porch every morning has bright, green eyes”?
Much like the pronoun it, the answer depends on your preferred guidebook. The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) says that animals with names should be referred to as who, while animals without names should be referred to as that or which.1
Sir Snuffles, the terrier who saved the drowning baby, was given an award for bravery.
The bald eagles that arrive every winter always draw a crowd.
The turtle, which lives in the backyard, enjoys sunbathing on the patio.
In contrast, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style) and The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago style) both say that animals should be referred to as that or which, and neither offers an exemption for named animals (not even for Sir Snuffles).2
Some animal lovers may be disheartened by the fact that the guidebooks mentioned above do show a strong preference for reserving who for humans; however, if your content isn’t guidebook specific, you can still confidently use the relative pronoun who when referencing animals—because Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary says you can! 3 Yes, Merriam-Webster’s third entry for who mentions animals and includes a canine example. Go, dogs! And cats . . . and turtles . . . and eagles . . . and bears . . .
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1. The Associated Press Stylebook 2018 (New York: Associated Press, 2018) 279, 314.
2. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association) 79; The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 201) 5.56.
3. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., s.v. “who.”
I encountered this very same issue at work a few years ago. I was tasked with our team’s whiteboard messaging, which consisted of a quirky question that colleagues would hopefully make their opinions known. For one such question I asked something about whether people had pets and I used the “it” pronoun. One coworker took offense, saying, “My dog is a he, not an it.” I focused on what I thought was the correct word in a style guide way, but knew she had a point. A couple of years after that I got a puppy and now, a few years later, I can’t imagine using any other pronoun for my Koko other than “he,” as in: HE is the best no-drama furry friend a single dude can have!
Ron, thanks for visiting! I’m sure Koko appreciates being a he, not an it :)
I found this very helpful. I was doing embedded relative clauses with my class today. I couldn’t decide whether to use who, that or which for the pets and animals. It seems to make sense that if they are part of the family I would use ‘who’ and ‘that’ or ‘which’ if writing about random animals. I also like your explanation about the guidebooks and the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Thank You!
I’m so glad you found the post helpful. Thanks for stopping by!