Dogs are it

I don't believe in calling a dog he or she. They don't care if I do, nor should anyone else. By imposing gender onto creatures that just don't relate to others in those terms, we are humanising them. That sounds nice, kinda. But actually, by valuing them in human terms, we discount their value in themselves. Dogs don't want to wear cute outfits. They don't care if we give them a name. They have no idea what or why a birthday is.

Respecting animals is done best by relating to them in ways that make sense to them, ways that THEY value. They love attention, kindness, affection. They like to be warm enough and cool enough, watered and fed. They prefer to be free from pain.

It's so easy to construe animal behaviour in human ways. When they lick you, it's a 'kiss'. When their mouths hang open, they're 'smiling'. If they bark, they must be angry. These interpretations aren't always wrong, but we need to be wary of them. Domestic animals have been bred for their ability to understand humans, but we don't understand them nearly as well.

There's nothing wrong with giving them a fancy haircut or having them on your family Christmas card, as long as you know it's for you and not for them.