# dog: it/he/she (pronoun)



## elprincipeoigres

Could somebody help me? I would be very pleased!

My doubt:

''I have a dog, so what is the correct way to call it:
She is Canelita
It's Canelita

Can I call it she?''

If you write me some examples, I will be very pleased!

Thanks in Advance!

Moderator's note: two threads have been merged to create this one.


----------



## argosdex

If the dog is female use she/her/hers if male use he/his/his, I don't know of any dog owners that refer to their pet as IT.

Her name is Canelita, she sleeps on the couch and eats in the kitchen.
She goes to the vet for her shots (vaccines) every year.
Canelita likes to go to the park, she has many doggie friends.


----------



## pinky girl

Hola:

Yo estoy estudiando inglés y siempre me han dicho que la manera correcta de referirse a un animal es IT y no she, porque no es persona (aunque el animal sea hembra)

Chaooooo


----------



## elprincipeoigres

Thank you very much!

For example, I am walking with some friends and we see an animal, but we aren't sure if the animal it's a dog or a cat. So my friend says:
Look. It's a dog. 
Or we have to say:
Look. He/She is a dog.


----------



## Moritzchen

Tú sigue prestando mucha atención en clase pinky, así aprendes bien el inglés y luego, cuando salgas al mundo podrás apreciar, entender y aceptar el uso real de la lengua.


----------



## elprincipeoigres

pinky girl said:


> Hola:
> 
> Yo estoy estudiando inglés y siempre me han dicho que la manera correcta de referirse a un animal es IT y no she, porque no es persona (aunque el animal sea hembra)
> 
> Chaooooo


 
Cuando estudie inglés me enseñaron lo mismo, pero escuché muchas veces que los Estadounidenses llaman a sus perros como he/she. Al igual que yo llamo a mi perra ella.

Gracias igualmente!


----------



## mariposita

elprincipeoigres said:


> Thank you very much!
> 
> For example, I am walking with some friends and we see an animal, but we aren't sure if the animal it's a dog or a cat. So my friend says:
> Look. It's a dog.
> Or we have to say:
> Look. He/She is a dog.


 
Diría: Look at that dog. 

Con una mascota, casi siempre se dice* he/she*, no _*it*_.


----------



## elprincipeoigres

mariposita said:


> Diría: Look at that dog.
> 
> Con una mascota, casi siempre se dice* he/she*, no _*it*_.


 
Thank you very much!

It's a dog? ---> Is it correct?


----------



## CRR

I agree with Argosdex. 
You would use he/she specially if you are talking about your own dog.


----------



## CRR

It's a dog is correct
but generally if you are talking about your dog is he/she


----------



## Taboo678

Generally you use he/she, but it doesn't really sound bad to use it, particularly if you don't know the animal's gender. I think the less you know the animal, the more normal it can be to refer to it as 'it.'


----------



## mariposita

I would more likely say:
Is that a dog?
That's a dog.


But *it's a dog* isn't incorrect--I just can't think of any context in which I would use it, given the fact that it's usually quite obvious whether an animal is a dog.


----------



## Soy Yo

mariposita said:


> I would more likely say:
> Is that a dog?
> That's a dog.
> 
> 
> But *it's a dog* isn't incorrect--I just can't think of any context in which I would use it, given the fact that it's usually quite obvious whether an animal is a dog.


 

It's ok to refer to a dog (or other) animal as he/she (if you know its sex). If not, stick with "he" or "it."

Reminds me of the time my Cuban friend asked (after I had swatted at a fly):  "Did you kill her?"

I said: "No, but how did you know it's a "her."

He said:  "Well, it's *la mosca."*

That helped me to remember that *lo *means him and it... and la means her and it.

I would say: If you know the sex of the animal it is fine and more normal to say "he" or "she"...but it is *not *incorrect to refer to him or her as an "it". 

Example of *it*, even if *it'*s your own pet:

Stranger: What a beautiful dog! What kind is it?

Owner: Thank you, but it's just a mutt.


----------



## daviesri

elprincipeoigres said:


> Could somebody help me? I would be very pleased!
> 
> My doubt:
> 
> ''I have a dog, so what is the correct way to call it:
> She is Canelita
> It's Canelita
> 
> Can I call it she?''
> 
> If you write me some examples, I will be very pleased!
> 
> Thanks in Advance!


 
If I am talking about my dog and telling someone his/her/its name, I would say:
Her name is Canelita.
My dogs name is Canelita.
My pets name is Canelita.  

I would never say, "Its name is Canelita", when talking about my personal pet unless I wanted to show I did not like it and wanted to sound detached from it. 
 Example:  I am walking my neighbors annoying yappy dog.  Someone comes along and says "What a cute dog, whats its name".  I would then say "Its name is Bowzer".


----------



## elprincipeoigres

And what about that:

She/He is my dog.
It's my dog.
This is my dog.
That is my dog.

I'm confusing! 

Thanks!


----------



## Soy Yo

You certainly are confusing!  And I am confused!  (joking)

All of your sentences (in the last post) are correct, Mr. Príncipe.


----------



## elprincipeoigres

Soy Yo,

Thank you very much!


----------



## cirrus

Generally dogs have gender if you like them. So for example my dog, Dorothy is a she.  However if a dog I don't like does something I would make the dog neuter.  Imagine this conversation:  Your dog has bitten my child. If you can't control it, it will have to be put down.


----------



## jinti

To me, the use of _he/she_ for animals is personal/friendly, and the use of _it_ is impersonal.  That's why I use _it_ for animals I feel no affection for.

I love my cat, so I say _she (she's a tabby)_.  I also like my brother's dog, so I say _she_.  I hate my neighbor's noisy yap-yap dog, so I say _it (it's a stupid little rat-dog _). 

All insects, reptiles, and fish are _it_ to me because I can't imagine feeling a connection with any of them.  A stray dog or cat can also be _it,_ but if my heart went out to the stray (I felt sorry for it because it's hungry or cold), I could use _he/she_.  I'd use _he_ unless I had a reason to think the animal was female.


----------



## se16teddy

Do you think your dog can think?  If so call him or her him or her.  Things that are 'it' do not think (except perhaps computers).


----------



## Kevin R

My dog would be  very sad if I didn't often reassure HIM that he is a good BOY..........


----------



## elprincipeoigres

Kevin R said:


> My dog would be very sad if I didn't often reassure HIM that he is a good BOY..........


 
Yeah! You are right!

But, if my dog is a girl?

She is good girl.


----------



## Pirulo1234

Hi! I've read the following sentence:

"The neighbors say that their dog have not been destroying the flowers in the garden, but I saw him destroying the flowers"

My question is:

Since we're talking about a dog, wouldn't it be more correct to say "but I saw it destroying the flowers" instead of him?

Thanks!


----------



## micafe

Some people think that's the most correct way to do it, but normally, when talking about pets people use* "he/she" *and *"him/her"* because they consider them as part of the family 

Animal lovers like me use *"it*" with very few animals -- . Perhaps a snake or a rat... and insects..


----------



## chamyto

Hi, from my point of view it's better to treat animals as she/he , when the gender is not clear. Grammar books, and most  teachers say that we have to use "it" for things and animals, but this is not totally true. So, the use of "him" is correct in my opinion.

Also, I agree with micafe. They're considered part of the family.


----------



## Pirulo1234

In that case, this sentence is indicating that the dog was a male. Isn't it?

By the way, is it more correct to say "was a male" or "was male"? 

Thanks!


----------



## Sprache

Pirulo1234 said:


> In that case, this sentence is indicating that the dog was a male. Isn't it?
> 
> By the way, is it more correct to say "was a male" or "was male"?
> 
> Thanks!


Yes, the dog is a male (or is male). People nearly always use gender-specific (he/she) pronouns with pets and animals with which they are familiar. It would be quite strange to call a pet dog, even the neighbor's, "it". However, we would usually refer to a rat or insects or a deer or a stray dog as "it".


----------



## FromPA

Sprache said:


> Yes, the dog is a male (or is male). People nearly always use gender-specific (he/she) pronouns with pets and animals with which they are familiar. It would be quite strange to call a pet dog, even the neighbor's, "it". However, we would usually refer to a rat or insects or a deer or a stray dog as "it".


 

I think we use "it" when we don't know the sex, which is more likely when dealing with creatures we don't know.  For instance, I don't think it's unusual at all to hear wild animals referred to as he/she when watching a nature show on TV and the sex of a creature is known.  Human infants are sometimes referred to as "it" when we can't figure out the sex, although that can be a little uncomfortable when talking to the parents ("the baby" might be a better choice than "it").


----------

