Technicalities: Pets

[Blind_Justice]

Which one is "right"?

The dog's name was Rover, and it was a large collie.

Or

The dog's name was Rover, and he was a large collie.

"It" because it's an animal I'm referring to, or "he" because the animal in question has a clearly defined name and gender? Maybe no big deal for native speakers, but I find it quite a puzzle

 

[MSTarot]

Which one is "right"?

The dog's name was Rover, and it was a large collie.

Or

The dog's name was Rover, and he was a large collie.

"It" because it's an animal I'm referring to, or "he" because the animal in question has a clearly defined name and gender? Maybe no big deal for native speakers, but I find it quite a puzzle

I would say the second, from a storytelling point of view, as it takes out all question of the gender of the dog in question. Which you need to do as a lot of people assume all collies are female and named Lassie. You establish it by that one word.


Although I can't say I've ever met anyone who called a female dog Rover.


Or a male dog either for that matter.

I can't throw stones though since I had a dog named 'Sparky'

 

[Blind_Justice]

Well, you haven't read "Good Omens" by Gaiman and Pratchett then

I should have picked a more distinct name, but the main question is about the "it" vs. "he" (or "she", if the dog in question would be female).

 

[Acktion]

Which one is "right"?

The dog's name was Rover, and it was a large collie.

Or

The dog's name was Rover, and he was a large collie.

"It" because it's an animal I'm referring to, or "he" because the animal in question has a clearly defined name and gender? Maybe no big deal for native speakers, but I find it quite a puzzle

I don't know about technicalities, but in most cases that I've encountered if the person is close enough to know the gender, the gender is usually used. (At least in Americanized English) So, I think that the character making the observation and how well they know the dog in question is relevant. Typically "it" is used in reference in order to emotionally distance from a thing or if the emotional closeness is not there to begin with.

 

[sr71plt]

Either is correct. It would be nice to be consistent with it in a story, although I could see you calling Rover "he" before and "it" after "that" operation.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Won't happen, Pilot. At least in that story. And thank you.

 

[Hypoxia]

Which one is "right"?

The dog's name was Rover, and it was a large collie.

Or

The dog's name was Rover, and he was a large collie.

/wordiness

"Rover was a large collie." should suffice.

"Rover was a large collie, and one mean bitch." tells more. Or try,

"Rover was a large collie, and a really sweet guy."

 

[Stella_Omega]

Your decision might make a worldbuilding point, or one specifically about the narrator, if you have one- either the person thinks of dogs as objects, and calls them "it" or thinks of them in more personal terms and recognises their sex.

(We consider that the body's configuration is its "sex;" how the person inhabiting it thinks of their self is "gender." Dogs don't generally act in gendered ways-- although we use their sex designations as gendered slurs...)

Okay, I'll stop nerding out.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm pretty sure that dogs do act in gendered ways--thus other dogs.

And, Hypoxia, this was answering a question not asked--and you have no idea how it fits into the context. The OP's sentence is fine, grammatically. You can always write your own dog story, if you wish.

(I'm in the process of writing an essay on Literotica feedback that covers these points--answering questions not asked and trying, in feedback, to substitute your writing for the author's perfectly grammatical choices--in their own voice.)

 

[SecondCircle]

I see Acktion's logic. Both ways are grammatically correct, but it does depend a lot on context. (I know we don't really know the full scope of the context, so grammatically both "technically" work).

When I thought of the question though, my brain took me to the keyboard.

"I patted my dog on the head and gently scratched behind his ears."

This implies the POV character knows the dog and knows its gender.

"I backed slowly away from the snarling German Shepherd. She hunkered low as though she were ready to attack."

Assuming that narrator ran across this dog on his evening walk, how the hell does he know the German Shepherd is a "she"? It seems odd to me this way. Did he have time to lift her skirt and check before she started snarling? Now "She" could work if that was 3rd Person Omniscient or what have you. But in that case above, "it" seems like the more logical pronoun. Or else my mind takes me to wondering if he recognized the dog from his wife's book club.

Just demonstrates how context could influence that for me as a reader, and what my mind thinks when I type something like that.

 

[TxRad]

I see Acktion's logic. Both ways are grammatically correct, but it does depend a lot on context. (I know we don't really know the full scope of the context, so grammatically both "technically" work).

When I thought of the question though, my brain took me to the keyboard.

"I patted my dog on the head and gently scratched behind his ears."

This implies the POV character knows the dog and knows its gender.

"I backed slowly away from the snarling German Shepherd. She hunkered low as though she were ready to attack."

Assuming that narrator ran across this dog on his evening walk, how the hell does he know the German Shepherd is a "she"? It seems odd to me this way. Did he have time to lift her skirt and check before she started snarling? Now "She" could work if that was 3rd Person Omniscient or what have you. But in that case above, "it" seems like the more logical pronoun. Or else my mind takes me to wondering if he recognized the dog from his wife's book club.

Just demonstrates how context could influence that for me as a reader, and what my mind thinks when I type something like that.

It might have been the lipstick and rouge that gave it away.

 

[SecondCircle]

It might have been the lipstick and rouge that gave it away.

Would that snarling dog still be frightening? I feel like one would have to go, "Ooh, look hoo cute chu wure!"

Then be the guy on YouTube getting beat up by a girl dog.

 

[3113]

Both are correct and, as said, can indicate how the pov person sees the animal. When we give something a gender we anthropomorphize it. "It" implies an object to us, "he/she" implies a "individual." So a pov character who is an animal lover would likely refer to the dog's gender ("he") as would a pov character who felt that the animal's gender mattered in context (the bear protected "her" cubs). Meanwhile, someone who was afraid of dogs and sees them as dangerous, growling monsters might refer to the animal as "it"—a "thing."

BUT, a pov character might also refer to the animal as "it" if the gender is unknown. A cat, for example, can be ambiguous especially if it's very fluffy. So the cat might be "it" to our pov character until the owner lets said pov character know kitty's a he/she

 

[Neonurotic]

People who don't have pets call cats/dogs/birds/snakes Its.

 

[3113]

People who don't have pets call cats/dogs/birds/snakes Its.

How would anyone who doesn't actually own the snake know it's gender on first sight? I mean, before the owner said if the snake has an owner?

I'm certainly not going to stumble over a rattler and say, "Oh, she's going to sink her fangs into me...." I'm not going to know it's gender and I'm not going to care. I'm going to say, "Yikes! It's going to sink it's fangs in to me!"

 

[Neonurotic]

I introduce my pets as he or she with their name and don't approach someone elses pet with out an intro, can get bit if I don't. It's just what I believe since my pets are part of my family and I get a little ruffled when some call a pet an it.

 

[Acktion]

How would anyone who doesn't actually own the snake know it's gender on first sight? I mean, before the owner said if the snake has an owner?

I'm certainly not going to stumble over a rattler and say, "Oh, she's going to sink her fangs into me...." I'm not going to know it's gender and I'm not going to care. I'm going to say, "Yikes! It's going to sink it's fangs in to me!"

If it rattled, it was a he. Females of species are meaner and strike without "fair" warning.

 

[SamScribble]

An old girlfriend of mine's family had a dog named Jasper. She was a bitch (the dog, not the girlfriend). But her family's dogs had always been named Jasper. No point in changing just because the line of boys was interrupted by a girl. Oh well.

 

[3113]

An old girlfriend of mine's family had a dog named Jasper. She was a bitch (the dog, not the girlfriend). But her family's dogs had always been named Jasper. No point in changing just because the line of boys was interrupted by a girl. Oh well.

Husband's uncle was a pig farmer. BIG pigs and lots of 'em. He called them all "Bo."

 

[TxRad]

Husband's uncle was a pig farmer. BIG pigs and lots of 'em. He called them all "Bo."

My grandfather named all of his also. "Bacon, Porkchop, Ham..."

 

[Blind_Justice]

Well, since y'all have so happily hijacked my thread anyway, why not put the assembled creativity to use? "Rover" just does not really fit.

Quick context:
The dog in question belongs to a half-orc innkeep and is both her pet and bouncer-in-training. I've tried several ideas, but "Cerberus" is much too cliched and "Gnasher" sounds like one of those Rottweilers, but not like a Collie. I could, of course, change the dog's race, but I like Collies...

So, how 'bout a little help?

 

[TxRad]

Well, since y'all have so happily hijacked my thread anyway, why not put the assembled creativity to use? "Rover" just does not really fit.

Quick context:
The dog in question belongs to a half-orc innkeep and is both her pet and bouncer-in-training. I've tried several ideas, but "Cerberus" is much too cliched and "Gnasher" sounds like one of those Rottweilers, but not like a Collie. I could, of course, change the dog's race, but I like Collies...

So, how 'bout a little help?

Sorry about the threadjacking but we thought the subject was pretty much covered.

As for the new question, how about keeping it simple. "Bitch" has a nice ring to it.

 

[sr71plt]

Well, since y'all have so happily hijacked my thread anyway, why not put the assembled creativity to use? "Rover" just does not really fit.

I thought your question was well covered before the thread moved on.

 

[Acktion]

Well, since y'all have so happily hijacked my thread anyway, why not put the assembled creativity to use? "Rover" just does not really fit.

Quick context:
The dog in question belongs to a half-orc innkeep and is both her pet and bouncer-in-training. I've tried several ideas, but "Cerberus" is much too cliched and "Gnasher" sounds like one of those Rottweilers, but not like a Collie. I could, of course, change the dog's race, but I like Collies...

So, how 'bout a little help?

"Grr"

"Og"

"Damn Dawg" (or DD)

"PIMA" - Pain in my Ass

Could always fall back on Klingon

"chuQun" - noble

"DenIb Qatlh" - heavy slobberer

"ghegh" - rough houser

or if you want to tweak the noses of a certain gaming community

"Grimfang"

"Grinning Dog"

 

[Stella_Omega]

I'm trying to imagine a half-orc choosing a collie for a... bouncer?
I mean, I've seen big Collies, but that big?

Give her a really vicious sense of humor and name it "Fluffy."