The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to amend official city documents and from now on will refer to 'pet owners' as 'pet guardians'. This doesn't change any legal status, but proponents thought the term evoked warmth and compassion for pets.

...and speaking of "guardians"...

THE QUESTION OF CUSTODY—CANINES IN COURT
Nightly News; July, 2000

He's got a face only an owner could love. His name is Guinness, a 125-pound rottweiler in the middle of a legal custody fight ó a big dog on the forefront of a new field of law. Guinnessí case may finally answer the question: has the world gone to the dogs?

Donít shake your head. Itís all true and the fur is just beginning to fly. Patty Dalby is fighting in court with her boyfriend over who gets Guinness and his canine friend Roxanne. Dalby is represented by an attorney who specializes in animal law cases including dogs, cats, birds and even ducks. Under the law, pets are pieces of property, but all of thatís beginning to change. Thereís emotional attachment and value with our animals. ìIt will continue to evolve until animals are recognized and courts recognize that there is a different effect of losing a coffee cup then there is in losing your animal,î said her attorney.

Emerging Trend
There must be something to this emerging legal trend. Two of the nationís most prestigious law schools, Harvard and Georgetown, now teach courses in animal law. And thereís already a 40 percent increase in lawyers ó 600 of them are registered as members of the animal defense fund. Thereís even a couple of books for all these new legal beagles to study. ìThe reality is that many people consider their companion animals to be members of their families, and thatís just a fact,î said Sonia Waisman, author of ìAnimal Law.î