by Bobbie Christmas
Q: How can I tell when to capitalize an animal breed and when not to?
A: The rule is that if a breed name contains a proper noun (a name of a person or place), that word is capitalized; all other words in the breed name are not. For example, we would write German shepherd and Maine coon. Unfortunately, the rule is easier said than followed, though. How is a writer to know which words are proper nouns? The answer can be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the source preferred by book publishers. Look up German shepherd, and you’ll see that the G is capitalized, but not the s. Look up Maine coon, and the m is capitalized, but not the c. The same goes with American shorthair, Australian terrier, and French poodle, but breeds such as basenji, beagle, borzoi, and bloodhound are not capitalized. The exotic shorthair cat also is always lowercased. The list of breeds is endless, but many do include or even stand for a proper noun, such as in Sphynx, Abyssinian, Burmese, and Bolognese.
The ragdoll cat breed is an interesting one, because it used to be trademarked, and trademarked words and phrases are capitalized. While the dictionary puts the capitalized Ragdoll as the preferred usage, ragdoll without the capital is now also acceptable.
If you’re not sure whether a breed should be capitalized, don’t look up the capitalization on a site featuring breeds, because few websites follow Chicago style, the style that book publishers follow. Instead check with Merriam-Webster, which is also available free online.
Q: Someone in my critique group chastised me for having talking animals in the children’s book I’m writing. When my children were small many of the books I read to them featured talking animals. How do I respond to the critic in my writing circle?
A: Your critic is parroting information that has been floating around among agents and publishers for more than a decade. Publishers have indicated they no longer want talking animals in children’s books and would rather have more realistic stories with which children can relate. Yes, the naysayers are out there, yet if you go into a bookstore, you’ll still find some contemporary books that feature talking animals. If you watch cartoons on TV, you’ll see many talking animals there as well.
Some folks ridicule the use of talking animals. Some writers continue the practice. Who is right? Everyone is right, because creative writing has few immutable laws. If you sense that you cannot get your story out in any way other than through talking animals, go ahead and write it your way. You may be bucking a trend, but you won’t be alone. You may have a little more difficulty finding an agent, but your book may also meet with great success. Who’s to tell?
Q: I am a veterinarian who has been asked to write a monthly advice column for pet owners. As soon as I started the first article I ran into problems with pronouns for the pets. Should I call them him, her, or it? “It” sounds too impersonal to me.
A: Using the pronoun “it” may be politically correct and perfectly grammatical, but pet owners probably would perceive it as cold and impersonal.
My suggestion is to vary the pronouns and use other words for the animals as well. You can use feminine or masculine pronouns for animals you name in the article, as in these examples: When Muffin kept shaking her head, I inspected her ears. If you take Max for a walk in summer, be sure the asphalt is not so hot that it burns his paw pads.
As a neutral moniker, you can use words such as fur baby, partner, furry companion, fur kid, adoptee, and fluff ball. As you write more articles you will probably develop your own style and come up with even more alternative descriptions for our hairy sidekicks.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more Ask the Book Doctor questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.