"Pet people" are humanoid persons, naturally occurring, who exhibit a wide range of animal traits, behaviors, needs, and qualities, and are evolutionarily distinguished from humans.

At some point in history, humans began "taming" certain kinds of pet people by forming contractual bonds with persons who exhibited traits that would be good for doing specific tasks or roles (i.e.: dogs for protection, cats for pest control, etc.). Nowadays, it has become an expectation and a normal part of life to be a "pet," or for a human to own a pet.

 This has led to a divide between "wild" and "domesticated" pet persons. Wild communities keep strictly to themselves and are extremely hostile to human interaction (if exposed to it at all), while domesticated individuals and communities live and intermingle within human society. Domesticated pet persons are generally looked down upon by their wild (and stray) counterparts.

 In human society, pet persons aren't considered to be equal, and the expectation is that humans have historical custodianship over pet persons (i.e. they are meant to be dependent on humans and cared for). As a result, pet persons have virtually no rights. While some communities and pet person rights groups have banded together to lobby for protections and privileges (the right to own or lease a home, the right to work, for abuse or violence against them to be made illegal, etc.), the movement is still ongoing and victories are small and sporadic. However, some pet persons have managed to create "free" communities, and others have been able to establish some independence in human society by creating and maintaining their own businesses.

 On the subject of human-pet person relationships: while sexual relationships aren't that uncommon, romantic relationships are considered taboo, especially in human society.