[9YearLurker]

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/pronouns-people-and-animals-who-or?page=all

[familyop]

Merriam-Webster (a subsidiary of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.), is not a useful reference for grammar. Writers for the Associated Press need English classes without standard university indoctrinations in social pathologies. If they have difficulty understanding the MLA and APA, they should at least try using Rules for Writers (Diana Hacker). Speaking of social pathologies, animals are not people.