Pet animals? (7)
I believe the answer is:
bulldog
'pet animals?' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both animals as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I can't see?
'pet' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'pet' could be 'dog' and 'dog' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'bull' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bulldog that I've seen before include "Animal, symbol of tenacity" , "Courageous canine - clip" , "Sturdy animal" , "Canine (with British spirit?)" , "Animal symbolising the British" .)