22 Aug Is a couple “they” or “it”?

A CBC report yesterday referred to “a couple and its dogs”.  In the context, it was clear that “couple” referred to two people, but the pronoun “its” made them sound inanimate, or at least non-human.

“Couple”, being a collective noun, can be either singular or plural, depending on the context.  In this case, “a couple and their dogs” would have made more sense and would not have grated on the ear.