Falconers describe them as such, basically because an owl is very difficult to train like a hawk can be; they’ll go along with it as long as it suits them, but they’re just as likely to get bored and turn their back on everyone and go to sleep. I’ve seen a European Eagle Owl call Frodo do exactly that at a falconry centre in the south of England; once he lost interest, nothing could make him cooperate.
The hawks and falcons, on the other hand, behave just like dogs.
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Ha! The line there about owls resembling flying pillows stuffed with seething hatred reminds me of something similar in another Terry Pratchett book, ‘The Unadulterated Cat’, where he describes the Smog Cat, as being like a pillow stuffed with razor blades.
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That’s exactly what a cat would do.
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