In a survey of 142 pet owners, 48 said they own a dog, and 84 said they own a cat. 32 said they own both a dog and a cat? How many owned a dog but not a cat?
To find out how many pet owners own only a dog, we need to subtract the number of owners who own both a dog and a cat from the total dog owners.
Total dog owners = 48
Owners who own both a dog and a cat = 32
Owners who own only a dog = Total dog owners - Owners who own both a dog and a cat = 48 - 32 = <<48-32=16>>16
Therefore, 16 pet owners owned only a dog. Answer: \boxed{16}.