If you’re looking to spice up your online dating profile then having a dog could help in landing you a date, according to a survey from pet food brand ‘I love you and you’.
The research, conducted by Onepoll, surveyed 2,000 Americans (1,000 of whom owned a dog) who have used a dating app in the past. It found that 39% swiped right because they wanted to meet the dog in someone’s profile – more than they wanted to meet the person.
The majority, or 63%, said having a ‘cute dog’ in their profile helped them find success with online dating.
The power of having a dog is so alluring that 39% have even borrowed their friend’s dog to use in their dating profile.
Meanwhile, when it comes to relationships, the study found that 37% have experienced a breakup where a pet was involved with 69% of those saying they missed their pet as much as they miss their ex partner.
More than half, or 60%, said they would rather spend Valentine’s Day with a pet instead of a partner.
Of dog owners surveyed, 83% admit to craving extra love from their furry friend around Valentine’s Day. They want to return the favor, too, as the vast majority plan to do something special for their dog around the holiday including buying them a new toy (45%), giving them a special dinner (44%), buying them new treats/special treats (44%).
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With pet ownership increasing in the US (67% of households owned a pet in 2019), odds are it won’t take long to come across someone with a dog if you are swiping through profiles online. With pets becoming more like family, it’s easy to see how someone would want to include their pet in all aspects of their lives, including their dating lives (and dating profiles).
If you happen to swipe right on someone with a dog, consider it a bonus as you will now be meeting two (or more) instead of just the one. And in the worst case scenario, if the date is a dud then at least you have the dog!
As for Valentine’s Day for dogs, well it’s just another holiday to show your love to someone and treat them special and while not everyone has a partner to show their love to, those with a dog have the perfect recipient to shower and spoil with something special (like treats).
“My human has taken me to quite a few first dates and I gotta say, many of them go well and I like to think the main reason they went well was because of me,” Rocky the Traveller said. “It always seemed to have fizzled out for him when he went to places without me. So yes, having a pet in your corner is fantastic in dating for many reasons. By bringing your dog you are already sharing a part of your life with your date.”
Bringing Rocky with me to dates was a way to get him out of the house. I remember feeling bad sometimes that I would go off and meet someone for a drink for a couple hours and leave him, so it was nice to be able to bring him and every single date got off to a good start just by bringing him.
When I asked the women in my dates why they swiped right, the answer was always: ‘the dog”.
