Dating profile pics look better with a dog in them, a survey conducted by the canine supplement company Honest Paws found recently.
Here at Dog O’Day, we learned of this news through People Magazine.
This is not a surprise to any of our staff here, honestly.
As Samantha Ross, editor of the dating and relationships site Romantific, told People, “Men, in particular, can be seen as committed and trustworthy when they are seen with a pet.”
While this makes sense, as many pet pawrents use their doggos as practice runs for parenting human children in the future, this same logic strangely does not apply to men with cats, a Colorado State University survey discovered last year.
“Having a pet also assures a potential partner that you are capable of taking care of another creature.” Ross continued.
This could be why half of all singles participating in the survey said they might use their dog as bait to possibly attract attention from potential mates – why else would the bumper sticker phrase “Love Me, Love My Dog” have stuck around for decades?
70 percent of the survey respondents thought that having a dog in their dating profile picture helped them get more matches, and six out of every 10 people said they’d be more likely to consider matching with someone who had a dating profile pic of them with their dog.
On the other hand (or is it paw?), 64 percent of survey respondents said that if a person borrowed a dog for their dating profile pics and lied about owning one, they would not consider being in a relationship with that person.
The top three dating apps preferred by respondents were Tinder at 29 percent, Match at 17 percent and Bumble at 13 percent, which makes sense as they’re the most well-known, but it’s a little surprising that the friends-of-canine-specific Dig didn’t get a mention.
And given that the COVID pandemic is still ongoing, making in-person dating seem too risky, over half of all single respondents – 52 percent – said that they would be more interested in a virtual first date if a dog was involved.
And some dog breeds are more popular than others, of course – German Shepherds would be the most likely breed to attract someone’s interest, followed by pit bulls, Huskies, Labs and Golden Retrievers. Also highly ranking were Chihuahuas, Bulldogs, Pomeranians and Poodles.
Would you be more willing to date someone if they had a dog in their profile picture?