Dogs and Dating

Face it — dog lovers have little interest in dating someone who doesn’t also have a deep devotion for four-legged friends. So when you’re in the market for a relationship, it’s best to find ways of ruling out those who won’t accept your pooches along with your smooches.

To that end, learn how to play the pet card and use your doggie as a magnet for finding your next love. Plaster Fido alongside all your selfies. And don’t leave him at home when you go out. When that perfect stranger strikes up a conversation with you, it’s precisely because you’re out walking or playing with your dog.

You Look Fetching

That’s right, dogs and dating may sound like an unusual combination, but they work very well together. In fact, how you interact with your pup says a lot about you, but there’s more to it than that. Owning a pet communicates desirable attributes to those seeking a relationship. Dogs and dating work! Consider, for example, just a few characteristics the two topics share:

• Patience. Teaching tricks and commands until your buddy gets it is a trait not everyone shares. And understanding and forgiving mistakes made takes a very special breed of human.
• Reliability. Your dog needs you to be there consistently for training, feedings, appointments and companionship. Reliability is a trait people look for in their dates, too.
• Attentiveness. You must be in tune with your dog to know when something’s off. And who doesn’t love attentiveness in a relationship? No one, that’s who!
• Giving. Dogs bring you happiness, but caring for your dog requires that you give too. Dog owners give willingly, knowing that unconditional love is something you can’t buy. And that’s an attractive quality to humans too.
• Adventure. Dogs and dating both require an adventuresome spirit. Relationships require adventure and spontaneity to keep the flame alive.
• Caring. Unfortunately, pain and sickness are part of life. If your dog is suffering, it’s up to you to nurse him back to health. Your potential mate knows this, which makes you even more attractive.

Dogs Break Forcefields

You can play it by ear and leave your fate to the dog park crowd and good timing. Or you can put a little forethought into your dogs and dating scenarios by putting yourself squarely in the sights of your next romance. Take a few tips from experienced dogs and dating experts:

• Check out your local pet supply store for those special times when they offer dog biscuits and people food. A bowl of water and a glass of wine at a shared favorite shopping haunt can create many opportunities to share your interests — and your phone numbers.
• Visit organizations in your area that arrange dogs and dating events specifically for singles looking for relationships. Meetups operate in just about every town in America with specific outings just for dog lovers. You can even find a Meetup for a specific breed, if you so choose.
• Read up on various tips and tricks from experts like Sheryl Matthys, the dog expert and author of Leashes and Lovers. <https://leashesandlovers.com/thebook/>
• Match-making sites have worked for many couples who don’t have time for hit-or-miss dating. Join a dating site just for dog-lovers. Dogs and dating is so popular, you’ll find a slew of sites online, including one to suit your needs. A few to try include:
• Pet People Meet <https://www.petpeoplemeet.com/>
• Date My Pet <https://www.datemypet.com/>
• Fetch a Date <https://fetchadate.com/>
• Take advantage of apps created just for dog-loving singles like you. Dig Dates <https://digdates.com/> is an app that lets you really refine your search for that special someone with whom you can share your dog, er, your life.
• Hang out at the outdoor cafes where you’ve seen other dog owners sipping coffee with their pups lying nonchalantly beside them. Or turn your next after-work outing into your very own “Yappy Hour.”
• Offer to puppy-sit for a friend if you don’t have a pooch of your own. When you appreciate all the characteristics of dog-lovers, look for your future partner with a borrowed dog at all the right puppy joints. It’s not cheating if you really love dogs.

Now, You’re a Dog Whisperer

Dogs make you a better communicator, another unintended consequence of owing a dog. And it’s one that will serve you well the next time you’re ready to find another human being to share your life with. You’ll attract the right partner who not only loves dogs as much as you do, but possesses all the qualities your dog will love too.

Dogs and dating fit together better than you realize. You don’t have to memorize pick-up lines because you’re just answering the same questions over and over. It’s a simple way to start a conversation that also relieves any anxiety you have. This experience translates well into dating because as you relax, you can let the real you come out in a way that only increases your desirability.