Is Your Dog the Ultimate Wingman? Online Dating

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Is Your Dog the Ultimate Wingman?

 by Courtney Buchanan

Online dating sites are already personalized for busy executives, farmers and even those who want to rely on their DNA. But the newest entrants on the dating site scene allow pet parents to use their four-legged friends to find their soulmate.

These sites, including PetsDating.com and YouMustLoveDogsDating.com, match people based on their lifestyles — and their love of animals.

                                           

“Having a theme that is … about one’s passion makes it feel like you are looking for a needle in a smaller and far more relevant and appealing haystack,” Michal Ann Strahilevitz, a marketing professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, tells The Commercial Appeal.

Many of the pet-oriented dating sites encourage people to bring their pets along on the date to help break the ice. The owners can learn a lot about each other based on how they react to situations involving the animal. The pet’s manners and behavior can also give hints to its owner’s character.

“[With dogs on the date,] you find out right off the bat how everyone in a relationship will fit in,” Kris Rotonda, founder of YouMustLoveDogsDating.com, tells The Commercial Appeal.

But let’s face it: not every dog or cat is an ideal plus-one. Joanie Pelzer, a Chihuahua parent, tells The Commercial Appeal that her pooch, Hubbell, has some not-so-attractive personality traits that likely cost her a third date. Hubbell steals food, craves attention, must ride shotgun likes people more than dogs. Hubbell sabotaged a breakfast date with a man Pelzer had met on PetsDating.com by eating the date’s food. The faux pas was too much to overcome.

Some people argue that finding love online is difficult enough and that the pet component makes the search too complex. Dogs and cats, however, are good at sensing people’s personalities. A pet’s second opinion can help separate the bad matches from the good ones.

Trish McDermott, who worked for Match.com for 10 years as a dating expert and spokesperson, once met a man online who pushed her dog off the couch. McDermott met the man on a site that doesn't cater to pet owners, according to The Commercial Appeal. It was an obvious red flag.

Finding true love online isn't easy, but petcentric sites may be just the answer for pet parents seeking the perfect pet-loving match.

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We may be a little biased, being a pet insurance company, but we truly believe in the peace of mind it gives pet parents. Covering most non-preexisting conditions, a pet insurance policy ensures you'll never have to make hard decisions about your pet’s health. 

When the choice is between your furry family member and your finances, we all know which one we’d choose – but sometimes the choice isn't so easy. No pet parent should have to make that call, which is why we’re firm believers in the power of pet insurance.