Pets play an incredibly important part in our lives. They provide love and companionship. They keep us sane when life gets crazy. They are always ready with a lick and a bark when you walk in the door.  When we’re lonely, they love to cuddle and keep up company. They're our best friends.



When my husband and I first began dating many years ago, he had never had a dog.  At the time, I had a five-year-old Chow Chow named Sushi who was skittish and anti-social. Not the best characteristics for a first time dog owner. It didn’t take long before Mark fell in love with the little fur ball and his love for dogs emerged. That wasn’t always the case for me over the years. I had dated guys that didn’t like Sushi and guys that Sushi didn’t care for either. She had been the proverbial “straw” in a few relationships and, like you do, I chose my dog over the guy.

I am fortunate that Mark’s new found love for dogs lead to the adoption of four more dogs and our eventual marriage. In the end, it worked out for us. But it’s not so easy for other singles with pets.

Dogs vs. Dudes

Dating is hard and unpredictable. Sometimes it’s magical and sometimes it’s miserable. Add pets to the mix and you have a challenging -- sometimes volatile -- situation. My friend, we’ll call her Hilary, has a dog that she spoils more than some people spoil their children. The dog is lavished with luxuries like sleeping in Hilary’s bed, eating from the table and accompanying her on most vacations. Now, Hilary has found herself back in the dating pool after a couple of failed marriages. It has been difficult for her to find a new love on Match.com due to the situation with her dog. Granted, this is a situation that she has made for herself, but most single men without pets just don’t understand. So, she has been forced to choose her dog over many potential suitors.

Most of these issues could be avoided by introducing the new date to your dog as you would introduce two new dogs.  Let them meet on neutral ground. Ensure that both dog and dude get equal amounts of attention to avoid jealousy.  If the meeting goes well, give them some supervised time together. Eventually, they will be the best of friends.

There is the always the chance that your date may not like dogs or may not hold your dog as near and dear as you do. Avoid this issue by talking about your dog up front -- before the date. A potentially uncomfortable situation may be avoided by offering initial pet disclosure.

One single dog owner explains, “The guy I’m dating now has had to adjust his thinking about dogs (and cats) in order to stay with me. I compromise too, just not when it comes to my animal companions!”

So I think that I am safe is saying, the general consensus is - love me, love my dog.

Do Pets Know More Than We Do?

I recently attended a friend’s fiftieth birthday party where I met a delightful older woman who sat next to me.  We had dogs in common and she proceeded to tell me about her Jack Russell Terrier, Murray, who helped assess her gentleman callers. When her gentleman friends would come by, Murray would sit on the couch between her and her friend. If he didn’t like the guy, Murray would not let him get near her. In the end, Murray was usually right. Most of the guys were heels. But it presents the question – do our pets know better when it comes to that special guy or gal?

I firmly believe that our pets have a special sense when it comes to making the right choice in a mate. My dogs know when I’m upset – they know when I need some cheering up. One of my dogs can even sense when I’m getting a cold. Why wouldn’t they know whether a new guy is Mr. Right? My Chow, who was afraid of everyone, loved my husband at first sight. She displayed good judgment and I suspect that other pets offer their owners the same service.

Online Dating

Websites like Match.com and eHarmony.com help singles find love based on personalities, interests and characteristics and are more popular than ever.

I was lucky that, in the end, Mark shared my love of dogs. But for some couples, it’s tough to find someone who loves your pet as much as you do (if they love pets at all).  Taking online dating a step further, AnimalAttraction.com and DateMyPet.com help singles with pets find love.

AnimalAttraction.com was founded on the idea that singles with pets share a passion, not only for animals but for each other. Why shouldn’t they have an online community where they can meet? The website offers a place where pet lovers can share stories, discuss issues and potentially meet up.

DateMyPet.com is an online service based on a slightly different premise. The site supports the “Love me. Love my pet.” philosophy and was launched as a result of too many stories of dates gone bad due to one person not liking the other person’s pet.

PETPeopleMeet.com and PetsPassions.com are specialty dating websites that are part of larger dating networks. These sites are intended to provide pet owners that are part of the larger network with a place to meet single pet owners.

MeetUp.com is an online service that helps people with similar interests “meet up” in person. There are groups for pet lovers as well as singles. Meet up groups are based upon regions so it’s easy to find people with your interests in your area.

So, if you just aren’t finding the right pet lovers on the big dating sites, consider a specialty site for people who love their animals as much as their significant others.


When the Honeymoon is Over

Sometimes relationships just don’t work out and couples are forced to either break up or get divorced. Children are always considered when the flame burns out, but what about pets? It is becoming more commonplace for pets to be included in prenuptial agreements and divorce settlements. While some separated couples can amicably agree to visitation schedules or division of the pets, some divorces can get ugly. Typically, the pet owner is the person who paid for the animal or in the case of adoption, paid the adoption fee.  Most divorce attorneys advise clients to consider the pets in a worst case scenario when drafting a prenuptial agreement. Be sure that your pets are covered should you and your spouse part ways and that you are considering what’s in their best interest.

There are many options for single pet owners looking for love. With a little research, practical thinking and pet intuition, puppy love may just be a click away.