Dating with Pets: What Every Pet-Owning Single Should Know

In this guide

For anyone who is single and shares their life with a pet, romance and pet ownership are more intertwined than you might expect, from how you meet someone to how you eventually pop the question.

Your pet, the secret wingman

Dating apps have largely replaced the old routine of dressing up and heading out to meet someone new, and a niche has emerged specifically for pet lovers. Apps such as PetPeopleMeet.com and Datemypet.com, both free to join, connect people who already know that a shared love of animals is a solid foundation for a relationship. As Datemypet.com puts it, the goal is helping pet lovers find whatever they are looking for, whether that is a life partner, a playmate for their pet, or simply someone to spend time with.

Do pets help or hurt your dating prospects?

The evidence is genuinely mixed. A Craigslist UK survey found that 23 percent of participants would be less likely to date someone with a dog, and 21 percent said the same about cat owners. Yet a separate survey by Elite Singles, covering 1,000 UK singles, found that 57 percent believe owning a pet actually makes a person more attractive, with dog ownership in particular giving the biggest boost to perceived appeal.

Three ways your pet can help with a proposal

• Involve your pets directly in the moment, whether you already share a long-term pet or are planning to bring a new one into the family; either can make the occasion feel more personal.
• Ask your partner's pet for 'permission' first, a light-hearted twist on the old tradition of asking a parent, and one that has produced some memorable proposal stories.
• Write the question down, literally, by engraving 'Will you marry me?' onto a new pet's collar if you are getting a puppy or kitten together.

If a proposal is on the cards, your pet could be the easiest way to make the moment memorable and thoroughly photogenic. And when the big day itself arrives, a pet-friendly wedding visit service can bring your pets along to be part of the celebration too.

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