Dating with Dog: Poll Shows Puppy Love Can Win in the End

Haven’t found your Valentine just yet? You may want to take an honest look at how important your pet is to your daily life. A recent AP-Petside.com poll revealed that when put to the test, a whopping 14% of pet owners would choose their dog or cat over their mate. Now that’s certainly not a majority, but it does call for a moment’s paws—er, pause.

Personally, I’ve done it all different ways. I’ve dated men with their own dogs, men who loved my dogs, men who were (at best) indifferent to my dogs, and one man who politely explained that, while he may someday consider following behind me with a plastic bag, he would never do so for any dog.

Of course your pets are special and have universal appeal, but the reality is that some people just don’t like the idea of any animal living in—or even visiting—their home. Noises, smells, and extra responsibilities that are a joy to a pet lover can quickly reveal themselves as a turn-off to a new friend. And few people bring up their severe allergy to pet dander at parties, in bars, or on first dates.

If you’re out there looking for love of the two-legged variety and you’ve got pets, you may want to stack the deck in your favor and check out one of the many online dating sites specifically for people with pets. Aside from staving off the uncomfortable me-or-the-pet ultimatum with a potential date, pet-patter is a great way to keep a conversation going! The match game can be tricky enough—do you really need to find out if you’re one of the 14%?

Here are few sites to get you started. All are free to join, but offer paid premium memberships:

Date My Pet features specific sections on pet advice and dating tips. One-stop shopping!

Mustlovepets offers articles about dating and pets along with a guestbook where pet lovers can post questions or concerns about general pet-related issues.

Petsfriends has great ideas for pet lover dates and even a forum section for online discussions about culture, health, sports, and travel.

Pet People Meet includes a live video/audio/text chat, but the site requires you to answer a few questions before browsing.