These days, most people who are looking for romantic connections use dating apps to search for potential partners. I should know! I'm a single mother who has been dating for a few years, and I've set up and gone on tons of dates. In order to do so, I've arranged them, almost exclusively, through dating apps like Bumble, Tinder, or Hinge.
Over the past few years, I've learned a few valuable lessons about dating, or more specifically, how to effectively use apps to meet people whom I might actually like. I've also learned that most men lie about their height, and that if pictures are blurry, they are usually deceiving. But most importantly, I've learned that people who are dog people are often my kind of people.
It might sound cliché, but if you're a dog lover, having a shared love of dogs is … kind of important. Turns out, I'm not alone in that — far from it.
Having a dog can reveal a lot about a person. But featuring your dog on your dating profile can be helpful for several reasons. Though I should mention that we really need only one or two pictures of the dog. An entire profile made up of only dog pics is … suspicious. Just sayin'.
A recent study showed that people often click on profiles with dogs in hopes of meeting the dog, sometimes even more than the person! But does it really matter if a date is arranged? Probably not. If there is chemistry, a first meeting (no matter how or why it comes about) is a good place to start.
Bumble makes it easy to scope out the dog lovers with the app's "pet badge." It's one of the most popular badges, and it makes sense as to why. Dogs are a really important part of our lives, and lately, they've been playing an even bigger role in keeping people company. But they also play a role in helping couples meet.
Take Katy and Andrew, a couple who met on Bumble back in November of 2017, for example. Katy was nervous about meeting someone new on an app, but then she noticed a cute pup on Andrew's profile, and they quickly got to chatting. I mean, if you're a dog lover, it'd be hard not to notice an adorable German shepherd puppy, ya know?
For Katy, Andrew's pup was an absolute ice-breaker. As a huge dog lover herself, she was interested in finding out about the dog, and it led to some fun and flirty conversation. Andrew told Katy he was accepting dog mom applications, in which Katy made sure to let him know that she needed to hear more about the dog dad before submitting her application. The couple started dating, and now Andrew and Katy are engaged. They're also looking to buy a home with a big yard for Mia — the dog in Andrew's photo.
I haven't had the same luck because, well, I'm still single! But Andrew and Katy give me hope. And their love story makes me realize that bonding over a shared love of dogs is not really as superficial as it might seem.
While I love all animals, I've come to realize how important dogs are to me and that, even if I don't end up dating someone with a dog, making sure they love mine is huge. I adopted my first dog only a few years ago, but he's become a big part of my life and my kids' lives. He's definitely my third baby. So when I find myself gravitating toward people with dogs in their pictures, I just roll with it.
Must Love Dogs might be a cheesy movie. But for many people on dating apps, it feels important. A bigger turn-on, though (and I say this from experience), is watching a guy love on your dog and even take care of them. If a dude ignores your pup, honestly, he's probably not the one. But if he volunteers to take him out on a walk before you even get out of bed? I'm not saying marry him, but definitely make a mental note.
We all have our preferences when it comes to dating, but a shared love for dogs is really big for some people — myself included. These days, I'm planning to tune into that a little bit more, because the fact is, there's something about dog people that I really love. Maybe it's a more laid-back attitude or a sense of adventure — I'm not really sure. But if loving people who love dogs is wrong, then I don't wanna be right.
Honestly, at this point, I'm starting to think my dog probably has a better nose for picking out men than I do. Still, loving dogs is becoming kind of a necessity for me when it comes to dating, and honestly, I'm pretty OK with that. It worked out for Katy and Andrew. Maybe swiping on dog lovers will work for me, too.
