This dog parent decided to leave dating destiny up to his canine companion when it came to his next Tinder match. Genius or insanity? We have our opinions, but you decide.
As you can see in the original Instagram post by @DogsofInstagram, a (savvy?) pet parent shamelessly uses belly scratches to coax his pup’s leg pumping…which in turn swipes right on multiple possible matches. What will happen next is anyone’s guess, and certainly, commenters on the post are guessing. Ranging from ‘get yourself a dog’ to ‘the dog is on it’, most commenters seem to agree that having a dog do all the work on Tinder is the way to go. And when we think about it, isn’t using your dog to swipe right just the contemporary equivalent of using your dog to pick up a potential date at the dog park or while on a walk? Perhaps so! Either way, this pup has some ‘spaining’ to do when the app users start answering!
So, do dogs really help us get dates?
According to Psychology Today, yes. Dogs are increasingly considered family members, say researchers of a recent study by the site, “and a person’s pets, or attitudes toward their pets, could have a significant influence on their choice of romantic partners. Their additional hypothesis was that single women place more value on how a potential mate interacts with their pet than single men do.”
In other words, people see pet ownership as a sign of nurturing and family readiness. Or to put it yet another way, the person in question may be ready to settle down or at least displays signs of being compassionate and kind to others…including fur babies.
This trend is gender leaning, too. In response to the question, “Have you ever been more attracted to someone because they had a pet?” women in the Psychology Today study were more likely to say “yes” than men. And even National Geographic noted in a recent article on the ways pets influence relationships that “single guys who own adopted dogs [are] Hottie McChickMagnets”.
Guys out there interested in women may be tempted to adopt a fur baby for this reason alone, though at PawTracks, we know that is never reason enough to bring a pup into your household. Instead, look for a potential partner who already has a pet, as this person is likely to share more than this one value with you.
Whether you are already a pet parent and looking for that special person to round out your family, or you’ve already found the love of your life and are ready to adopt a fur baby to call your own, you’re in good company. And we hope this fun Instagram post will serve as a reminder that others are looking for exactly what you are seeking too…maybe you will connect with the right someone soon!
