Just in time for Love Your Pet Day on the 20th Feb, our new survey of 330 New Zealanders has revealed that nearly two-thirds of singles (62%) think owning a pet can make someone more attractive – and that owning a dog makes you the most attractive of all.
- 62% of Kiwi singles think owning any pet at all makes someone more attractive
- Of these, 18% are most attracted to cat owners, while 68% prefer dog owners
- 64% of singles think that posing with a pet in a dating profile picture is extra attractive
- 78% say how someone treats their pets can predict how they’ll act in a relationship
- 43% of dog lovers, 30% of cat lovers would dump someone who didn’t like their pet
Animal attraction: 62% of Kiwis think having a pet makes you more attractive
Love life a bit lacking? It might be time to get a pet. Our new survey has revealed that 62% of NZ singles think that pet owners make more attractive dates.
Does the type of pet matter? Well, yes! Of those attracted to pet owners, 68% say that they’re most attracted to dog owners, 18% choose cat owners, and 7% say that they like people who own both dogs and cats. (The other 7% includes those who like bird and fish owners).
64% of singles want to see pets in people’s dating profile pictures
The survey also revealed that pets are the ideal addition to an online dating profile, with 64% of singles saying that it’s extra appealing when a person’s dating profile photo includes their pet and 71% thinking that it’s attractive to talk about a love of pets or animals in a written profile.
Singles take their pets’ opinions into account
Pets can also influence the end of relationship – particularly if you’re dating a dog owner. In fact, 43% of dog owners would break up with a partner who didn’t like their pooch and 25% would end a relationship if the pooch did not like the partner!
In comparison, cat owners are more cautious: 30% of cat owners would end things with someone who didn’t like their cat, while 21% would call time on a romance if their cat wasn’t happy.
78% say how someone treats their pets can predict how they’ll act in a relationship
This preference for pet owners may be because someone’s attitude towards their animals is seen to be a good indicator of whether or not they’re relationship material. In fact, nearly 4 in 5 singles – 78% – think that the way someone treats their pets can predict how caring they will be in a relationship.
EliteSingles’ psychologist Salama Marine says that singles might think this way because it’s ‘’extremely hard for a selfish person to raise a pet properly.’’ As raising animals – particularly active animals like dogs – ‘’requires a lot of commitment and dedication,’’ singles with pets are often ‘’perceived to be kind, friendly… and ready to commit to a long term relationship.’’
For more on this study, please see our in-depth article
Press contact: Sophie Watson
EliteSingles Research, PR and Editorial
About the author: The EliteSingles Press Team