Be honest: are you spending your Valentine’s Day with the love of your life? The apple of your eye? Your one-and-only?
If you’re anything like the people who took our recent survey, it’s likely that if you are, it means you’re spending the day with your dog. We wanted to know just how crazy people really are about their dogs, and how much they love their dogs compared to their partners.
The results? Nuts! We were surprised at some of the answers, but not too surprised – this is iHeartDogs. We love our dogs too, and we love our partners who know that the space directly next to us on the couch is reserved for the dog.
Whether you’re a crazy-dog person yourself, the partner of one, or just looking to date one – we have some insights that may make you see them in a new way.
“Tell your dog I said hi”
If you’re looking for love, you should consider taking more walks and selfies with your dog. 88% of respondents said that they have struck up a conversation or matched with someone on an online dating platform just because they had a dog. And you’d better believe that dogs make great wingmen – science has proven that dog owners are more likely to be social, and when you’re out making friends and having a good time, you’re more likely to find that special someone.
In fact, a dog can better your chances even if you’re not the smoothest talker or cutest person in the room. 86% of people who responded to our survey said they were more likely to give someone they considered “less attractive” a shot if they had a dog. So you may not be a solid 10, but just having a dog can boost your score a few points.
Having a cute pup may get your foot in the door, but if someone has to break a date because their dog has a sudden illness or just says they can’t go out, you may be getting the cold shoulder. We found out that our dog lovers may not be the most honest bunch: 52% of people said that they have used their dog as an excuse to cancel a date! In fact, you may want to skip trying to make special plans for Valentine’s Day, because 83% said that they would prefer to spend the holiday with their dog instead of a date.
There’s still hope for you, though, if you were hoping to get in on that sweet, sweet, prix-fixe-for-two action at a local restaurant: 86.7% of people said that their Valentine’s Day plans include their dogs and 51.8% bought their dog a gift for the holiday. Hope your favorite restaurant has a nice, dog-friendly patio. If you’re going to get your date flowers, make sure they’re safe for their pup. Don’t expect any back, though. 77.9% said they would rather shop for a gift for their dog than their partner.
You can expect it to be over if their dog doesn’t warm up to you. 95.2% of our dog-loving participants said that they would dump a person if their dog didn’t like them. So if you meet someone that says their dog doesn’t like anybody, it could be over before it starts.
If you’re lonely and looking to adopt, you might want to consider these 5 breeds that science says are more likely to score you a date.
Just me and the dogs. Oh – and you.
If you and your pup-loving partner make it, you can expect to have to share your partner with their dogs. Like, a lot. And expect for your kisses to be glazed with a little dog-drool. 95% of people said they kiss their dogs more than their partners, and 73.9% of those people are kissing their dogs on the lips. If physical touch isn’t your love language and you’d prefer words of affirmation, remember that you’re likely to still come in second for “I love yous”. 89.5% say “I love you” to their dogs more than their significant others. You’ll be second on their social media, too. 100% – that’s EVERYBODY – said they take more pictures of their dog than their partner.
This might be why our dogs think they’re number one in our lives – and if we’re being honest, aren’t they? At best, it’s a tie. (Note to boyfriend: Sorry, honey. 🤷♀️ ) If your dog gets jealous when you start giving your partner all the love and affection you’ve been showing on them, it’s easy to understand why. And your dog isn’t alone: 59.6% said that their dog has gotten jealous of their partner before. On the flip-side of that, 39.4% of people said that their partners have been jealous of their dogs.
And let’s not pretend like we don’t just love it when our dogs claim us as their own because it’s pretty cute when a dog gets jealous – like this Chihuahua who insists on being dad’s favorite!
A not-so-lonely life
But for those who haven’t found love yet? They’re not too worried about it. 83.7% said that they could be happy being single forever if they had their dog by their side. These dedicated dog-lovers are taking their time and not going to be jumping into a relationship with just anybody. The perfect person will come around someday – and when they do, they’ll love dogs too. 99.4% of people said that not loving dogs is a dealbreaker for them.
We totally get it. It’s not just that your true love should truly love your dog too. There’s a lot of great reasons to date a dog lover. Read all about it in 10 Reasons to Date a Dog Lover.
Toledo, United States.
