Shhhh….the secret is out. If you’re a dog pawrent looking for love, you might want to consider including a photo of your pup in your online dating profile. As if we didn’t know. Imagine a potential partner. Cute…Okay…But…We are already looking for faults. Now imagine a possible partner with the cutest doggie. No matter the fault of the hooman, that little cutie is too adorable to let the date pass…

Who agrees? In a survey of 2,000 Americans who have been using a dating app in the past, 1,000 were pet owners and over a third admitted to swiping right on a profile that featured someone’s dog because they wanted to meet the pup “more than they wanted to meet the person.” The survey, conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by pet food brand ‘I and love and you’, examined the relationship between pets and online dating on apps, such as Hinge, Bumble and Tinder. Of the 2,000 people surveyed, 63 percent said that they believed having a cute dog in their profile bettered their chances of successfully dating. And this one tops it all: 39 percent of participants revealed that they even borrowed a friend’s dog to use in their profile, as they felt it would help them to get more attention and likes… However, this concept often backfires, because of the 39 percent who specifically match with someone because of that cute pup, more than half were “very upset” when they found out that the dog didn’t belong to them.

The survey also examined how relationships can be impacted if a pet is involved. 31 percent of participants admitted that they stayed in a unhappy relationships just because they didn’t want to leave the pet. “We believe pets are people too, so not only can a breakup be heartbreaking with your human partner, it can sometimes be even harder knowing you won’t see your furry companion every day,” said Lindsey Rabaut, VP of marketing at ‘I and love and you’. “We want the best for them, even more so after a breakup.” When it comes to the most romantic holiday of the year, 60 percent said they would prefer to spend Valentine’s Day with a pet instead of a significant other. Wow. At Cooka’s we prefer to involve all the family on such LOVING day.