Five ways your dog can help you to find love this Valentine’s Day

If you’re a single dog lover and are keen to change the first part of that statement, have you even considered how the second part of it might be able to help you? Having a dog can actually help you to find love if you know how to make it work to your advantage, or sometimes, even if you don’t!

We’ve all seen the film 101 Dalmatians in which Pongo and Purdy help to bring their woefully oblivious owners together, and whilst this is of course a fictional story, dogs help their owners to find love all the time, even if this isn’t always obvious at the outset!

Whilst having a dog isn’t exactly going to help your chances of pulling if the person you’ve got your heart set on can’t stand dogs or is highly allergic to them, the odds of you and such a person being happy together are slim to none anyway.

However, when it comes to other dog owners and of course, dog lovers without a dog of their own too, your dog can absolutely help you to find love; and with just the right sort of person as well.

If you’re still hoping to get a date for Valentine’s Day and hopefully for the long term, put your dog to work as matchmaker and see how you get on.

Dogs can serve as a great ice breaker for a conversation, they help to get you out and about more and so, bring you into contact with more people, they make you seem more approachable, and they give you and other dog lovers a common interest too.

Dogs are also a great equaliser, bringing together people from all walks of life and social backgrounds, because loving dogs is universal and open to everyone!

Learn how to put all of these factors to work in your favour and read on to find out five ways your dog can help you to find love this Valentine’s Day.

Use your dog to start a conversation

If there’s another dog walker on your radar that you’d love to get talking to but don’t know how, let your dog be the ice breaker. Few things get two dog owners talking quicker than their dogs hitting it off, and enjoying watching the two dogs play together gives lots of cues to keep the conversation moving.

Even if the other dog isn’t playful or is on a lead, a smile and quick question such as asking what type of dog it is or complementing the dog in some way can be a good start…

Join a social group for dog owners

There are all sorts of dog-related social opportunities that can help you to meet other dog owners, including single ones, and most areas have several of different types going on every month, if you know where to look.

Walking groups, enthusiast groups for certain breeds, or general dog chat meet-ups will often be advertised in places like veterinary clinics, dog groomers and pet shops, as well as online on social media local pages and special interest groups.

See what is around and take the plunge!

Take part in a canine sport of have-a-go session

Regardless of the type of dog you own, there will be some type of canine sport or group that will be a fit for them. Some canine sports are better for some breeds than others, and high-energy sports aren’t a good fit for many dogs; but if you check out what canine sports are popular in your area, you might be able to join a team and meet other dog owners.

Even have-a-go sessions or going along to watch and support a team will have similar benefits.

Hang out at a dog-friendly café or pub

It used to be vanishingly uncommon for dogs to be allowed into cafes, and generally in more recent modern times, pubs outside of rural areas have not generally permitted dogs inside either.

However, cafes that permit dogs inside and of course, many more that provide outside seating and welcome dogs with a bowl of water and a treat are very common today, and great places to hang out at if you want to meet other dog owners and potentially find love.

Pubs, particularly those not right in the middle of town centres, are also becoming rather more welcoming of dogs in the traditional fashion these days; so if you’re more of a beer drinker than a coffee drinker and are keen to find a likeminded dog owner to share your interest, find a new local hostelry and take your dog along for the ride.

Socialize yourself whilst socialising your dog

Simply taking your dog out for their normal walk or if appropriate for the area and the dog too, to other places with you when you go out can get you onto other people’s radar and make it easier to open a conversation.

If this is what you want to achieve and your dog is social with others, try to plan their walks for places and times where other people tend to walk their dogs too, and where you’ll find it easier to meet new people.

Another factor to bear in mind here is that even if you find socialisation awkward or difficult or if strangers make you nervous at the best of times, never mind when you’re interested in someone, socialising with your dog make things much easier.

It firstly gives you a very low-stakes chance to practice chatting to others on your own terms, with plenty of distance and freedom to leave as soon as you want to, or to excuse yourself with your dog as the reason. Additionally, it provides a very chill, relaxed environment for conversation with people you don’t know, which enables you to get to know new people gradually and with no pressure, which can help with nerves.

Plus, if you feel like you’ve totally embarrassed yourself and/or get chatting to someone and decide that actually you’d prefer to never see them again, you can simply walk your dog elsewhere!