Want To Meet New People? Survey Says Get A Dog

A shared love of pooches brings people together. You don’t have to be a scientist to figure it out! In all honesty, seeing someone walking a dog is almost like an instant recommendation- it’s likelier you’ll like someone who also likes dogs. And, according to a recent survey, it seems that a lot of pet parents would agree with me.

Over half of dog owners that participated in the research reported that they met a new friend on one of their dog’s walks. And having in mind that a great deal of pawrents spends 7.5 to 10 hours a week taking our pooches for a stroll or just to do their business, it’s only logical that there’s also time to chit chat with friendly strangers. On average, the number of people they’ve met through pet parenting activities such as walks or puppy training classes amounts to four like-minded peeps. And a good deal of those friendships that started over a shared love for their pets evolves to something more- meeting a partner on walks happens quite often for pawrents.

Of course, these numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone. Just think about it- what would be a more perfect icebreaker than asking someone about their pooch? It’s easier to start a conversation with someone about their dog than anything else. Personally, I could talk about my pooches or listen about someone else’s pets for hours, and I think it’s safe to say that most pet parents are the same.

And while hanging out with other dog parents is definitely good for your social life, it’s also good for your pet’s. In fact, the survey shows that circa 60 percent of owners report that their furry bestie has canine friends of his own. Over a quarter of those social pooches has a walking buddy- probably the very furchild of that friend the pawrent met on one of their walks. It all comes together!

In the end, it seems that a better social life is just one of the things we can add to the never-ending list of pet parenting benefits.