Could it be that singles of both sexes are choosing to put their love for their pets ahead of finding a partner? According to new research, 83 per cent of single women and 64 per cent of single men wouldn’t start a relationship with someone who didn’t like their pet. Going by the adage, a dog’s a great judge of character, that may save some heartache!
The Newspoll on Pets and Single People, conduted in July 2010, also found that despite this, pets are helping single men and women to make friends, with 36 per cent confirming that they’ve met someone who became a friend as a result of owning their pet.
Pets are not just important in creating friendships; the research clearly shows single Australians consider their pets to be their friends. Of course. For 67 per cent of single women and 51 per cent of single men, the most important characteristic in a pet is a friend who’s always there for them. In fact, the majority of single pet owners (73 per cent of woman and 70 per cent of men) think their pets understand them as well as, or better than, their friends do. Familiar feeling?
If it is a familiar feeling, you know those conversations you regularly have with your pet? Normal – officially! Sixty-one per cent of single women say that they talk things over with their pet. (No research though on the quality of the answers.)
This Newspoll, conducted for the Petcare Information and Advisory Service (an organisation doing great work promoting socially responsible pet ownership) also showed where pets of single men and single women sleep. Thirty-seven per cent of single women and 22 per cent of single men let their pet sleep on their bed. From the bed to the backyard, 28 per cent of single men put their pets out at night, while just 14 per cent of single women do the same.
In a final word to anyone who wants to know more about the single pet owner … it’s all in their pet’s personality! Sixty-three per cent of single men and 54 per cent of single women think that people pick pets with similar personalities to themselves. The pet’s looks were not a high priority in selecting a pet for either single men or women, with just 3 per cent saying it was important.
