This is a guest post from a Floh member.
As a single person living with three dogs, I find myself quite well versed in the ‘dating with pets’ scenario. So, speaking from experience, here are a few tips that you can keep in mind when you do find yourself in this situation. (It will save both parties a lot of trouble)
1) Determine if you’re a pet person or not: Most people will bring up their pets within twenty minutes of your first conversation. It can be a very casual “Yes, I live with my parents and three dogs.” So, if you’re not a dog or a pet person, I would suggest mentioning that right away. For me (and a lot of other pet owners), something like that is a deal breaker. I can’t imagine a life without dogs in them, and I would like the person I’m with to feel the same way. So, if I’m on a date with someone who tells me that they don’t like dogs, no matter how interesting or intelligent that person seems, I will not want to pursue it further. And vice versa, I’m sure.
2) If you are a pet person, well lucky you. You’ve just found yourself tons of dating options right away. You can score huge brownie points by suggesting options with the pet. Hikes, walks, road trip, picnics…the list is quite endless.
3) Help out. Any pet owner will tell you that while it’s worth it, it can be quite demanding looking after pets. They need hour-long daily walks, they need to be fed two times a day, they need active play time, they need to be taken out four times a day. And, any help we can get in this department will be greatly appreciated. Probably even better than the dating options.
4) Don’t make us choose. If you’re on the fence about whether you’re a pet person or not, make up your mind. Otherwise, you might find out six months into the relationship that you don’t really like this dog, and you’ll end up making us choose. And, trust me, you’re not going to like the choice.
So, there you have it. The key is to just be honest and open about your like/dislike for pets.
