Did you know that every one in 10 pictures on Tinder has a dog? A Tinder survey says that ‘likes’ have a chance of increasing by 5 percent when you upload a picture of yourself with your pup. Any e-dater would know that good profile pictures are what matters to the heart. Proving that love has a dog in the race, the study suggests that around 45 percent of users claim to get a sense of someone’s personality by their photos, especially the ones with man’s best friend.
Dogs provide great opening lines; their bark is worse than their love bites. Says Aahana Dhar, Director, Communications, Tinder India, “Who doesn’t love animals! Our data shows that ‘dog lover’ is, in fact, one of the top 10 most popular passions for Gen Z in India. A photo of a dog is an instant icebreaker and conversation starter. It shows your prospective match that you are a dog lover and many people, in fact, match on the basis of this common interest that they share.”
The pattern seems universal. Honest Paws, a US-based online pet store, recently surveyed 600 singles using dating apps in the US. The survey respondents indicated that they use Fido as wingmen to attract others. Roosie Riya, 23, Tinder member, says, “Every time that I see a profile picture with a dog my heart melts. There have been instances where the match was cute, but the pup was cuter which was what drove me to Swipe Right in the first place. It is also the fact that someone who is so affectionate and loving towards a pet definitely has higher EQ. I too have a very cute pup and trust me, taking care of it
isn’t easy.”
Ridhima, a graduate student of Delhi University, swears that seeing a mutt’s picture in an online dating profile gets her interest better. “Profiles with pet photographs make you trust the person a bit more. It also gives the impression that the guy has a softer side.”
Dogs are date magnets, the Tinder survey reinforces. According to the OKCupid dating app, 81 percent of millennials would consider dating someone who rescues strays and brings them home. Pets are one of the best conversation starters for 31 percent of millennials. And 53 percent of users feel those pet owners who ‘baby-talk’ to their pets are endearing.
“Potential matches who have dogs are usually warm, confident, outgoing, and responsible—all desirable traits in a person. If you are just looking for someone to hang out with or hoping to meet your ultimate match, having a dog could be a good sign of compatibility,” says Marina, an OkCupid user. The dating app has found that while men and women disagree on plenty of topics, most people can see eye to eye on dogs.
Sitara Menon, Senior Marketing Manager, OkCupid, says, “Millennials wear many hats and ‘pet parents’ are high on the list. During the pandemic, especially, they spent more time indoors with their pets, bringing them closer emotionally. Profiles with pictures with pets—cats or dogs—are most likely to get more matches.”
So much so that 39 percent of users confessed to borrowing a friend’s pooch to be photographed. However, in light of the above revelation, it’s probably not surprising that dog-napping even temporarily could backfire. Of those who admitted to posing with a friend’s dog, 53 percent reported that their dates were “very upset” to learn that they were lying.
Bottom line: Dogs can make your dates ‘paws’ in mid-swipe.