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Dating Triumphs and Tragedies
by
Nicole Roberge
Love
Me, Love My Pet
I
have a friend who, upon moving to a new city, says
that she wouldn’t have met anyone if it hadn’t
been for her dog. Good doggie. Then there are some
people who bring their dogs to dog parks to not only
allow their pets to plays with others, but hopefully
make friends with the owners. Then of course there
are the guys, and girls, who take their (adorably
cute) dogs on walks in high populated areas, so that
the other sex will stop to pet their pooch, which
then leads to conversation, and then you can take
it from there. Yes, these are the conventional ways
of meeting potential dates by way of your pet. Dogs
do all the dirty work.
Until
now…
What
if you have a cat? Or a parrot, gerbil or fish? Say
you have a llama? Yes, it would be nice to become
acquainted with another pet lover, but it’s
just not as feasible to sit on a bench at the dog
park with a fish bowl in your lap. That is when online
dating comes in…for you, and your pet.
There
are sites now, such as www.datemypet.com where you make a profile for
you and your pet, then what
you are looking for in a person
and what your pet might be
looking for. Then you can decide
if you’d be interested in meeting
the person for a typical date, or perhaps a play date
with your animals first, which might be a less stressful
way to get to know someone. Just talk about your animals.
You know you’re good at that.
So
if you both have dogs, meet at a dog park. You arrive,
you meet, and your pets sniff each other, then go
off and play. You sit and talk, can look out at your
dogs, have a laugh at what they’re doing, and then talk about the pets.
There’s a total conversation starter right there
that can fill plenty of time. Then if they’re tired
of the park, take them on a walk, and if it’s a
hot day, take them out for a treat (tip: my dogs like
ice cream and coincidentally, so do humans). It could
be fun, and funny, to try and feed them and yourselves,
and the date can wind up being quite memorable. As fun
as the dogs were though, he might be seeking a little
alone time with you on the next date.
Perhaps
a play date with your cats might be fun, but there
isn’t
really anywhere to take them. In that case, maybe a real
date might be to order, but where you can talk about
your pets. Or in the past week, I’ve just been
to two places where there were cat adoptions being held.
Not that you have to go adopt a cat with them, but you
can ooh and ahh over them. Or go to a cat show. Anything
animal-friendly is sure to spark both of your interests.
Now
me, I’m a fan of the English Bulldogs, and
though I’ve never been, in Long Beach, CA each
year they have a “Bulldog Beauty Contest,” where
the Bulldogs are dressed up and it’s a contest.
It’s adorable, and there are hundreds of them.
Now that would be a unique date for a pet lover and there
are sure to be pet-friendly events like that in your
area.
But
what happens if you have conflicting pets? You both
adore animals, but he’s a dog guy and
you’re a cat lady. Or, he’s a cat guy (which
I have seen a lot of) and you can’t stand cats,
and neither can your pig, Tortoise. Or you have a horse
and you want to show it to him, but the barn full of
manure doesn’t make for the most pleasant smelling
date. That can be a drawback. Unless, if he’s up
for it, and goes in and meets Mr. Ed, then it can prove
that he’s more than willing to date you, and your
pet. See, the pleasant surprises of dating.
When
you’re
a pet lover, not everyone knows how important your pet
is to you, except perhaps another pet lover. So these
dating sites can be very beneficial. Especially if you
have a rabbit and you’ve always wanted a turtle,
you can title yourself, “Bunny Seeks Turtle for
Slow and Steady Relationship.” Then maybe a turtle
man will come around and you can have the cozy pet household
you’ve always dreamed of.
But
remember, pet lovers are attached to their pets,
and just because he’ll
understand that, doesn’t mean that he isn’t
very attached to his also. So don’t forget to understand
his devotion for his little pride and joy. Hopefully,
both he, and his pet, will warm up to you, and he’ll
realize that while his pet offers great companionship,
you also bring that to the table, and companionship for
his pet with your pet. And a romance isn’t something
he can get from his pet…unless…let’s
not go there.
Dating Triumphs and Tragedies is published every Sunday by Online
Dating Magazine columnist Nicole
Roberge. She can be reached at NicoleMRoberge@hotmail.com.
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