Chances are if you’re single and walking your dog on the weekends – you’ve noticed that cute dog walker up the street, or played catch at the beach with somebody that is fun and has a dog to share the joy.

Sometimes our only social interactions are those involved in our daily routines. I’m not saying that a cat lover isn’t as fancy as a dog lover, only that if you are hanging out at the park on a brisk 35 degree weekend morning – you’re likely seeing more dog people.

Tangle your leash with somebody who loves dogs as much as you do.

Valentine’s Day just came and went but and it got us to thinking, there is always an opportunity to create extra joy in your life. 2016 brings a whole new breed of websites for singles who love dogs and frankly all kinds of pets. Nobody loves your dog as much as you do, but it sure is nice to meet people who appreciate and enjoy the special dog/companion bond.

Google can give you lots of websites and articles to reference for fun with dogs and singles. Instead of just Googling leashes and lovers, check out Rover.com for some great ideas for dating with your dog or find some of the best dating sights for dog lovers. Maybe you’ll find love, or you may find some great friends to walk with or a weekly playgroup for you and your dog to look forward to on the weekend.

“Maybe part of finding what you wanted was recognizing what you didn’t want. Maybe there was hope for me yet.” Claire Cook says that in the cult favorite movie “Must Love Dogs.”

Did you know that almost twenty five percent of dog owners warm their dog’s food before feeding them? This is a special person, I certainly feed and exercise my dog, but I don’t have the time or fortitude to cook it for her daily. Sorry ~ that’s just not my personality. Dogs and their owners often share similar character traits or personalities. For instance my dog will take a nap anywhere and anytime, myself, I just woke up with a laptop on my chest napping in front of Starbucks. (I didn’t say it was always an attractive character trait did I?)

According to Stanley Coren, a highly respected psychologist and well known author to numerous books about dogs and related behaviors, there are five big traits of character that generally mimic the owners similar traits. The studies and science of dog behavior is very in depth, I’d like to share the “Big Five” with you here.

Openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, which is a measure of anxiety. Obviously you need a pet that fits into your lifestyle ~ simply put, you don’t want a runner if you never leave the house. Have you noticed that when you’re happy and excited, your dog joins in the joy ~ even if it isn’t time for a W.A.L.K. (shhhhh).

Lets consider this ~ you are dating and bring home a new friend to meet your dog, if they don’t like lapdogs (or any dogs) that sleep in bed, and you snuggle up with Fido every evening at 9 ~ this is possibly not a match made in heaven. Where all dogs go. Don’t fret about changing your dogs behavior if you are both happy, there’s a good reason you have YOUR dog. She’s just not for everybody. Just like peoples personalities, we can’t like them all. It wouldn’t be any fun at all if we were all the same and everybody liked a raucous afternoon of fishing with the best fish catching black lab ever, imagine?!

How has your dog’s personality shaped your relationships? Share your stories and pictures with all of us here at Salty Dog Daycare. Be sure to check back often for pictures of our students playing together ~ maybe you’ll see how much your dogs friends love them, even some oddball combos make the best of buddies.

The possibilities are endless, just get out there, look around and say hello to that cutie in the red sweater, gaze up and ask, “What’s your dog’s name?”

Let us know what you do with your dog to meet new people or share an unleashed love connection, we love to hear great stories and see pictures of how our most romantic students are standing up to boring dates!