Why men who love animals are attractive to women

Ask A Woman: A boy and his dog. Or cat.

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You know that old gag about a single guy taking a puppy to the park in order to attract women? The women may not exactly flock, but you’ll draw many more eyes if you have a pup with you. Not only that, but anyone who loves animals will likely approach you in order to meet your dog. While I don’t advocate getting a pet just to meet women, I do think that if you are already an animal lover, it behooves you to advertise that fact when looking for a relationship. Why? Because the vast majority of women love animals, which means your stock rises by leaps and bounds if you have a pet, namely a dog or cat (it’s harder to find a dude with a tank of reptiles attractive, sorry). Here are the things we assume about you if you have a pet:

You are nurturing

A dude who hates caring for other beings isn’t going to have a pet. Pets are a lot of work–feeding, exercising, being around to let the dog outside, being willing to scoop cat poop from a box. Knowing a guy has taken on all of this makes us believe you have the ability to take care of people, too. Whether we think that will mean us when we’re sick or injured or old, or possibly the children we’re hoping to have, seeing you nurture an animal earns you huge points.

Word to the wise: It’s possible to be too into your pet.

You are responsible

Remember all that work I outlined above? Yeah, when you take good care of your animals, we’re going to assume you have your act together in other areas of your life. If you rush home from work every day to walk your dog religiously, we’re going to believe you pay your mortgage on time. If you take your cat in for her shots every year, and call the vet when you think she has an ear infection, we’re going to think you can hold down a job. Unless the woman you’re courting has a bad boy complex, this will definitely work in your favor.

You are affectionate

Allow me to don my Captain Obvious hat for a moment: women like affection. Also, cats and dogs are cuddly. They have soft fur meant for touching, and most of them (yes, even cats) require occasional, if not frequent, pats, rubs, hugs, smooches, honks on the nose. It’s not much of a stretch to think that if you’re cuddling on your dog, you’ll be enthusiastic about cuddling on us, too.

You are compassionate

When I hear about someone adopting a rescue/shelter dog or cat, I immediately have all kinds of warm and gushy thoughts about them. Oh they picked an older cat! Oh they adopted a dog taken from a puppy mill! Oh they rescued a dog with health problems! Taking care of animals, especially older, sicker, “less desirable” animals can be really difficult. A woman who loves animals is going to think you’re some kind of wonderful when she sees your single-toothed tripod cat or one-eyed dog.

Way, way too into your pet.

Oh hey, quick PSA: the reverse of this theorem is also true. If you treat your pets like crap, if you neglect or abuse them, or seem indifferent to them, we’ll think you’re an ass. Just sayin’.

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