When you're browsing dating apps, what are you normally looking for? Cute photos? Aligning interests? Similar life goals? What about photos with dogs?
Apparently, a dating profile picture with a dog in it makes someone more desirable, with a study by ManyPets revealing that more than a third of people claimed to be more attracted to someone with a furry friend in their photo.
It was a tactic Jet, 33, used when he was on Tinder, back in the day. "I used to include a photo of myself with the family pug, Ellie, on my profile. She made me look very handsome and it was a good conversation starter.
"Some people would start the chat by asking about her or telling me that they loved pugs. She was the perfect ice breaker."
The puppy love doesn't stop there. Many Pets reports that 86 per cent of people felt that their dog has a positive impact on their dating life, with 31 per cent of people agreeing with Jet that their dog helps break the ice on first dates.
This is something Claire, 33, found when she took her Labrador, Belle, on her first date with her now fiancé, Alex.
"Alex and I met a month after I got Belle, so she was still too little to leave at home," Claire said of why she decided to take her puppy on her first date with her future husband.
"I loved having my little dating pal with me. There is never an awkward moment with a puppy around. It was a non-negotiable for me that my next partner had to like dogs and I wanted to see it for myself.
"One date I went on ended swiftly when they turned up in a tracksuit in case the puppy ruined their clothes. Alex won me over when he challenged Belle to a race and went running up the path with her," Claire adds. Alex liked having Belle there too, adding: "There's no awkward silence on a date when you’ve got a puppy up to mischief!"
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Don't feel too despondent if you don't have a dog to boost the popularity of your profile, though. A pooch isn't for everyone, as HELLO!'s Francesca Shilcock, 30, explains: "I don't mind being around other people's dogs, but I don't particularly want to be a dog owner myself, so the idea of taking on someone else's dog if we were to be in a long-term relationship is something I would think twice about.
"If someone's dating profile is dedicated entirely to their dog (i.e. every single photo, or a prompt along the lines of, 'We'll get along if my dog likes you') then, honestly, it tells me we probably wouldn't be compatible."
Jenny-Rose, 32, is similarly turned off by dogs in profile pictures, sharing her tale of trauma.
"I'd been on a few dates with a man that had gone really well. He had mentioned he had a dog in passing, but I didn't realise how big a part the dog would be in our relationship," she recalls.
READ: How my pet chihuahuas help me overcome anxiety
"The first time I went to his, a little pug came screaming around the corner at me, standing in front of him and not letting me near him. We sat on the couch but if I sat too close she would scream and snap again, so we had to sit at opposite ends of the couch with her in his lap. Also, she licked his mouth so many times and then he tried to kiss me, and I could not accept that.
"I’m now a hard no when it comes to dating men who have dogs or make it their personality. All I can think about is if the dog licked his mouth before he kissed me. I'm an immediate swipe left if I see a dog anywhere in the profile."
Whether a pup is a plus point or you find dogs to be a definite no, there's no denying that pet pictures are divisive when it comes to dating apps!
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