A new study published in Anthrozoös: A multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals showed that women find dog owners sexier than non-dog owners. Hilariously, the study also showed that 32 percent of women considered a man owning a cat to be a dealbreaker. Sorry, drunk dudes of BuzzFeed professing their love of their cats.
The study, titled "The Roles of Pet Dogs and Cats in Human Courtship and Dating," was both gendered and heteronormative. Of the 1,281 people surveyed on Match, 61 percent were women. A high fraction of women reported being more likely to feel attracted to someone because he had a pet, while a high fraction of men said they were likely to use their pet to score a date. (Sorry, pets, I'm sure you have other good qualities, too.) Women were also less likely to date someone who didn't have pets, and more likely to report pet photos in dating profiles to be a turn-on.
Having a pet led 35 percent of women and 26 percent of men to be more attracted to a partner, and when asked what the sexiest pet a guy could own was, 500 out of 600 votes cast went to dogs. Here are four reasons that might be the case:
1. You Always Have An Ice-Breaker
Dogs are awesome ice-breakers. It is 100 percent* easier (*not real science) to approach a dog owner and connect over something than it is to walk up to a random cutie in a bar/your soccer field/the office to strike up a conversation. Talking about dogs makes everyone seem more charming and thoughtful.
2. You Know Pet Owners Are Caring
Owning a dog means a person has demonstrated the ability to take care of something. Having a dog makes it that much easier to sniff out (puns!) a person who is responsible, committed, reliable, and nurturing. Caring about stuff is sexy!
3. Dog Pics Over Dick Pics
This one is pretty self-explanatory: unsolicited dick pics are the worst; dog pics are always implicitly solicited. Easy peasy!
4. Free Animal Therapy
I've never owned a pet and I don't feel strong urges to cuddle animals except for in videos (mostly because they make me sneezy IRL), but the best devastating breakup cure of my life involved my roommate bringing over her boyfriend's enormous, doofy boxer to cuddle with me while I was crying on my couch, eating various chocolate-flavored things straight from the box/jar/package. Having a significant other with a pet is basically like having access to free anxiety pup therapy whenever you want it.
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