Art of 'pet fishing' sees online daters reel in matches with cute animal pics

Apparently, adding pets to your online dating profile can increase the chances of a match. But this ruse has its limits. Photo: AFP

To boost their chances of success on dating apps, some people don’t hesitate to pose with their pets. So don’t be surprised if you come across users snapped with their adorable kitten or their favourite hamster, as “pet fishing” is a way of helping them score matches. And while the trend is becoming more and more widespread, all is not always what it seems.

The notion of “pet fishing” on dating sites can be traced back a few years. According to a survey conducted in 2019 by the British dating app Match.com, 72% of women, for example, believe that the dog is “the hottest pet a man could own”. News that obviously gave some users ideas.

This particularly strong attraction for dog owners gave rise to its own specific trend: “dogfishing”. The practice has exploded in recent months on American dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble. The latter even devoted a survey to this subject, estimating that adding pets to your profile can increase the chances of a match by 20%. Meanwhile a recent survey by One Poll for Orijen pet food found that 65% of pet owners are more likely to swipe right if a dating profile includes pet pictures.

So why do pets score people so many matches? Because they’re cute, obviously. But also because owning a pet supposedly inspires confidence. According to several experts questioned on the issue, having a pet helps convey a “reassuring”, “empathetic”, and “responsible” image.

Evidently, like all the “fishing” techniques used on dating apps, “pet fishing” has been seized upon by unscrupulous users. In other words, some users will take advantage of a Sunday stroll to take pictures of themselves with their friend’s dog, or use a pet-sitting session to pose with cute animals and pass them off as their own.

This ruse has its limits, however. Especially if the match in question also has a pet, because there’s a strong chance that they’ll bring up the subject on the first date. Busted! – AFP Relaxnews