Nearly 9 in 10 believe in love at first sight with their pets

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN ‘LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?’

ACCORDING TO A SURVEY OF 2,000 DOG OWNERS IN SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS, 82 PERCENT SAID THEY BELIEVE IN ‘LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT’ – BUT WITH THEIR ANIMALS.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF THE HONEST KITCHEN, THE STUDY ALSO FOUND THAT 80 PERCENT HAD AN IMMEDIATE CONNECTION WITH THEIR DOG, COMPARED TO 69 PERCENT WHO SAID THE SAME FOR THEIR PARTNER.

STILL, 20 PERCENT QUESTIONED WHETHER THEY MADE THE RIGHT DECISION IN ADOPTING THEIR PET BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE AN INSTANT CONNECTION.

BUT THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT, AS 74 PERCENT SAID THE BOND BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR DOG IS STRONGER BECAUSE THEY HAD TO BUILD IT OVER TIME.

WHAT WOULD PET OWNERS HAVE LIKED TO KNOW BEFORE ADOPTING THEIR DOG?

• I wish I had known about his ‘taste’ in furniture
• How much love he has to give and how easy he was to train
• She was a rescue dog and had a few little quirky ways about her. We wonder what her life was like before we rescued her
• The proper care products to purchase in advance for the breed of dog I have
• It feels like watching a child grow up, but you know you're going to outlive them
• The best training techniques for my dog
• How much I would love her
• That she would be jealous of me and my husband lol
• I should have brought two home and not just the one. So he'd always have a buddy.
• That she was born earlier so we could have had her sooner
• That rescues often will exhibit odd behaviors forever, even after you bond

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 American dog owners — who are in a relationship (dating, engaged, married) — was commissioned by The Honest Kitchen between June 20 and June 24, 2024. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).