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LOVE ME, LOVE MY PET: Singles Who Treasure Four-Legged Friends Turn to Web Sites for Support, and Dates

Posted on: Monday, 13 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press

Feb. 13--Cherie Wilson has four males in her life who are loyal, fun, affectionate and thrilled to see her every time she walks into a room.

But she wouldn't mind having a steady boyfriend, too.

The 43-year-old yacht broker, who divides her time between the Kalamazoo area and metro Detroit, wants to find someone who loves pets.

"Seeing a man hold a cat or walking a dog and playing with it, that is so huge to me," says Wilson, who has two dogs -- Sherlock, a Rhodesian ridgeback, and Squire, an Australian cattle dog -- and two cats, Monkey and Tigger.

In the fall, Wilson signed up with AnimalAttraction.com, a dating Web site and informal community for pet owners. She hasn't found anyone from Michigan she wants to meet, but she plans to use the site to find people who share her passion.

"Some things are deal breakers," says Wilson of her dating preferences. "For me, smoking and non-love of animals would be total deal breakers."

As Valentine's Day approaches, it's worth noting that some singles have a love-me, love-my-pet philosophy about potential romantic mates.

As a result, places like dog parks and gourmet dog bakeries have become hangouts for pet owners who want to meet someone special or just socialize with those who understand them.

Picking up on the trend, entrepreneurs have launched several Web dating sites that cater to pet lovers, like the popular DateMyPet.com. The concept makes sense because it focuses on a shared interest that taps into warm emotions.

"It's a strong bond, a common bond," says Diane Ingram, owner of the Doggy Deli in Clinton Township. "Everybody likes to brag about their kids. Four-legged kids."

AnimalAttraction.com, which started in 2004, was founded by Dan Cohen, a former sports marketer who's based in Washington, D.C. The site is free to users and earns money through advertising.

Back in 2003, Cohen stumbled on a dog-themed happy hour at a restaurant patio in the nation's capital. He was struck by the ease and sincerity that emanated from people who'd brought their pets to the event.

"I joked with a friend of mine that we should start renting puppies to single people," says Cohen, whose own dog, Buddy, is a German shepherd-rottweiler mix.

AnimalAttraction.com has nearly 100,000 members, Cohen says, and is to reach 250,000 this year. On the site, members can post photos, list details about themselves and their pets and offer descriptions of themselves based on what their pets would say.

There also is pet-care information provided by the Humane Society of the United States, and chat rooms and message boards for those who prefer to communicate in a group setting.

Cohen says the site is evolving into a destination for both singles and the attached.

"We are gradually transforming from a pretty clear dating site to more of a community," he says. "Now, one of the things you do in a community is date, so that option is still there."

For Blakely Slater, 37, a Keego Harbor lawyer who has a beagle, Suki, and a mixed-breed cat, Gabby, the site is a place to seek friendships.

"My instant thing was, 'Yeah, animal people. This is exactly the type of people I'm looking to be friends with,' " Slater says.

The pet theme appealed to Brian McGlynn, 35, a Livonia engineer who has a black Labrador named Kona.

"To generalize, pet people are a little more stable," McGlynn says. "Once you get to the 30-35 range, you're at risk of running into someone with issues. Usually, pet owners are responsible. They're in charge of keeping at least one person alive."

McGlynn says he's been dating a woman he met through the site for several months now. She has a dog and a cat and their combined pets all like each other, he says.

"If they hadn't gotten along, it would have ended it, for both of us," he notes.

Chris Ramey of Madison Heights tried the site, talked to a few people online and went on a few dates with one woman, but "she kind of dropped off the face of the earth."

The 31-year-old system administrator doesn't use the site anymore. He's been dating his current girlfriend, whom he met through a friend, since October. And he's happy to report that she loves his two dogs, Maggie, a golden retriever and chow mix, and Brandy, a sheltie and chow mix.

For Julie Herchock, 33, of St. Clair Shores the site is part of her plans. She discovered it in May and is leaning toward relying on it and visits to dog parks when she steps up her efforts on the dating front.

"Those are the places where I'm hoping to meet my next, hopefully final, boyfriend," she says.

Herchock, a special education teacher, has three dogs --J.P., an Alaskan malamute, Kodiak, a yellow Lab, and a new addition, an 8-month-old black Lab named Ben. She also has four cats -- Cubby, Silverbear, Morrie and Miss Kitty. She pictures herself in a relationship where her pets blend, "Brady Bunch" style, with those of her significant other.

She admits that differing philosophies on pets contributed to a breakup.

"He was raised with a dog that he loved," she explains. "But the dog stayed outside all the time. The dog was not allowed in the bed, not allowed on furniture. ... He thought of them as being beneath him."

Herchock says friends sometimes tease her about her devotion to her pets, but "most of them do really understand, when it gets to the heart of it, that they're my babies and I'm going to do everything I can to always help them."

Wilson, who's active in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Southwest Michigan, understands those protective feelings. All of her dogs and cats are rescue animals. Her voice lights up when she describes the transformation of her dog, Squire, who was about 6 weeks old when he was abandoned in a parking lot with pneumonia.

"He lives magnificently on 3 1/2 acres," she says. "Trust me, he's living much better than the people that did this to him."

Her other dog, Sherlock, who has Cushing's disease, requires $120 worth of medicine a month, which Wilson gladly covers. "I would go to the ends of the earth for my animals," she says.

Of course, that sense of caring is a two-way street. When Wilson wants to size up a new acquaintance, her dogs make excellent judges of character.

"I have actually dated, in the past, a couple of people that the big guy, he did not like at all and growled right off the bat," recalls Wilson, who eventually found out Sherlock was right.

"He does know," she says. "He sniffs that out. It's amazing."

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Source: Detroit Free Press

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