Debra Kunz

It’s a great day when you find a man you really like, and you have fun together, except… There’s a problem – he’s not an animal person and he doesn’t like your pet.

He didn’t have to actually say anything. You can see it when he’s over at your house. He gives your “baby” that look that says “don’t come near me” and sits down on the couch after a thorough inspection for pet fur. He treats “it,” as he calls your dog or cat, like a lower being and not as a member of your family.

What’s a pet lover to do? It took you so long to find a man who has some potential and now this?!?

From Women Who’ve Been There

I’ve talked with pet lovers about their love lives, the choices they made, and how they feel about it now.  Some of them chose to date someone else instead of the man who didn’t love pets.  As for the women who gave up their pets, and ended up married to the non-pet loving man, not one of them was happy that they let go of their animals. It wasn’t just their pet they let go of – it was all pets, forever.

Your Pet Knows

Fellow animal lovers, our pets are a good barometer for the quality of our dates. Many years ago, I had a cat who sat in the middle of the living room floor when a man I was dating at the time was at my home. He just sat there and starred at the guy and then gave me the look of, “Really!?! This guy? We can do so much better.” Apparently, my pet didn’t agree with the Cinderella Head (Part 1) moment I was having and trying to convince myself that this guy was a match for me. Especially since he didn’t actually like my pet, he just tolerated my pet. When I added that up with everything else that wasn’t right about this relationship, I eventually snapped out of my Cinderella Head (Part 2) and we broke up.

In fact, it was that relationship that inspired my term Cinderella Head in the first place. There’s more about it in my book, or click the links above for prior blog posts.

He Doesn’t Like My Pet  – Deal Breaker or Not?

You know he doesn’t like pets, and your pet knows he doesn’t like pets. The decision for you is what are you going to do about it? Is this a deal breaker for you or not?

Date Deliberately,

Debra

P.S. If you are the non-animal lover in the relationship, be very aware of his care for his pet. If it’s a deal breaker for you that a guy has a pet, then what are you doing with him in the first place? If it’s not a deal breaker, learning to appreciate his dog or cat will go a very long way in forming a connection with him. As for other types of pets, I don’t have much experience with those and welcome your stories!