If you're looking for love, get a pet

With the warm air, sun shining and flowers blooming, it’s safe to say that the most romantic season of the year is fully underway. So forget about hitting the gym or updating your wardrobe, if you want to find romance this spring, then all you need is a pet.

A survey by Petplan, the UK’s favourite pet insurance provider, has revealed that 54% of Brits find people with pets more attractive.

Already well-known as a pet-loving nation, the survey of 8,000 respondents revealed that pets play a pivotal role in helping to find the perfect partner.

Elinor Grieve, from Fife, agrees. She met her husband through a chance meeting at her local pub thanks to her beloved Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Candy. Whilst waiting at the bar to be served she realised that Candy had been sipping from a young gentleman’s pint glass. The couple have now been married for 33 years.

“If it wasn’t for Candy with her head in his beer, I would have never of met my husband. Of course I had to offer to buy him another one, and by the end of the evening he walked both of us home and had asked me out again. A year later we were married,” says Elinor.

Even celebrities, such as Big Brother presenter Davina Mccall, had the help of her beloved pooch when she met her husband Matthew Robertson through a chance meeting in a West London park.

Alison Andrew, Petplan’s Marketing Manager, commented: “It’s reassuring to know that owners consider the affection their pets have towards many aspects of their lives, from where they go to what they buy, even right down to choice of husband or wife.

“Families have changed over the years, with pets are now playing a more important emotional role in them and this is reflected in their owners’ feelings towards them. There are fewer big, extended families living close together so pets have become more important to us, this means that pets have a bigger say in family life and the decisions that are made – right down to the type of settee.”

Pippa Hutchison, animal behaviour consultant comments, “The bond between pets and owners is astounding as many Brits choose to include their furry companions in everyday activities and therefore it is often crucial for pet owners that their pet has a similar bond with new or potential partner.”

To help put a spring in your step Petplan is encouraging pet owners to upload photos with their furry friends to the Petplan National Petrait Gallery, petraitgallery.co.uk.