Pets and love. Both dogs and cats, and even other types of pets, influence love. It turns out that our furry friends influence couple relationships. They not only provide us with good things individually; they also generate greater strength in couples. And this is especially so in the case of dogs, because they involve greater responsibility.
«Animals, specifically dogs, which involve greater responsibility, build a step prior to that commitment that is in a relationship.» This is how Nayara Malnero, an expert psychologist in couples therapy, tells it. According to a study by Rover.com, a platform for pet sitters and walkers, having an animal friend strengthens the relationship of couples. According to the survey, 64% of Spanish couples say that their relationship has grown stronger since they have a dog. In addition, 50% confirm that they spend more quality time together thanks to their partner.
Pets and love: disadvantages
However, there are also downsides. 10% of the surveyed people affirm that they have less sex when there is a new member in the family. This is most significant when the dog sleeps with the owners in bed. Rover allows us to have a dog, to take care of it, but not to take certain moments from our partner. That quality time is reduced or that sexuality is reduced by having an animal at home is something that we should not allow.
According to this study, 1 in 5 «millennials» has decided that their family is made up of only dogs. Almost half say that having a pet means having a life together. Furthermore, they are the ones who decide to be «parents» before: one in four does so in the first year of their relationship. Apparently for millennials, having a pet can be a source of conflict. Almost a quarter of them confirm that their partners are jealous because they pay more attention to their dogs than to them.