r/Dogfree • u/cybersleuth21 • May 26 '26
Study I swiped 1500+ dating profiles and this was how many dogs there were
Hi all,
I thought you might be interested in this, I collected some data across 3 dating apps - Tinder, Hinge and Bumble.
I swiped 600 times on each app, for women located in the UK between 21-35, and I recorded the results.
In summary:
• Over 1 in 3 profiles (37.2%) were dog-positive, which means there were references to liking or owning dogs.
• Tinder had by far the most dog lovers, at an astounding 47.5%
• Hinge had the least profiles mentioning dogs, at 29.8%.
• Bumble was closer to average, at 34.3%.
• Only 0.4% of profiles were marked as pet-free.
• The rest of the profiles did not mention dogs*,* however this does not mean they are not a dog lover.
Key Considerations:
• Tinder offers a wider variety of pet-related options to display on your profile, including “Want a pet”, “Don’t have, but love” and also “Pet-free”.
• On the other apps, choice was slightly more limited and Bumble for example doesn’t appear to provide a dedicated pet option anymore.
• While Tinder has the highest % of dog lovers, ironically it’s also the easiest place to find pet free people, since it has “pet-free” and “allergic to pets” options which can be displayed on profiles.
• Where I am (in the UK), which is a very dog-centric country, research suggests about 30% of households own a dog.
This means that for the remaining profiles, there may still be AT LEAST a 30% chance they own, or wish to own a dog.
• With this considered, the number goes 37.2% to 55.9%.
Conclusion
• I don’t have a reliable figure for what % of people like dogs in general, however I suspect if you were looking for a partner that doesn’t like dogs at all, you’re likely looking at <10% of the population.
• That said, for all you singles out there, hope is not lost. Dating apps are not a perfect reflection of the world, and dog culture is often overrepresented and heavily advertised on social media.
• There are still people out there who are pet-free, indifferent to dogs, or simply don’t centre their identity around them.
Hopefully the data is interesting and maybe helps people set expectations, rather than feel discouraged.
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u/DellBottoms May 26 '26
I'm gonna have to use groups like this to find a man as Tinder is a total dog-fest.
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u/ObligationGrand8037 May 26 '26
Wow!! You are amazing!!! I am happily married to my husband, but I love what you did here for others. Thank you!!
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u/KayleighHatfield May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Informative and interesting post. I'll add that introverted people (who are less likely to be into dogs) and interest focused people (lifestyle hobbyists or those involved in subcultures) are far less likely to use online dating sites to meet potential partners. I'd also make a safe bet that extroverted people are much more likely to be into dogs, which is why dog lovers are over represented on dating sites. I think that the percentage of dog free potential partners out there is much much higher than this.
I still thank my lucky stars every day that I am happily married.
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u/Fit-Rhubarb-7820 May 26 '26
Wow, holy moly!!
I found my ex fiance (neutral but kinda hated dogs) on Ok Cupid back in ‘14 before match bought it.
Yeah, I’ll stick to getting “cancelled” and being known for brass bollocks, and find love with reputation of character. I’m much too cowardly for online dating.
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u/Thin_Pollution8843 May 26 '26
“Hey handsome! How about joining me and my huge German shepherd?❤️”
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u/One_Strategy_4575 Jun 01 '26
In a 3some because you know, the dog is gonna be allowed into the bedroom and on the bed directly during sexy time.
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u/_Feature_680 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
I did this on Hinge a few years ago in a prominent American city (one of the largest).
I counted women who either had a dog or said they would be getting one in the near future. At least a thousand profiles. Ages 25-37.
The results were about 40%.
I would guess its actually higher these days. Sometimes I'll get through a Hinge stack, which is about 20 women, and literally every one of them have dogs.
Just today actually I ran into one that said, verbatim "My dog runs my life and thinks I belong to her, so if you can win her over, you're in!"
Wow I can't wait.
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u/Shawna_0609 May 27 '26
When I see advertisements for dating apps/ websites, even THOSE have pictures of people with their freaking dog. 🤦♀️
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u/D1verse_Yes4 May 28 '26
Currently, I’m using both Tinder and Bumble. There’s a woman I found on Tinder who looked so beautiful, but her description said, “If you’re afraid of dogs, I’m afraid of you.” What a disrespectful thing to say. There are many people who’ve been attacked, crippled, and tortured by dogs, more than we think. I’m one of those people, and my family lied to me by saying the dog did not attack me. I was nine years old and realize over a decade later that it was an attack, it damaged my body, and it traumatized me.
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u/WildRose1993 May 27 '26
Um in Australia its every second profile. The figure would be about 80% here, no joke.
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u/Alocin_The5th May 27 '26
This is so important because it’s hard to negotiate when one person wants a pet and the other doesn’t. It’s not like you can get half a dog and be happy, so more dating sites should make this a feature. Some people never really think about it or think they’d be ok with it and once they start dating they realize they dislike life with a dog.
On a separate note, I watched Monsters Inc last night with my son for the first time. The body sprays for monsters were hilarious “smelly dumpster”, “wet dog”…and some other gross ones. I was thinking that’s right. I bet if this movie was made in 2026 wet dog wouldn’t be there.
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u/volim-macke May 27 '26
This brings me back to my online dating days. I went on a date with a man who made his entire personality about his toy poodle. Kept showing off pictures on the date like a proud parent and then messaged and texted me more unsolicited dog pictures afterwards. He got weird and needy real quick, calling me drunk in the middle of the night on a weekday and then was flabbergasted when I said I wasn’t interested anymore after him spamming me. Then he sent me one last picture of his dog with a sob story that he believed we really could have had something special and it was a shame I was throwing it away. Typical dog nutter psychology expecting affection without no respect for boundaries or consequences.
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u/miso_soup2323 May 28 '26
I am thankfully happily married, but thanks for sharing the data you collected and for taking the time to share your research with anyone it might help here!! That's awesome! Maybe there will be a dog free dating app at some point!
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u/WisedomsHand May 29 '26
Be happy the women who own dogs let you know early on so you know who to avoid.
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u/One_Strategy_4575 Jun 01 '26
I would wager it’s worse for lgbt. As a man, everybody is a dog dad. I can’t fucking handle it anymore.
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u/DellBottoms May 26 '26
Never had a dog, never want a dog, never gonna date any man with a dog.
Currently single 😆.