ANIMAL HUSBANDRY...If You’re Looking For Happily Ever After, Don’t Get Married, Get A Dog!

By, Katy Cable - A 3 min. Read

Ahhhhh, it’s February! The month of LOVE! Everywhere you go, everywhere you look, love is in the air. From ❤️balloons and flowers at the grocery store to lingerie and jewelry ads on TV. This month more than any, the pressure is on to find the love of your life.

I feel very fortunate that in addition to having a wonderful husband of 22 years, I also have a beloved dog. With that I have learned a thing or two about finding that perfect mate that may completely shock you and change your strategy.

All my single friends think I have it made because I’m happily married. I have what appears to be the “perfect” relationship everyone is trying desperately to find. Not a day goes by when I don’t meet singles hinging all their happiness on finding that perfect someone. While I do consider myself very, VERY, blessed, I want everyone to learn the truth. My marriage is far from perfect and it’s certainly not always easy. It usually boils down to a daily conscious choice to stay together rather than some romantic fantasy straight off Lifetime Television.

In today’s world (bonus points for living in LA) 22 years of a marriage is pretty much the equivalent of winning an Oscar, or an Olympic gold medal. It takes dedication, focus and hard work. It can be extremely challenging. It’s never equal. There are many times the scales get tipped and one person is doing a lot more of the “work” in the relationship. It boils down to two imperfect people choosing to honor their commitment. And even with that, ultimately the marriage is only as good or bad as the people in it.

For those striking out in the search to find that “perfect person” why not start with a dog. Here’s 5 great reasons why:

1. Finding A Perfect Dog Is Much Cheaper And Far Less Time Consuming Than Finding A Perfect Mate. Like many things, it’s a numbers game. The more people you meet, the greater your odds for finding “The One!” Plus, it requires the same diligence, time and priority as anything else you want to succeed in. This means being available for dates, building on-line profiles, searching social media, attending parties, events, mixers and even agreeing to be “set-up!” That’s going to be tough to juggle if not impossible when finishing a masters degree or trying to get a promotion at work. It may even be hard to manage with normal day-to-day demands.

​Dogs are easy! Going out of town on business? Send them to boarding camp. Working day and night for tax season or the holidays? Get a dog walker. A new relationship will not blossom under extreme schedule demands. A dog on the other hand will be a great partner at the end of a business trip or long, stressful day.

2. You Don’t Have To Deal With The Dating Scene. Whether it’s bars, clubs, set-ups, dating sites, or Tinder swipes, dating can be time consuming, expensive and downright ego crushing. Most people would rather have a root canal than relive an awful date.

​Not so with a dog! No painful dating required. Dogs just need to get out in the fresh air and walk around. If you’re active, you can find one to run, swim or hike with you. For those whose idea of a strenuous day is peeling your sticky body off the leather recliner to grab the remote, a dog will happily flop at your feet and FETCH things for you. Whatever you enjoy, there’s a dog out there that loves that too. Every outing and date can be fun when choosing a dog. If it’s not a good match, there’s plenty more to consider. And even better, you’ll never go home feeling completely discouraged by some dating disaster straight out of a reality show.

3. They Build Your Confidence. When it comes to dating most people lack confidence. Everyone has that nightmare relationship that kicked them to the curb or they remember how horribly they might have treated someone. It’s easy to lack confidence in the dating scene even for those knocking it out of the park in every other area of life. Often, those credits don’t transfer to the dating arena. But a dog, that’s a whole different ballgame.

A dog will love you unconditionally whether you have an MBA or dropped out of high school. And a dog’s love never wanes! They’re ALWAYS happy to see you regardless of the fact you’re wearing designer duds or last night’s dinner thanks to the stomach flu. Having a darling creature alway want to see and be near you is amazing for self esteem and happiness. Marriages are give and take. Even the strong ones can’t compete with the undying attention of a dog.

4. Finding a perfect dog to love is much easier than finding a perfect spouse. Just make a trip to any animal shelter or adoption event and watch how fast you fall in love with the loving gaze of an often stinky, shedding, drooling mess, of a dog that’s desperate to go home with you. One look and you can go from zero-to-psycho over this creature and lose all rationality.

Finding A Marital Spouse Takes Much More Work And Searching. There’s so many deal-breakers and issues to consider beyond if the toilet seat stays up or down. Whether your standards are ridiculously high or merely, “doesn’t live with their parents and has their own Netflix account,” it’s tough to find available, suitable mates. On the other hand, when it comes to dogs, chances are probably 100% nearly EVERY SINGLE ONE would love nothing more than to go home and spend forever with you.

5. Last but not least, the very BEST reason to choose a dog is learning unconditional love. A dog will transform you into a more loving, kind, compassionate person. You will be healthier and happier just having a dog too!

​And although a dog will one day get their wings and leave you, to have your heart broken by a dog leaves you in gratitude for having gotten them in the first place. Not resentful or spinning with what was wrong with you. A dog is never going to dump you for another owner!


Katy Cable is a former actress appearing in “Back To The Future” and starring in the TV series: “Safe At Home” & “ Fired Up!” In addition to her dog health & lifestyle blog/vlog: The Weekly Runt, (https://www.weeklyrunt.com/) she’s a contributing writer to numerous publications including Thrive Global, & The Huffington Post. Cable lives at the beach with her husband, Rick and her rescue Pug, Olive.🐾