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Original poster

OLD: what's with the dog photos?

61 replies

TossaCointoYerWitcha · 30/01/2022 23:17

I'm male, generally sworn off OLD but thought I'd reactivate my account tonight, to take a look for old times sake. I was struck by how many women hereabouts include a photo of their dog in their profile. Not them holding their dog. Just their dog.

Can anyone shed light as to why? I want to date a woman, not her dog. Is this some newfangled dating strategy? It's got me somewhat baffled.

OP posts:
curmudgeonly007 · 31/01/2022 08:40

@kittenkipper

Can we talk about men with fish? I agree a dog alone photo is bizarre. But it's common in both sexes ( I list both women and men in preference). See also group photos where you have to guess the subject (men and women) . It's only men, and LOADS of them that post photos of them with dead fish, just the fish, them with fish and scale. They are obsessed
The fish won’t be dead, Angling is common hobby for men (and women but to a lesser degree), it will be best / biggest/ heaviest fish caught that day, lots of men don’t have very strong social circles in the way women do, so will be one of the few opportunities to have their photo taken, and be a member of a fishing club. The picture will be a source of pride for them, and may be framed in their house.

Personally I think fishing is as boring as fuck, but lots of people take part, and gives them a sense of belonging and a past time that is good for Mental Health

TheBoreOfHabilon · 31/01/2022 10:13

Women love their dogs.

They will probably love their dog more than they will love you, OP. Grin

CousinKrispy · 31/01/2022 10:22

Maybe they want to show different aspects of their life, so you get a more well-rounded picture of who they are as a person.

And maybe lots of them don't have pictures of them posing with their dog. I take a lot of pictures of my cats, but I don't ask other people to take pictures of me holding my cats.

It doesn't really need to be a big deal, if you don't care for dogs just swipe left.

SantaHat · 31/01/2022 10:30

Why is it such a big deal?!

SantaHat · 31/01/2022 10:32

Maybe it’s because women are sick of getting shitty pervy comments about their looks all the time on OLD and are looking for someone who will like dogs, plus it’s something to provide conversation points or questions.
Not really rocket science.

mondaydiscussion · 31/01/2022 18:05

Sometimes I prefer their dog photos Smile

Thisisworsethananticpated · 31/01/2022 20:15

The men do it too !!!!!
I’m not a dog lover either
It’s annoying

greasyshoes · 31/01/2022 21:19

It does backfire though as many men who have contacted me on OLD have photos of them with children. Weird enough if it’s their own children but about 60% of the time it’s someone else child which just puts me off entirely.

Sorry, but what's "weird" about having a picture of their family? All parents on OLD have a tendency to upload pictures of their family, just to show what their life is like. Now I understand if you don't want to date a parent (I'm the same, children aren't for me), but what exactly is "weird" about it?

It’s similar to the phenomenon of men posing with dead fish, they’re trying ( possibly subconsciously) to show they’re a skilled provider.

God, where did you get this nonsense from? It's called fishing. It's a hobby. People upload pictures of their hobbies on OLD. Rock-climbing, running, art, football, archery, mountain biking, and so on... fishing is no different.

Thisisworsethananticpated · 31/01/2022 22:04

greasyshoes

Sorry I’m a hard NO to kids pics on OLD
Just feels a bit eeeew

greasyshoes · 31/01/2022 22:14

Sorry I’m a hard NO to kids pics on OLD
Just feels a bit eeeew

What?

Can someone please explain this one to me?

BigFatLiar · 31/01/2022 22:18

Reminds me of the old joke.

Single farmer with large farm seeks single woman with tractor. Reply box no22 enclosing photo of tractor..

CousinKrispy · 31/01/2022 22:19

I don't like pics of kids on dating profiles. Shows complete cluelessness about the importance of protecting your kids' online privacy.

And scribbling over the face in MS Paint doesn't helpGrin

StellaGibs · 31/01/2022 22:19

Men do it with dogs, fish, nieces/nephews or their gran to show they're a perfectly normal guy. Grin

greasyshoes · 31/01/2022 22:25

Men do it with dogs, fish, nieces/nephews or their gran to show they're a perfectly normal guy.

The only one of those that's gender-specific is fish, as it seems a lot more men go fishing than women.

As for dogs, nieces/nephews, gran... everyone uploads photos of those, not men specifically. Not sure why you thought that was a man-thing.

crackofdoom · 31/01/2022 22:29

I don't like pics of kids on dating profiles. Shows complete cluelessness about the importance of protecting your kids' online privacy.

This. It's such a bad look. Think about who might be looking at the photos- other school parents, -or, if they're teens, potentially even their schoolfriends pretending to be 18. "Ewwww! Saw your Dad on Tinder and you were on there too!"

There is no vicarious cringe hard enough. It makes a man (or woman) look really insensitive and thoughtless about their kids' welfare.

StellaGibs · 31/01/2022 23:31

@greasyshoes

Men do it with dogs, fish, nieces/nephews or their gran to show they're a perfectly normal guy.

The only one of those that's gender-specific is fish, as it seems a lot more men go fishing than women.

As for dogs, nieces/nephews, gran... everyone uploads photos of those, not men specifically. Not sure why you thought that was a man-thing.

I am talking about my observations from OLD. Thanks for the apparent slam down on gender issues though Grin
Timeyime · 31/01/2022 23:38

Fair enough to have a photo on there of you with your pet but having a dog as your actual profile picture is weird.

Unless you really are a dog. In which case there are probably other more relevant websites.

JangolinaPitt · 01/02/2022 01:34

I’d be pleased with this as I don’t really like dogs and I wouldn’t particularly want to date someone whose dog was so central to their life that they used up one of their photos on it! I’d see this as a good way to weed out unsuitables
Totally agree. I have several friends who are just obsessed by their dogs. The last thing I sent to do is date someone whose dog dictates everything we do,

MeSanniesareBrannies · 01/02/2022 02:05

It seems fairly straightforward to me. I like dogs. I like people who like dogs. When I was OLD, I would have been DELIGHTED to date someone with a nice dog (it wouldn’t be a reason to date someone, but definitely a lovely bonus) and I would have been very pleased to see a dog selfie on someone’s profile.

If it’s not for you, then you’re not the target audience. Which is absolutely fair enough. You can just swipe left.

Vaxhubsandwich · 01/02/2022 09:17

Like others have said, men do this too.
I thought it was fine, personally didn't really want to date a "dog dad" although I do like dogs but choose not to have one because of the commitment needed .
So the dog pics helped me choose a non dog owner before matching.

Thisisworsethananticpated · 01/02/2022 12:34

I don’t hate dogs to be clear
In fact I find them pleasant animals
I’m not however a dog mummy or daddy
I also find it weird that we love dogs and eat pigs
But that’s another thread

WhatScratch · 01/02/2022 12:49

Lots of men do it too. It’s a thing.

I’d love a site that just had the dog photos, where you could arrange dog walking meet ups. I’d much rather spend an hour walking around a park, chatting and watching the dogs play than bother with dating.

Hrpuffnstuff1 · 01/02/2022 12:56

Lots of women have dogs, I see couples with 2 or 3 dogs. I just think wtf are you doing.

I had a Kingman sired racehorse in my picture.
With a Bentley in the background.
Grin

LoveFall · 02/02/2022 05:37

Not making a dog a big part of you life is impossible if you have one.

Dogs are the closest of all species when it comes to humans. They have walked and slept alongside us for millennia. They, and we, have evolved together.

They cannot talk to us, but they can communicate with humans using non-verbal (and some verbal) skills.

After spending only a few weeks with a dog, you will learn your best friend's language, and the dog yours.

Fairly recently there has been a surge in research about dogs, which is interesting and enlightening.

PineappleIceCream · 02/02/2022 06:28

This would probably be quite helpful for me. I’m allergic to dogs/pets so I’d be able to weed out lots of men quite easily.