For Pet's Sake Column

It has been said that we choose mates who resemble us in some way – whether it be physically or psychologically. The same may hold true for our canine companions. In 2004, Nicholas Christenfeld and Michael Roy, psychology professors at UC San Diego set out to prove their theory that dogs resemble their people.

Their findings might surprise you.

In one portion of the study, Christenfeld and Roy noted that women with long hair often choose canines with floppy, rather than pricked ears. Guinness, my Beagle friend, has floppy ears and I possess long locks. Hmmm, this pair of pundits just might be barking up the right tree.

On a recent sweltering Sunday afternoon, I decided to embark on a journey to State Street, where I conducted my own person-pet look-alike survey. My goal? To see if people really chose dogs that resembled them. As luck would have it, there was a plethora of people and pooches parading by. With dogged determination, I began my research; looking for apparent attributes such as hairiness – of both the pet and the person –sharpness of features, size, attractiveness, friendliness, and perceived energy level. Here’s what I dug up:

Ricky Ricardo, a timid Yorkie with black button eyes. His human mom had a sparkling personality and long, dark hair. Both rated high on the cuteness factor, but they didn’t look or act anything alike. No point.

Wheezie, a darling Daschund, with a sleek chocolate brown mane and mighty muzzle. Her human dad boasted a beautiful head of wavy black hair, but no pronounced proboscis. Again, no point.

A powerful looking, tattoo-laden young man with a toothy grin accompanied by an equally powerful looking, toothy pit bull – sans the tattoos. One point.

I disqualified several other dogs and their guardians who looked about as much alike as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito’s characters in “Twins.” Eventually, I met two young men who were sporting short black hair and athletic builds. Each proudly showed off his black Labrador that – you guessed it – had short black hair and an athletic build. OK, it might have been a bit of a stretch, but I granted one point to each pair.

So, there you have it: on this paw-ticular day, I awarded three points for pets that looked like their people and 17 points to those that didn’t. Not exactly what I was expecting, especially after the resounding results of the UC San Diego study. Perhaps you, dear readers, can help me further my research. Do you have a pet that shares some of your corporeal characteristics? If so, fetch your digital camera and send me a photo of you and your beloved buddy. You just may end up being featured in a future column.

In the meantime, you can find me relaxing at an outdoor café on State Street, sipping iced tea and watching people and their pets. It’s all in the name of research.

When she’s not writing her column, Karen can be found sniffing out her next big story. Have a tale to tell? Email her at: karenleestevens@cox.net.