Looking for (puppy) love? Just go walkies
IT MAY seem barking mad, but a new dating site hopes to help dog lovers collar ‘the one’ by matching them up with other pooch owners.
Leads2Love has just launched for single people looking for a mate. You don’t have to own a dog, but it would help if you like them and the outdoors, it says.
The site is the brainchild of Elena Rees, 30, who came up with the idea with business partner Russell Canny after noticing how single men used to chat to her when she walked her dog, Rosie – a Shih Tzu cross Cavalier King Charles.
‘Every time myself and my business partner went walking, somebody would always come up and chat to us,’ said Elena.
Although it started taking registrations in July, the website – which is free to join – has only just started promoting itself. And over the past weeks it has attracted over 130 single dog owners who are looking for romance with like-minded people.
Each user inputs details of what they would like in another potential mate and the website matches their profile with similar profiles.
‘We find dogs are really great icebreakers and there are always a lot of single people out there as well going for walks,’ said Elena.
‘It’s a perfect way to meet single people that have the same interests as yourself; they love dogs, they love the outdoors.’
Born in South Africa, Elena has lived in Cork for about 18 years and is engaged to garage owner, David Canny. She studied marketing and management at college before going into photography.
‘Before we set up Leads2Love, I had to sign up to a few dating sites myself for market research. I noticed you’ve got page after page of questions that are really nobody else’s business,’ she said.
‘It made us realise the simpler the sign-up process, the more people would actually be willing to participate in this.’
Once matched on the website, profiles are then emailed to members and they can use the site’s instant messaging function.
And the good news is that owners’ dogs may get a shot at love too. A section due to be added in the coming weeks will give a guide to what breeds are most compatible with each other.
So, mercifully, it won’t all end up in a dogfight.