Dating with your dog is now a thing

DON’T rely on shooting pitiful puppy dog eyes at your crush across the bar. Instead, take your pooch along and date with your dog.

Dating with Dogs organiser Tatum Brown with Anthony Butler and dogs, Rosie and Chloe. Photo: AAP/Matthew Vasilescu

• Malcolm Turnbull reveals his opinion on Donald Trump’s tan
• Cheese lovers festival comes to Centennial Park

STOPPING someone in the street to comment on their puppy was once a way of meeting people. Today, the dating scene has been taken over by technology and Tinder, and traditional methods — like connecting over a love of animals — seem distant, belonging to an age before ours.

But Canberra single Tatum Brown is changing all that — and she’s starting right here in the East.

Sydney’s first ever ‘Dating with Dogs’ hits Double Bay this month, an event for dog-loving singles aged 20-45, and will play host to a fun, flirty and fundraising afternoon for locals looking for love — and their furry friends.

“It’s a non confronting way of meeting like minded people with the love of dogs the dogs providing a natural ice breaker,” Ms Brown, the event organiser told The Wentworth Courier.

“There are instant topics to talk about, and it’s getting back to old school ways of meeting people and getting the stigma out of meeting people online too.

“I was reading a study on how dogs make you more attractive — when a man has a dog a woman is mire likely to give her phone number, so this is a good start,” she laughed.

Could this be a Lady and the tramp moment in the making? Photo: AAP/Matthew Vasilescu

Hosted by the Adopt Don’t Shop Foundation, there are rescue dogs available if dog-lovers didn’t have their own puppy to bring on the day. Since her first Canberra event, the 31-year-old single woman said she has had news of two loved up couples, one dog adoption and one pending adoption.

“Because dogs are family these days, they are like children, so people like to attend events on the weekends that include their pets,” she said.

“In fact, we also often trust our dog’s instincts better than our own when choosing a potential partner.

“I myself have tried Tinder and Bumble and all of that, but unfortunately those apps have a bad reputation — I just think it’s being more traditional about dating and bringing the right eligible people out of the woodwork.

“People who are open to a relationship, not just people looking for a good time.”

Tickets are $45.42 each and can be found on the Adopt Don’t Shop Facebook page, with a portion of profits from ticket sales going towards Golden Oldies Animal Rescue.

The event will be held on the rooftop bar of The Sheaf, 429 New South Head Rd, Double Bay, on Sunday, June 24, from 2-4pm.

For more information, email [e-mail]