<b>Pawprints on Love: The Bonds Connecting Couples and Their Pets</b>

<p dir="ltr">BACKGROUND: Pet ownership is not only common in the United States, but adopting a pet together is a common step that romantic couples take as they begin to merge their lives. To explore the impact of that phenomenon, the current study therefore examined how aspects of dog ownership from recent adoptions were linked to romantic relationship dynamics. METHOD: A sample of 233 individuals (72% Caucasian, 70% female, M(age) = 39, 40% with an associate’s degree or less) in romantic relationships (together M = 12 years, 49% with children) who had adopted a dog within the last 2 years completed a cross-sectional online survey. RESULTS: Exploratory Network Analysis findings suggested that satisfaction with one’s dog and satisfaction with one’s romantic partner demonstrated only a very weak direct link with one another after controlling for all of the variables in the analysis. However, those two outcomes were indirectly linked through quality time as prioritizing quality time with a partner and prioritizing quality time with a dog were robustly linked to each other and were robustly linked to greater satisfaction in each of those relationships. Those two outcomes were also indirectly linked through attachment orientations as attachment avoidance and anxiety towards a dog were robustly linked to attachment avoidance and anxiety towards a romantic partner and were robustly linked to lower satisfaction in both of those relationships. CONCLUSIONS: The results begin to suggest that dogs might not only help couples re-prioritize spending quality time with one another, but they could even potentially serve as positive attachment figures, possibly helping to reduce attachment insecurities in romantic relationships.</p>