Social networking leads to puppy love

Article by: AIMÉE BLANCHETTE , Star Tribune
Updated: May 29, 2012 - 10:50 AM

Photo: , Handout

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Any dog who's any dog has a Facebook page. After all, they need socialization, too. But if your furry companion is looking for more than friendship, he's in luck.

The latest "petworking" opportunity brings man's best friend wet nose to wet nose with compatible pooches. MatchPuppy.com is a social networking service that lets dog owners create a profile for their Fido, find play dates and even love interests.

Amber Johnson thinks dog-matching services are a great idea. The Minnetonka woman, who owns two white boxers, said such sites could come in handy when looking for other boxers for Rowdy and Roxy to "box with."

"Socializing your dog is a very important part of building your dog's confidence as well as their manners around other dogs," she said. "As an added bonus, this a great way for other dog lovers to meet, whether to build friendships, or perhaps even a love connection."

Users can create a free profile touting their dog's features, including name, size, breed and energy level ("couch potato, happy-go-lucky, life-of-the-party"), then browse profiles and find a pet that matches their pet's temperament.

The new site joins a growing breed of petworking websites that list doggy dating and networking such as playdatebuddy.com (California and New York) and puppy-play.meetup.com (23 U.S. cities, including St. Paul). Other sites like Doggyspace and YouPet also allow humans and pets to connect and meet up.

MatchPuppy.com is currently available to New York pups only, but its owner has plans to expand, first to Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, then cities like Minneapolis.