I’m just not thrilled about the idea of sharing a home with a dog, and cohabitation is something I’d like in a long term romantic relationship. I grew up with dogs, and lots of friends family have dogs, so it’s not an absolute, 100% deal breaker, but I hate when they jump on me, I don’t enjoy their “kisses”, and I’m easily irritated by many of the noises they make when I’m chilling quietly at home. I’m also easily irritated by noises that humans make when sharing close quarters, but it’s rare to really notice those on a first date.

I also live in a dense area with very few private yards, so anyone I’m dating likely has a similar living situation, making it so that dating a dog owner has more overlaps than I’d like compared with dating a single parent of a young child. If you want to take an overnight trip together somewhere, you either have to bring the dog/child along, or you have to find a sitter.

On top of that, I have young adult cats, so the possibility of eventually moving in together becomes much more complicated.