Love me love my dog, ever here that expression? Well, there is a rather interesting app that has been developed that has a focus on dogs, though cat and bird owners are also welcome as well. Okay, any animal lover is welcome. I kid not dear animal lover who is looking for love. Or just likes hanging around people with dogs, cats, turtles, horses etc etc, this platform may be the ticket to romance.
I have to say I
like the name of this app, check this out it's called FetchaDate.
LOL, I think this is really interesting, so I reached out to the
founder Sheryl Matthys to share and guide us through this platform.
Sheryl, nice to meet you. Thanks for doing a Candid
Conversations chat today.
Sheryl M.: Hi Cliff, I can’t wait to stir up Candid Conversations on pets!
Cliff T.: I am a cat person just an FYI here, married quite some time now 24 years, but let’s say I wanted to meet someone, and I had a big fluffy cat - would you say that FetchaDate is or should be one of the first apps to look at?
Sheryl M.: Definitely!
Especially because you know everyone at FetchaDate™
is an animal lover – you’re preaching to the choir. Single pet
lovers never have to worry about whether a
potential date gets their love of animals.
And, in the
FetchaDate app, the pet introduces you. We “get it” when
pet people pull out their phone to show others their pets’ antics
photos so it makes perfect sense that in the dating app their pet is
the icebreaker.
A close-up pic of a gorgeous big fluffy cat
would get more people swiping right and that means more opportunities
to chat with pet people. I mean, come on – who could swipe left –
unless they’re just not into cats or that much fur or are allergic.
Cliff T.: Off the top we know the attraction of pets, you say in your press release that people want to meet the pet, then the human. How true is that? What kind of science told you that this kind of app would garner an audience?
Sheryl M.: Well, statistics show that 55% of singles are pet owners. In creating the FetchaDate format, it was my experience of interviewing hundreds of dog owners at my dog events, writing my book, Leashes and Lovers along with intuition to showcase their pet first in the app. Walking down the street, people easily strike up conversations with others who have pets as they’re hard to resist! People tend to check out the dog first, then the person. Pets help people appear friendlier, outgoing, and even more attractive. Attendees at my parties made their way around the room asking questions about each other’s pets without asking about their jobs. It was refreshing and people were connecting on a different level.
Featuring pets first in a profile draws people in. Science has shown that staring into animals’ eyes can release oxytocin—that feel-good tingling feeling. Medical News Today reports oxytocin is associated with empathy, trust, and relationships. I call it the “love hormone”. And, looking into a pet’s eyes can make you feel that way.
Also, a 2020 Studyfind.org survey of 2,000 American online dating users finds that about two in five have “swiped right,” or showed interest in another user solely because they wanted to hang out with the dog featured in one of their pictures.
Of
the 2,000 participants, 63% of dog owners in the survey said that
including their pet in their profile photo helped them find success
matching with others online.
The
numbers are growing of millennials having pets too, especially guys!
According to a 2017 survey, Millennial males in the United States are
more likely to be cat and/or dog owners than their female
counterparts.
MALES: 48% owned a cat and 71% owned a
dog
FEMALES: 35% cat, 62% dog
Cliff T.: And the 64,000-dollar question, how’s it going? What’s the response to FetchaDate?
Sheryl M.: We launched on Valentine’s Day and it’s fun to see it grow. We have people from around the country and around the world creating profiles. We’ve expanded on several platforms @fetchadate on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. We’re at @fetchadateapp on twitter. We love for pet lovers to submit photos of themselves and their pet for us to share in our newsletter and social media.
Cliff T.: Sheryl, there are lots of dating apps and sadly lots of profiles do get set up with regents, for those not in the know these are fake profiles with pictures of models. How are ensuring that this does not happen, or shall I say how do you lessen those profiles impact or presence on the app?
Sheryl M.: Thankfully,
modern technology is making it harder to be a fake. At FetchaDate,
users sign up with their mobile number and verify it with a code much
like when you login to your bank, so there are no fake email signups
on the platform. We
believe that is a step in preventing illegitimate signups.
We
believe ‘pet people’ in general are more truthful in their photos
and truly want to show off their pets, and photos of them together.
Also, because you see the pet first (real or virtual) there
isn’t the same appeal to post fake photos. Users can report to us
what they believe are inappropriate and fake images. We
monitor the app as well in efforts to prevent and/or stop quickly any
such action.
The good news is especially since the pandemic;
online dating apps have seen a rise in new users. The stigma of
online dating has worn off and people have become comfortable saying
they met on an online dating site or app.Stanford
Sociologist Michael Rosenfeld, who’s studied dating for more than 20 years, says meeting someone through family/friends has been declining while online dating increases. People are trusting new dating technology, and dating apps make it easier to find singles with like-minded interests. Users want to start in a place they’re more likely to find someone with common ground.
Well, that works perfectly for FetchaDate!
Cliff T.: This concept is unique, positively brilliant. How did you come up with FetchaDate?
Sheryl M.: The
idea of connecting pet lovers came about because of my first
Greyhound, Shiraz. Being a transplant from the Midwest to NYC,
at first, it was a little rough making friends. Because
we lived in a 4th
floor walkup, Shiraz needed to be walked several times a day. With
my dog, the city became a kumbaya
moment as if around a campfire.
People stopped to talk with me and pet her. They smiled, made eye
contact and it felt like the heavens parted. That
usually didn’t happen before having her. That’s
when I realized this could be the perfect way to help people meet
others and build quality relationships.
As a former TV news reporter and then in NYC an actress – I had an idea. This could make a fun TV show. When someone has a pet, meeting other people is easier – it’s the icebreaker.
So, I created a reality-show pilot called, Heads or Tails and pitched it at NYTVF and a TV Pilot competition. Meanwhile, I wanted to take immediate action and started holding single dog lover events called, Leashes and Lovers.
Leashes and Lovers events connected dog lovers – some found dates, some made everlasting friends. At the events, I’d interview dog lovers about their dating dilemmas and other issues that arose like, “Does your dog sleep in your bed?” And “Would there be a 2nd date if someone didn’t like your dog?”
This became such useful research and information that I wrote a book, “Leashes and Lovers: What Your Dog Can Teach You About Love, Life, and Happiness”
I discovered first-hand how important it is to dog lovers to connect with a date and potential partner who is fond of dogs. Especially for women, it’s at the top of their list. I created the name ‘FetchaDate’ early on and decided the ‘dating app’ aspect would be most clear with that name and to include other pets as well, so the slogan is, Where Pet Lovers Meet!
Cliff T.:
How long did it take to develop it and besides
pet owners who are you looking to attract with this app?
Sheryl
M.: After many late nights and
decisions, FetchaDate app launched in the App Store and Google Play
in 2021 after a few years in the making. It’s geared to single pet
lovers looking to date and find their perfect match in a partner. The
person doesn’t have to currently have a pet, but a desire to meet
others who have an affinity to a pet household lifestyle. Sometimes
it’s easier if only one of the daters have a pet – fewer things
to go wrong such as one pet not liking the other.
One doesn’t have to be “Must love dogs” to be in the app, but users may attest to the idea to at least be ‘Like My Pet’ for there to be a 2nd date.
Cliff
T.: Sheryl, you mention that
subscribers don’t have to have a pet and can instead use a WingPet.
Okay, what’s a WingPet?
Sheryl
M.: In FetchaDate, your WingPet™
is your trusted adviser, front
person to represent you. It showcases your personality, and even
leaves clues about your interests, character, and values. It can be
one of your real pets or one of our several virtual pets you pick
from within the FetchaDate app. The virtual pets are animated so you
recognize when someone has a virtual pet versus confusing it with a
photo of a real pet.
A
virtual pet simply says this person may not currently own a pet but
is a pet lover. At FetchaDate, we understand some people may
be in between pets for a myriad of reasons. In that case, “No Pet,
No Problem™”.
Choose a virtual pet!
The virtual pet
could signify a type of pet they’ve had or plan to have; or simply
represent an extension of the person’s personality. They could have
a virtual horse, cat, parrot, snake, dog, pig, turtle… yet never
intend to own one. For instance, they may feel connected to a virtual
horse’s beauty, speed, grace to represent their own personality.
Most of all it’s that the people in FetchaDate are animal lovers,
accepting of other animal lovers.
Here's how it works in
“fetch Who’s Behind” search area. First, you see the pet (real
or virtual). Then you have a few choices. A. You can scroll up to see
clues on the person behind that pet. B. Swipe right on their WingPet
for a potential match. Or C. tap the blurred image with the ?-mark
leash over it, to instantly see the person and then decide yes or no.
Cliff T.: So hypothetically I could use a WingPet like a cat, since I am a cat guy to showcase my profile, but is that being tricky? If I do not have a pet, how would the person on the other side know if that I really do not have a pet?
Sheryl M.:To be most clear that you don’t currently have a cat, you pick one of our several “virtual” cats. Virtual cats include Bengal, American Curl (it’s fully), Canadian Sphynx, Grumpy Cat, Japanese Bobtail, Maine Coon (very fluffy), Munchkin, Persian, and Siamese.
Or you could upload a photo of a previous real cat you had or one you desire. In the ‘About’ section is a good place to describe your pet situation. You may have a wonderful story to share about your previous pets.
Cliff T.: Besides dogs and cats, can subscribers showcase other animals and what kinds of animals are not permitted on the site? Let me guess monkeys and elephants, and other exotic animals, correct?
Sheryl M.: Pet
lovers can show any animal as their WingPet™
they feel may represent their personality, values, interests. It
doesn’t mean they have that pet. If they don’t though, it’d be
good of them to explain in their ‘About’ section why they have
that pet as their WingPet and if it’s for real or a virtual pet.
Showcasing exotic animals on FetchaDate does not mean we
endorse it. If we feel an image is inappropriate, we may remove it,
or others can report an image, and we’ll evaluate it.
In
FetchaDate, we match people through their values and personality. The
human’s profile consists of name, age, location, motto, work,
about. And they ‘fetch 5’ predetermined interests from our
list, and personality attributes which are included in their
profile.
Pets (real or virtual) also get a profile which include name, breed, and ‘fetch 3’ personality attributes.
Cliff T.: FetchaDate offers free subscription, and paid what is the difference between the two or should I say what do you get with a paid vs free account?
Sheryl M.: Creating a profile and chatting with matches on FetchaDate is free! This includes the human and one pet profile (real or virtual pet). While FetchaDate offers a free version to all users, subscribers can unlock enhanced features like Profile Boost, message your favorites (who may not have matched with you yet), and the ability to add up to 4 pets (real or virtual) for $1.99/week, $2.99/month, or just $15.99/year.
Cliff T.: I know that managing a business like this is hard work, but I bet it's lots of fun to see this platform grow as well. What are you enjoying most about it and has creating this app given you some insights you’ve not had before regarding people and relationships?
Sheryl M.: I LOVE connecting with pet people! They are the best people I know, and we can share stories all day long. I’m excited to assist single pet people to connect for dates and potentially love. I offer private and group coaching programs too.
I’m
learning more about posting on social media like TikTok. I can see
how that platform is addictive as I catch myself scrolling through
hilarious pet people’s videos. We’re holding social media
contests too.
Regarding insights, I’ve been adding many
relationship topics to the FetchaDate blog. I’m loving it and it’s
my mission to help others find love and create healthy relationships
and boundaries while inspiring more people to have pets as part of
their pack. I couldn’t ever imagine my life without pets
(particularly dogs) and I hope to share that love with others.
Cliff T.: I have to say this has been one of the more fun conversations I have had. Sheryl Matthys, thanks so much for taking time out to talk about FetchaDate.
Sheryl M.: Thank you, Cliff!
Sheryl Matthys, Founder of FetchaDate, the dating app for single pet lovers. She’s a former TV news reporter, NYC actress, Amazon best-selling author of Leashes and Lovers, and is a certified dog trainer/sitter who’s gained national media talking about dogs and how they impact our human relationships. She's been featured on Animal Planet, E!, Bravo, ABC News Now, Fox & Friends, Sirius/XM, and The New York Times.
For more info, visit https://fetchadate.com. The FetchaDate app is available in the Apple Store or on Google Play.
She wrote to us from Indianapolis, IN
