100th post: ARTICLE: Chick magnets

The Star LIFESTYLE: Saturday February 12, 2011

Chick magnets

Stories by LEE MEI LI
meili@thestar.com.my

Dogs are not only lovable companions, they can also help you attract attention from the right crowd.

It’s bright and early on a Saturday morning, and T. Siva is out walking his tiny, 3½-year-old Pug, Pugly. A lady struts past, but not before she does a double take.

“He’s so cute!” she coos, as Pugly happily pitter-patters away on the pavement.

Kumanan Parimalam and girlfriend Sattiya Marthanden with Labrador, Sweetie.

 

Undoubtedly, nothing attracts attention faster than a pet lover and an adorable pup in tow. What usually ensues is a friendly exchange of words — a moment that marks the discovery of new acquaintances.
“I think there’s no doubt that Pugly attracts women,” says Siva, 36, a writer. “She seldom fails. In fact, she even attracts celebrities. Once, I was walking Pugly at a park when a certain celebrity, who was also out walking three of her Pugs, ran over to say hi and we started chatting. My friends have a nickname for Pugly: ‘The Magnet’.”

Aside from being great companions, dogs are sometimes known as “chick magnets”. Just Google “How to use my dog to attract women”, and sure enough, you’ll get a thousand hits on forums dedicated to showing you the A-to-Z in mastering the subject. If you’re single and eligible, chances are, you won’t be getting any strangers walking up to you just to strike up a conversation every day. Nor would you do the same, no matter how attractive the other person may be.

But if you have a dog by your side, well, that’s a different story.

“Women would see you differently, as opposed to if you were just alone at a café. Most times they see my dog first, then they look at me and smile — as if to say, OK, you’re quite safe to talk to,” says Siva.
Attributing this to a woman’s “maternal instincts”, Siva adds, “I guess having a dog is like having a daughter or a son — you suddenly seem capable of having kids.”

Leong Suet Wah with Miniature Pinscher, Xiao Xiao. 

 

Men who own dogs aren’t just pet lovers, it seems — they are perceived to be someone who is generally more loving and caring. However, “caring” wasn’t the first thought that came to mind when Yap Wan Ying first met her then-colleague, video editor Kam Chee Lap, 30, and Christmas, his Toy Poodle.

“My first impression was ‘How pathetic!’ He doesn’t have a girlfriend — he’s just a guy with a dog,” recalls media executive Yap, 24.

Nevertheless, Yap would always fawn over Christmas whenever Kam brought the tiny, snow-white pup to the office for a quick visit on the weekends.

“I found Christmas very cute! He quickly became the centre of attraction in the office,” says Yap.
Before long, Yap found herself making plans to meet up with Kam to visit Christmas beyond work.
“I would go to his house or meet him at a park because I wanted to play with the dog,” she says.
Now, more than three years later, Yap no longer deems Kam “pathetic” — well, he’s now her boyfriend and all. Undeniably, their relationship developed over the love for a dog. The two are now also the proud owners of a two-year-old Pomeranian, Cooper.

Yap Wan Ying (right) and Kam Chee Lap with their Pomeranian, Cooper and Toy Poodle, Christmas.

 

“Kam seemed like a loner at first but when I got to know him better, I realised that he was someone that I could rely on,” Yap reveals, highlighting Kam’s commitment in caring for his pet.

“Taking care of a dog is not that easy. But every weekend, he would spend four to five hours just to bathe and groom Christmas. It showed me that he had a lot of patience,” she adds.

Lopsided attraction

If dogs are chick magnets for men, it follows that they also naturally become male magnets for women, right? Wrong.

Handicraft artist C. L. Yam and her 2½-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, Marco, only attracts “aunties and uncles”. Her explanation for this? “Eligible bachelors hardly hang around at parks,” says Yam, who is in her 30s.

For Samantha Hepburn and her six-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, Jang Gun, all they ever attract are kids and “sometimes, a curious grandma or two.” The 25-year-old writer and cartoonist believes that the doggie philosophy is more biased towards guys.

“I don’t think it works for girls. Plus, I don’t know how comfortable I’d be with a guy cooing, sighing and fawning all over my dog,” she opines.

Property negotiator Leong Suet Wah, 54, does attract the attention of men with her little Miniature Pinscher, Xiao Xiao, albeit for entirely different reasons.

“When Xiao Xiao was very small, I would put her in a bag and bring her shopping. Once, I entered a pharmacy and a security guard waved me over — I thought maybe I couldn’t bring her in. But all the guard said was, ‘Can I hold her?’” Leong recalls.

While dogs may appear to be more of a man’s best friend than a woman’s, Leong believes that the trick could work with either gender for the younger generation.
“If you’re younger and you have a dog, you’ll definitely attract more attention from the opposite sex. It happens all the time during doggie tournaments,” she says.

You are what you own

Now before you run out and grab the first dog you see, do consider a few things beforehand.
Bigger dogs, for example, can be a handful — they need lots of free space and plenty of exercise. They need a lot of your time. Small toy breeds, on the other hand, are considered to be more “convenient”.

Samantha Hepburn with Jang Gun. — ART CHEN & BRIAN MOH/The Star and DOG OWNERS

 

Big or small, the real question is: What will people think of when they cross paths with you and your dog?
Sales manager Kumanan Parimalam, 26, believes that you are what you own.

“The way you communicate with a particular breed shows people who you are.
For me, I like big dogs because I like to be dominant,” he says, giving his panting Labrador, Sweetie, a pet on the head.

On this, his girlfriend Sattiya Marthanden, 27, agrees.

“Men who own small dogs are more of a ‘follower’,” says the enquiry officer. For Hepburn, men with a penchant for purse-sized pooches appear to be less “outdoorsy”. Conversely, women who own Chihuahuas and Poodles reflect a “prissy” personality, says Siva.

The type of dog you choose also determines whether you are indeed single or attached, so be sure to send out the right signals.

“If a guy walks around with a Shih-Tzu, I will think that he already has a girlfriend,” says Yap.
Undeniably, different breeds will attract different kinds of people.

“If you have a smaller dog, I think you would attract more women, teenage girls and children. For medium-sized dogs like mine, the target audience is mixed. For larger dogs, they only attract people who are brave enough to approach them, unless they look adorable — like Huskies,” Kumanan observes.
Nevertheless, Kumanan believes that a well-trained pup attracts more people on the whole — men or women.

“Popular breeds automatically attract people to you,” he says.

While owning smaller dogs may seem less “macho” for men, the fact is, women are usually attracted to all things cute and cuddly. Besides, Hollywood stars Mickey Rourke and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs have made it OK for men to own smaller dogs; Rourke’s Chihuahua has since passed on; Combs has a little white Maltese.

Bigger dogs are definitely more masculine, but they are also less friendly looking and more likely to scare away any potential soulmate you might be hoping to snare. Nevertheless, getting a dog is not a surefire way of attracting a potential girlfriend or boyfriend. What ensues really depends on you, and not your dog — so brush up on your conversational skills and learn how to use your pup as an icebreaker, and not as the topic of discussion in every conversation.

Remember also that dogs need plenty of love and care from a responsible owner. They may not always help you attract company, but they’re always great companions.

Think about adopting a dog this Valentine’s Day, who knows what joy it might bring you?

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