Pets and owners 'become more alike over time'

  Saturday 08 October 2011 The Telegraph

Telegraph.co.ukPets and their owners are just like married couples and they get more alike over time, a psychologist has claimed.

Prof Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire, asked almost 2,500 people to complete online questionnaires about their characters and those of their pets.
But he also discovered that the longer an animal had been with their owner, the more likely they were to have picked up their characteristics.

Prof Wiseman said: "For years owners have insisted their pets have a unique personality.
"Not only does this work suggest they might be right, it also reveals people's pets are a reflection of themselves."
Almost half of the respondents to his survey were cat owners, while 31 per cent had dogs, seven per cent fish, six per cent birds and six per cent reptiles.
Prof Wiseman found about 20 per cent of pet owners rated their own personality and that of their animals in similar terms.

But for those who had owned their animal for seven years or more, the chance of them rating their pet's traits as broadly comparable to their own increased to about 40 per cent. Prof Wiseman said: "Similarity promotes liking in humans. Research has shown couples that are like each other stay together longer.
"Extending this to the animal kingdom, I think it is likely someone who is fun and playful is more likely to go for a dog, for example.
"It's like with married couples. They grow to look like each other and to have similar personalities. It's possible we are seeing a similar effect."
Prof Wiseman's study also revealed owners of certain pets appear to share similar personalities.
Fish owners were apparently the most contented, with 37 per cent strongly agreeing that they were happy, compared with 24 per cent of people with cats and 22 per cent of those who had dogs agreeing.
Four out of 10 people with dogs believed they were fun-loving, compared to just two per cent of reptile owners.
Those with cats came out as the most dependable, but also the most emotionally sensitive, while those who kept reptiles were the most independent.
Prof Wiseman is continuing his research and asking pet owners to visit the web address www.petpersonality.co.uk.