by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places?  Are you a pet owner and can’t seem to find someone to love you and your pet (and its fur and feathers)?  Well have I may just have the answer for you! Recently, pet and lifestyle expert Charlotte Reed hosted a class at the Hotel Indigo in New York City about just this very topic called, ‘Finding the pet Lover of your Dreams.’

Charlotte who has been married for 5 years, has been often asked how she met her great, cute, and loving husband?  How with her menagerie of cats, dogs, and birds did she manage to find someone to fall in love with, who will also love and deal with her fur children?  After years of telling people how she did it, about 6 months ago she decided to host a class to help others find the pet lover of their lives.

If you are in the pet industry or just the every day dog owner who loves to go to different pet events with your pup, chances are you run into the same crowd all the time.  Charlotte found that to be true for herself, and started going to different places like toastmaster events, (loaded with men, by the way), going to networking events outside of her pet profession and started to meet a lot of different and interesting men.  She would not have normally met, say at the dog park or the gym.  Places most of us are told to look! 

Charlotte stresses, that she always makes sure she looks her best, whether it is in a designer outfit or cute shoes from Payless – and too look good in any situation.  She said, “If you’re going to the dog park in your sweats, you may be less likely to connect with the cute guy across the park when he is dressed to impress.”  The point, when you look good you feel good about yourself and you exude confidence which is attractive to those around you.

The same goes for online dating, put a great and recent picture of yourself – you want to look your best and give your best impression online also.  On a first date, you can mention you own a pet, but keep it short don’t scare away your date with horror stories of your last visit to the vet or that your dog threw up earlier, really not sexy or attractive!

“Have realistic expectations if you have a pet, while you are searching for the person you are dating.  And know the type of person you are and who you are looking for,” said Charlotte Reed.

Make a list of who you are, what your likes are, passionate about, what you do and make one of who you would like to find – your ‘must haves’ in a mate.  But, and this is key, make sure you stack up to your own must haves in your list.  Charlotte said, “Think about it you are expecting a buff guy who has a great body and works out, but you don’t or someone who is sweet, kind and caring and maybe you’re a little selfish – how do you stack up to your own wish list?”

An interesting point that maybe not a lot of people think of when searching for that Pet Lover of their dreams!

Another great point was to be proactive in your dating life.  If you are looking for a mate, but use your pet as an excuse, say I can’t go to that event because of my cat needs to eat or I have to walk the dog – then you may not ever meet the love of your life.  There are lots of pet sitters in New York City that can help take care of your cat while you’re at a new event meeting new people.

Charlotte put it well, “Owning a pet as a lifestyle choice – don’t use your pet as an excuse not to go out. If you want to meet somebody – put the time in.”

The class was jam packed with great information for any singleton pet owner looking to find love.  Lucky for you, Charlotte will be hosting a 5 city tour with her class this fall in the following cities: Atlanta; San Diego; Chicago; New York City; San Francisco and maybe Boston too.  Attendees were also very happy to leave with a goody bag loaded with pet products from:  the Animal Medical Center; Bissell; Hugs Pet Products; Hartz; Wag.com and World’s Best Cat Litter.

And how did Charlotte meet her Executive Chef of a husband? On a TV set of a news show they were both on that day.  So you never know where you may meet the love of your life.

For more information on Charlotte Reed or the next class in a city near you go to www.charlottereed.com.

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