People Who Had To Choose Their Pet Over Their Partner Reveal How It All Went (35 Pics)

Holly Sizemore, Chief Mission Officer at Best Friends Animal Society, told Bored Panda that shelter and animal welfare workers have pretty much heard every random story on why people give up their pets. "Occasionally, there are reasons like 'Oh, we got a new couch and now the dog's fur doesn't match it' or 'the cat hisses at my boyfriend every time he comes over and he's offended' but these random and quite frankly, nutty, reasons are rare," Sizemore said.

Most people, according to her, cite having to give up their pet due to having 'too many animals' and 'housing issues', situations that often result in a homeless pet and a heartbroken family. If you're interested, here's a comprehensive article and data analysis on the most common reasons why people surrender their animals.

Luckily, Sizemore said that some couples are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain both their relationship and their pets. "We also hear a lot about how potential romantic partners stand no chance unless they show interest in and are 'approved of' by a pet," Sizemore added. "I know of a story where a couple who fell in love and wanted to get married were instrumental in changing their local town's archaic and overbroad pet-limit law. They each had 2 dogs and wanted to marry and move into the same household with their 4 dogs, but the pet limit in their town was 2 cats and 2 dogs in total (despite no evidence showing that limiting the number of pets/species per household creates more responsible pet owners or fewer nuisances in a community. Cruelty, nuisance, and negligence laws are the best tools to tackle legitimate pet-related issues). For this couple, the thought of giving up any of their furry beloved family members was unacceptable, so they helped get their local community to repeal the outdated pet limit law."

"I also know of another couple who chose to live in separate households because one had cats and one had dogs that really wanted to eat the cats. The woman in this couple joked that the pets (and really maintaining separate households) was the secret to their very happy relationship."

There have also been very interesting studies on the subject. A survey carried out by Rover.com, for example, found that 60% of couple owners said that bringing up a dog together made their relationship stronger. But that's not all. Half of the participants said their canines had helped them spend quality time together, as a couple.

Which, when you think about it, is understandable. Around 88% of those surveyed also said that raising a dog requires teamwork and 65% agreed that trust is needed, too. Both are important factors for a thriving relationship, so constantly working on these attributes is bound to produce valuable results for the couple's everyday life as well.

Sizemore reminded people that there may be occasional legitimate reasons to ask someone to give up their pet for you. "Say for instance, if you were deathly allergic to cats and could not be around them without risking anaphylactic shock. However, anyone worth their salt as a romantic partner would never make such a request unless it was absolutely necessary and unless there was a clear positive alternative for the pet and their partner (maybe the cat is very much loved by the next-door neighbor who would happily give a great home to the kitty)."

"Bottom line, despite all the love and joy pets give us, they aren't without occasional challenges," Sizemore highlighted. "Most challenges, whether linked to a romance or not, can be mitigated by a little research, veterinarian, and/or animal trainer or behaviorist. Occasionally, rehoming a pet is in everyone's best interest, including the pet. And, sometimes it's best to rehome the romance."

For more information on pet care, take a look at all the resources provided by animal experts at Best Friends.