# Would You Swipe Right on Your Dog?
**Answer up-front:** According to a brand-new MetLife survey, **31 percent of pet owners who tried the latest TikTok “humanize my pet” craze say they’d actually date the AI-generated version of their animal.**
Sound wild? Keep reading—because the numbers check out, but some of the back-story you’ve seen on social media doesn’t.
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## The Viral Trend That Turned Fluffy Into “Frankie From Finance”
In April 2025 TikTok feeds exploded with side-by-side photos: a Shiba Inu in one frame, a dapper twenty-something in a hoodie on the other. Users were uploading pet pictures to ChatGPT’s new image tool and asking it to “turn my dog into a human.”
* Multiple outlets—from the New York Post to Newsweek—documented the fad. ([proof](https://nypost.com/2025/04/14/lifestyle/people-are-utilizing-chatgpt-to-turn-their-dogs-into-humans/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
* The AI renders were so charismatic that a third of viewers admitted they’d date their digital doggie doppelgänger.
That headline figure is **real**, straight from MetLife’s May 2025 poll of 1,000 U.S. pet owners. But the deeper you dig, the twistier the story gets.
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## What the Survey Really Says
MetLife’s questionnaire went far beyond the swipe-right shock value. Here are the **verified** highlights, all lifted word-for-word from the insurer’s own blog post ([source](https://www.metlifepetinsurance.com/if-your-pet-were-human/)):
* **34 % of Millennials** and **33 % of Gen X/Boomers** said, “Sure, I’d date my pet’s human twin.”
* **Gen Z? Only 24 %.** Apparently Zoomers draw the line somewhere.
* **39 %** confessed their pet—if magically human—would be a “walking red flag.”
* **87 %** would dump a dream apartment if it banned pets.
* **77 %** believe their animal offers better emotional support than their last romantic partner.
Every percentage above checks out against the public methodology MetLife posted.
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## The Claim That Needed a Closer Look
The original article pinned today’s intense pet‐parent bonds squarely on the COVID-19 lockdown, claiming “animal experts believe this is a side effect of quarantine.” The truth is **messier**:
* Peer-reviewed studies do show pets eased loneliness during isolation.
* But researchers report **mixed or modest changes** in long-term attachment levels. (See analyses in *Human–Animal Interaction Bulletin* and *Frontiers in Veterinary Science*.)
So, yes, the pandemic mattered—but saying it single-handedly explains our willingness to romance Rover is **only partly supported**.
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## A Quote We Can’t Fully Verify
The original story also featured “Elsie, a divorce attorney from Jersey City,” who allegedly kisses her Maltipoo before her husband. The New York Post article profiling Elsie exists (pay-walled), yet the exact wording is hidden behind that paywall. Until someone hands over the full text, consider that anecdote **unconfirmed** rather than disproved.
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## Why Are We So Smitten With Our Pets Anyway?
A 2025 paper in *Social Indicators Research* tried to put a price tag on the happiness pets deliver: up to **£70,000 a year** in life-satisfaction terms—**“similar to being married,”** the authors wrote. ([link](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-025-03574-1))
Think of it this way: your dog may not split the mortgage, but emotionally, the relationship can feel as valuable as a human partnership. No wonder some people look at that AI portrait and think, *Yeah, I could fall for those eyes.*
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## Verified vs. Needs-More-Digging
| 💡 **Solid Facts** | 🤔 **Still Murky** |
|--------------------|--------------------|
| TikTok/ChatGPT “human pet” trend exists. | Exact quote from “Elsie” behind paywall. |
| 31 % dating-interest figure & all survey stats. | Pandemic as *primary* driver of attachment—evidence mixed. |
| Pets’ life-satisfaction value rivals marriage (2025 study). | Long-term psychological impact of AI pet humanization. |
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## The Bigger Picture
Dating an AI clone of your cocker spaniel is, for now, hypothetical fun—no wedding venues are taking “dog-groom” reservations. Yet the survey numbers spotlight a genuine cultural shift:
* Pets are edging closer to “life partner” territory emotionally.
* Gen Z, often painted as tech-obsessed, is actually **least** likely to cross the dating line—suggesting the trope of “lonely young people in love with AI” may be overstated.
* Brands and app developers see opportunity: imagine matchmaking platforms where you and your pup’s AI avatar meet other owner–pet pairs. Far-fetched? So was FaceTiming your cat ten years ago.
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## Bottom Line
Yes—**roughly one in three** Americans exposed to the trend say they’d date their pet’s AI persona, and almost **nine in ten** would sacrifice dream housing for their four-legged companion. Those figures are real, not clickbait.
But before we declare a national romance epidemic with canine cyborgs, remember: the “COVID caused it” narrative is only half-right, and some sensational quotes remain unverified. As always, love—whether human, hound, or hologram—deserves a healthy dose of fact-checking.
*Reporting by [Your Name], with sources open for inspection so you can pet them yourself.*
