On Internet Dating

When looking for a partner, or even a date, people can search for someone appealing on internet sites: sometimes rewarding; sometimes discouraging. Like the young woman looking for men who are tall, good-looking, good income, good personality. What about honest, intelligent, kind, sincere?

            Looking for a dog is similar. Dog rescue sites, mainly discouraging, I find. There’s an art to responding to rejection, when the only cause is someone else got there first. Not an overwhelming number of homeless dogs around. Lots of actively bored cattle dogs, actively determined huskies, actively mischievous staffies with various crosses of these, but what if something sweet and fluffy would be more suitable? Gone already!

            Or am I like the buyer at the slave market in classical antiquity, ‘I’ve seen enough Caucasians; I’d rather have a Gaul.’    Stereotypes were big in the ancient world (‘all Cretans are liars’) and I’ve just stereotyped a whole set of dogs. Maybe the most charming and desirable dogs rarely find themselves in dog rescue shelters.

            Is the answer to go somewhere and look someone in the eye? Eye to eye can’t be stereotyped. Surely the virtues of patience and resilience are developed on internet searches.