"Although arranged marriages are bad these days, our little dog is at the age to settle down and start a family. I hope my other half is: fully vaccinated and regularly dewormed. You can send photos to my mom for approval, or we can play together to build a relationship first..."
Zhang Weini, a post-2000s girl, posted an "online dating ad" for her Teddy dog on Xiaohongshu. In the post, she detailed the pet's name, gender, breed, hobbies, household registration, and even listed its "assets." On other platforms such as Xianyu and Douban, pet owners' diverse and varied pet dating posts have collectively formed a unique "dating corner."
Nowadays, many young pet owners treat their pets like children. From daily feeding and care to veterinary checkups, every step makes them realize the challenges of parenthood, and caring about their furry friends' lifelong happiness has become one of their responsibilities. As a result, a matchmaking market for pets to find mates is quietly emerging.
Online romance brings couples together, making a dog's life more complete.
The rise of the pet matchmaking market originated from the explosive growth of China's pet market in recent years.
According to the "2025 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumer Report)," the number of pets reached 124 million in 2024. Not only have more people started pets, but with the advent of scientific pet care, pet owners are also more willing to spend money. From diet to grooming, pet owners are trying to improve their pets' quality of life in every aspect.
At the same time, the importance of pet spaying/neutering is gradually being recognized by more people, and many owners are taking their pets to the hospital for surgery. However, some owners hope that their pets can have a complete "dog life" experience, just as Zhang Weini wrote in her dating profile for her pet "Diudiu": "I hope my little dog can experience a complete dog life before he/she has an egg."
Like Zhang Weini, many pet owners are also using online dating platforms to find partners for their pets. Taking Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) as an example, the hashtag #PetDating# alone has garnered over ten million views, and its popularity continues to rise. Furthermore, according to the "Xianyu Side Hustle Industry Report," approximately 3 million people nationwide use Xianyu to find partners for their pets each year. In addition, Jingzhe Research Institute found on Xianyu's official website that in Shanghai alone, over 500 users posted related "pet dating" threads within 14 days, covering various breeds of pets.
Interestingly, there are currently few specialized apps and mini-programs dedicated to the "pet matchmaking" field, resulting in the traffic and activity of "matchmaking" or "breeding" related functions in existing pet products being far lower than those of comprehensive platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Xianyu.
Furthermore, the Jingzhe Research Institute also found that, in order to ensure the breeding of healthy and high-quality offspring, many pet owners often conduct rigorous screening and evaluation from multiple dimensions when choosing a mate for their pets. Zhang Weini clearly stated: "Health is the primary consideration, after all, healthy genes are essential for laying a good foundation for new life. Secondly, breed matters; offspring from similar breeds will be more likely to meet expectations in appearance and characteristics. Finally, temperament is important; dogs with gentle temperaments are more likely to have offspring with similarly unpleasant personalities, and such pets will get along better with people."
Xiao Xin, a 95-year-old woman working in Shanghai, shares a similar idea with Zhang Weini: "I have a long-haired golden shaded female dog. I plan to find a boyfriend of similar social standing, have a litter, and then get her neutered. Initially, I saw a post on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) about pet matchmaking, and I was curious, so I searched for it and found that many people had the same idea. So, I joined a matchmaking group. After joining, I was told to fill out a form, which included information such as region, breed, certificates, and photos. The whole process seemed very standardized, which made me feel quite reliable," Xiao Xin said.
However, Xiaoxin also said that it is not easy to find a suitable "in-law" in a group of hundreds of people. "I have been paying attention to the posts of other parents since I joined the group, but strangely, after filling in the form, there was no follow-up. Maybe no one wants their pets to have an online romance. No parents in the group contacted me. Although everyone is talking about pets, almost no one is looking for a spouse online. So I feel that this is not a simple matchmaking group, but a friendship group."
“Just like our parents choose partners for us, pet owners also have high requirements for their future spouses. I tried to communicate with a potential partner, but I felt that they weren’t very proactive, so I stopped talking to them,” Xiaoxin told Jingzhe Research Institute. She explained that because the threshold for pet matchmaking is relatively high, owners have strict requirements for the health, pedigree, and personality of their pets, resulting in a low success rate for pairings.
Zhang Weini also told Jingzhe Research Institute, "There is indeed a hierarchy of disdain in pet matchmaking. Many people psychologically look down on mixed-breed pets or pets with average appearance." This mentality makes the pet matchmaking process more complicated. Despite the high demand, it is fraught with difficulties in practice. Many pet owners often need to invest a lot of time and energy in finding a mate for their furry friends, but may end up with nothing.
True love is hard to find, even pets need a "matchmaker".
The difficulties of online matching have not dampened the enthusiasm of pet owners; on the contrary, they have fueled a booming trend of "offline matchmaking." From online dating to offline meetings, a series of new consumption scenarios and business models surrounding "pet matchmaking" are gradually forming a complete ecosystem that integrates online and offline channels.
In its article, "Can Pet Socializing Open Up New Offline Consumption Scenarios?", Jingzhe Research Institute mentioned that more and more pet owners are paying attention to their pets' social needs and are carefully planning their pets' "social lives" as if they were children. Pet matchmaking events have already become a common form of "pet socializing" in many cities.
Every weekend, Valentine's Day, Qixi Festival, and other holidays, various themed matchmaking events organized by pet product brands, training institutions, or enthusiast groups emerge in large numbers and become increasingly diverse in form, from simple offline meetings to themed parties, fun competitions, and customized weddings, providing pet owners and their pets with more opportunities for interaction and choice.
Zhang Jinnan, founder of the Cool Claw Special Agent Dog Training Academy in Chunshanli, Jizhou, Tianjin, told Jingzhe Research Institute that in addition to regularly holding outdoor adventure training courses and health training salons, they also launch pet matchmaking parties. "Regular offline events can promote face-to-face communication between pets and owners, further clarifying pet owners' needs and understanding of pet pairing, and increasing the success rate of pairing. In addition, as the organizer, we generally provide professional consultation services, working with veterinarians, behavior instructors, nutritionists and other relevant personnel to provide comprehensive guidance and consultation services."
"This month we also launched a new pet matchmaking event. Tickets are priced at 99.9 yuan and include a gift bag, fresh pet food, afternoon tea, and a ski pass. The event starts at 12 noon. After a brief icebreaker, the matchmaking session begins. Through interactive games, the pets can get to know each other in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. If a pet successfully finds a match, we will also give them a photo certificate."
However, Zhang Jinnan also revealed that since pet owners who actively arrange blind dates for their pets are still a minority, and pet owners generally pay attention to the compatibility of breeds, it is inevitable that "blind dates fail and in the end, the pets can only become 'friend dogs'."
The Jingzhe Research Institute further learned that although the demand for pet matchmaking is constantly growing, many pet owners are also troubled by problems such as poor online communication and low efficiency in offline interactions. Against this backdrop, finding a reliable intermediary has become a growing need for pet owners. As a result, many pet shelters and agencies have keenly seized the business opportunity and begun to act as "pet matchmaking agencies."
To meet the urgent needs of pet owners for their pets to reproduce, many pet kennels and pet agencies have launched "breeding services." These services typically involve kennels leveraging their resources to provide suitable male or female breeding partners for a fee per instance. During the breeding process, some agencies provide professional guidance to ensure a smooth mating. After successful pairing, some agencies also offer value-added services such as "premarital checkups" and "wedding ceremonies."
It is worth noting that "breeding" services may become part of the gray industry chain of "backyard pets". In the article "I Spent 8,000 Yuan to Buy a Backyard Cat", Jingzhe Research Institute mentioned that some irregular cat and dog breeders sell "backyard pets" to consumers for the considerable profits brought by "expensive breed" pets. However, these pets usually do not live more than a week due to congenital genetic defects or diseases, leaving pet owners who have spent a lot of money on medical treatment "losing both their pets and their money".
However, judging from parents' enthusiasm and industry cooperation, while the "pet matchmaking" service is controversial, demand is constantly growing. Meanwhile, from online to offline, from traffic pools to professional services, the pet matchmaking market is undergoing a transformation from its nascent stage to maturity. This process has not only spawned new consumption scenarios and business models but also brought more possibilities to the pet industry.
The various behaviors of pet owners seeking partners for their pets demonstrate that pet matchmaking has gradually evolved from a fun activity into a niche market with considerable commercial value. Coupled with the continued expansion of the pet-owning population, the increasing emotional investment of the younger generation in their pets, and their stronger willingness to spend, this has laid a solid market foundation for pet matchmaking.
"Fondant Cake is a Yorkshire Terrier," who spent 30,000 yuan on a wedding for her pets, told Jingzhe Research Institute, "Dogs are like my family, and I will do my best to give them the best." This pet wedding included venue decoration, wedding planning, photography and videography, and wedding favors, and its level of detail is comparable to that of a human wedding.
According to the person in charge of Xiamen Xilaiwu Wedding Customization (hereinafter referred to as "Xiamen Xilaiwu"), which planned this "dog wedding", a successful pet wedding requires creativity, attention to detail and execution, all of which are indispensable. "We will provide full-process services from theme design to implementation. In the early stage, we will communicate with the owner to understand the pet's interests, the place where they met, and other relevant information, and then combine the actual situation to design the scene and plan the wedding process."
To make pet weddings more ceremonial and memorable, Xiamen Xilaiwu also designed a series of unique activities such as exchanging rings and creating a paw print marriage certificate. At the same time, the person in charge emphasized that the pets' feelings are very important during the service process: "We will pay extra attention to avoid any aspects that might make the pets uncomfortable, ensuring a smooth experience throughout the entire wedding."
Regarding market development, the head of Xiamen Xilaiwu believes that "the pet wedding market is currently in a transitional stage from its infancy to its growth stage, and its development prospects are full of unlimited possibilities." The head further explained, "The core reason for the rise of the pet wedding market lies in the deep affection young people have for their pets. Many clients have told us that holding a wedding for their furry friends is like fulfilling their own dream of becoming parents."
To help pet owners realize their dreams, the head of Xiamen Xilaiwu stated that they will launch more themed services in the future, such as Hanfu-themed pet weddings and space-themed sci-fi weddings. In addition, the team is also developing pet anniversary services and "pet + owner" parent-child themed parties, allowing furry friends to witness their owners' important moments.
It's easy to see that pet owners view their pets as family members, fostering a strong demand for ritualistic and personalized experiences in "pet life." This has injected continuous momentum into the pet matchmaking market, driving it towards a more high-end and refined direction. Simultaneously, it has also provided new avenues and opened up new markets for industries that originally catered to human clients, such as wedding planning and photography.
In fact, the rise of pet dating, while seemingly a ritual for pets, reflects modern people's emphasis on emotional value. The younger generation, by finding mates and holding weddings for their pets, is, to some extent, filling an emotional void in their lives. This consumer behavior marks a shift in the pet economy from a functional to an emotional one.
This trend has not only spawned a new consumer market but also brought unlimited business opportunities to related industries. It is foreseeable that, with the continued rise of the pet economy, the pet matchmaking market will continue to expand its boundaries, and pet weddings may no longer be just a novel experience for a niche group, but will gradually evolve into a new paradigm of emotional consumption, bringing more possibilities to the industry.
