When you and your dog start to look like each other, is that the sign of a close, healthy relationship? Or does it just mean that the two of you are spending way too much time together?
Whichever way you lean on the issue, it’s clear that it happens. According to The Atlantic Magazine, there’s even science behind it. In an article covering the phenomenon, Sarah Yager wrote this week that “Researchers around the world have repeatedly found that strangers can match photos of dogs with photos of their owners at a rate well above chance.”
The Today show took the idea and turned science into something cute and charming by bringing five owners and their pets to New York to model their similarities for the nation. David Frei, who co-hosts the USA Network’s broadcast of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, did the judging of which owner and pet looked most alike. You have to admire their moxie; while most people think that other people start to look like their pets, very few are willing to admit that they have started to share physical characteristics with their beloved Labradoodle. Even in dog-loving circles, telling someone that they look like their dog may very well be a faux pas.
So how true is the Doggie Doppleganger theory? The Today broadcast at least gives us a chance to do some casual testing. The website includes pictures of all five owner-dog pairings and gives you the chance to vote for the one that you think looks the most alike.
And then, there’s the important questions: Do you think that you and your dog look alike? Do you think that you will, given time? And if so, is it something you’d admit in public?
