Are Dogs Better Listeners than Spouses?

That could be why a third of pet-owning married women said their pets are better listeners than their husbands, according to a new poll from The AP-Petside.com. It seems when men are “in the doghouse,” dogs are in the therapist’s chair.

But women are not out of the doghouse. Eighteen percent of pet-owning married men said pets are better listeners than their wives.

Dogs are the pet therapist of choice. One-quarter (25%) of dog owners said their canines listened better than a spouse, while only 14% chose cats.

Overall, the poll found that one in 10 pet owners like to talk their problems over with their pets, which included mostly cats and dogs but also a wide range of other pets.

“As much as we love our spouses or significant others, sometimes they are not there, sometimes they have their own thoughts about how we should deal with situations,” veterinarian Karen Sueda told the Associated Press. “And sometimes, especially when it’s a husband or male significant other, they want to solve the problem rather than just listening to the problem.”

GfK Custom Research North America conducted the telephone poll April 7 to 12 among 1,112 pet owners age 18 or older.