“How adorable! May I pet him?”

Ok you naughty types, mind out of the gutter please. The above quote is in regards to another great place to meet single and available men (much like myself). The local pet store. Now, significant caution must be applied here. Any decent pet store will have some sort of adoption section where you can interact with multiple animals all seeking a loving home. Being a cat lover, its tough to ignore. My advice, stay out of that section, at least until you see someone you just can’t resist sinking your claws into.

A large pet store like Petsmart is a great place to go initially. They actually encourage their patrons to bring their pets in while shopping. Seriously ladies, what better opportunity to initiate a comfortable conversation with a man than to ask permission to pet his little/big critter? A man caring for his pet can be a good indicator of stability and caring. Especially if they are playfully interacting with their pet. Your body language plays a lot into this whole encounter. First, if you kneel down and start to pet his dog/cat/iguana, he is likely going to kneel beside or across from you, which pretty much puts you both close proximity, and at equal eye level. Also, by kneeling down beside the pet, you take on a less aggressive pose that can very quickly lower his anxiety of suddenly having to present himself in some formal fashion in effort to best advertise himself. Best-case scenario, the conversation can lead to an invitation to join him and his pet at the park. Worst case, the man has worse breath than his pet.

If you are really into some creepy stuff, hang out in the reptile section with the snakes, spiders and lizards. If nothing else, it’s a nice place to warm up with the heat lamps and all.

My self I own a cat, so it’s not very likely you will see me leading her around a store. And, while I have determined that there is nothing really sexy about me toting bags of cat liter under each arm, nothing prevents me from pursuing the aquatic section prior. Most guys, to include myself, don’t really make it a habit of hanging out in a pet store, BUT, it’s all about creating opportunities to approach and/or be approach by another with similar interests.

The last point associated with initiating discussions with men in pet stores is that most men won’t have a prepared relationship cover story. In the bar scene, the guy knows to avoid any mention of his girlfriend or wife (assuming that there is one). In the pet store, when talking about a pet, the sentences “my girlfriend” or “my wife” is usually unconsciously disclosed very quickly, leaving you to quickly tuck your tail and scoot without further heavy petting.

Feedback please.