The great dog experiment

If a dog is a man's best friend, does that mean a dog is a woman's best friend when it comes to meeting a man?

I decided to put this question to the test.

I'm not sure if this is exactly what my friend Annelle had in mind when she asked me to dog sit for the week. But I figured since I have to walk the dog every day, why not turn it into a social experiment?

I want to find out if having a dog by your side makes a difference when it comes to meeting men. In theory, it seems like a no-brainer. A dog is a natural icebreaker. You can easily strike up a conversation with its owner. Just pet the dog, ask its name and go from there.

All I had to do was put my four-legged wingman on a leash and let him work his magic. Over the past few days, Dougall and I have logged half a dozen hours walking up and down Main Street, across Queen Elizabeth Park, through the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood and over every patch of grass in between.

Dougall has attracted lots of attention. But not the kind I was hoping for. Women and children can't resist cooing over him. Unfortunately, the number of men who have stopped to pet him remains at zero.

It's not for lack of trying. I think Dougall knows I'm using him as a babe magnet and he is doing his part to hook me up. On one walk, he pretended to chase a squirrel down a driveway where a hot, shirtless guy was washing his car.

On another walk, a cute guy was sitting at a bus stop with bags of groceries at his feet. As we passed by, Dougall stopped and stuck his head deep into one of the bags as if it were his own personal feed sack.

But the bus stop boy seemed annoyed, rather than charmed, by Dougall's deviousness.

The experiment is failing. Judging by the amount of women who stop to pat Dougall's head, using a dog to meet people would be a great idea for a guy. It just doesn't seem to work in reverse.