Ask These 8 First-Date Questions for an Animal-Friendly Relationship

Posted by Calvin on August 19, 2024

If you’re single and ready to mingle, it can sometimes be hard to figure out if the hottie you’re flirting with shares your animal-friendly values. 🤔 But what better time to find out than on your first date? Here are eight first-date questions you can ask to see if they care about animals:

1. “What would you do if you saw an animal in need of help?”

You def deserve to date a compassionate individual who’d help anyone in need—regardless of their species. If your date wouldn’t hesitate to help an animal, that’s a great sign that they’d make other animal-friendly decisions, too.

2. “Do you view your animal companion as a family member?”

You’re looking for an easy answer: “Yes.” We should all treat our animal companions as beloved members of our families. They’re individuals with their own thoughts and feelings—just like our parents, siblings, or cousins. Treating them as anything less is a huge red flag.

3. “What do you think of SeaWorld?”

Keeping animals in tanks, denying them everything that’s natural and important to them, and forcing them to perform is extremely cruel. Ideally, your date agrees and doesn’t support SeaWorld. If they do have a positive view of SeaWorld, don’t be afraid to politely tell them why you’re boycotting the company.

4. “Did you adopt your animal companion?”

Buying an animal from a pet store or breeder just means another animal will be bred to replace them while a homeless one misses out on getting adopted. 😟 But if your date did buy their animal companion, maybe they didn’t realize the harm. If you explain it to them and they understand why it’s important to adopt, not shop, they can prob open their mind to other animal-friendly points of view.

5. “Do you fish or hunt?”

You’re looking for an easy “no” here. All animals—whether they’re fish, deer, or bears—can feel pain and want to pursue their own interests. Seriously hurting or killing animals and tearing their families apart is a sick form of entertainment that’s never fun for them.

6. “Do you buy cruelty-free products?”

Some companies test their products by rubbing them into the eyes and onto the bare skin of rabbits and other animals who spend their entire lives locked in laboratory cages. Testing on animals is cruel and pointless. If your date buys products that are cruelty-free (not tested on animals), that’s a sign that they’re thoughtful about the impact they have on animals. 🥰

7. “Have you ever tried [insert your fave vegan restaurant]?”

Just to be clear, it’s totally fine if your date has never tried your fave spot. You just wouldn’t want to hear them say something like, “Eww! Why would I eat at a vegan restaurant?” 😑 The important thing is to see if they’re open to checking it out and not hostile to the idea of vegan food.

8. “What do you think about my being an animal advocate?”

You want someone who respects you and the issues you care about. If your date responds positively to this question, you’ll know they agree that being kind to animals is a great characteristic.

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If the person you want to date isn’t already vegan, that doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker—it gives you a great chance to introduce them to the animal-friendly lifestyle! Check out our tips for making this type of relationship work.