Married New York pet owners prefer puppies more than companions

Every morning, a four-year-old mother, Elsie Gonzalez, rolled over in bed, stroking her lifelong love.

That would be her 1 year old Maltipoo Pooch, Massimo, who was filled with fluffy furs – from office to France, and even the bathroom.

“I didn’t give my husband, Alex, a kiss, but woke up and gave Massimo all the kisses,” Elsie, 44, a divorce lawyer from Jersey City, New Jersey, told The Post. “We were the same before we went to bed at night.”

If Alex looks at his little love from his wife (even on her wedding anniversary), he is barking the wrong tree.

“If I had got this dog before I got married, my husband probably didn’t exist.”

She and Massimo are the same Dog The game of heaven. But for Alex, the boy second only to the furry bundles (he and Elsie) called his “Arch Nemesis” – can really bite.

Last year, when his job invited him to travel to Paris, he wanted his bride to work with the bride’s romantic party, Alex found himself the third round of the Gay Paree trip between Elsie and Massimo and Massimo.

“I do love my husband,” Elsey insisted. “But he knew that if I couldn’t bring that dog, I wouldn’t go to Paris.”

Poor guy Alex joked about his posts he learned to deal with the “pain” on Elsie’s list.

But this is the pain many pet parents are forced to endure. The bond between animal owners and their four-legged baby is the bond that competes with flames in most romantic relationships.

In fact, researchers from the University of Kent in the UK have found the psychological benefits of comparing a furry partner to someone with human honey.

“Pets enhance human life satisfaction and are similar to family and friends’ well-being … to some extent, they can even replace these,” the authors of the March 2025 study wrote.

Experts explain: “Pets seem to be of great value to human caregivers and can meet with … regularly, or even marry with friends and relatives.”

The furry discovery echoes previous Doggo data, which shows that 30% of millennials, aged 27 to 42, usually prefer pets over companions if they are aware of kittens or preference for puppies.

The truth is, 29-year-old Misha Belle has no bones in her French bulldog, Winston.

“To be fair, I have Winston before my husband had Winston,” Bell, a newly-married Long Islander, told The Post. “So, he is my first love.”

The recent bride is a lifestyle influencer and “Dog Momager” who runs a Winston social media account and tied to her husband Mike in September after her 7-year-old Bowwow of course gave him accredited lick.

“My husband has never had a dog before, so they spent some time getting used to each other,” said Mike and Winston’s Belle. “But I remember the first time I saw them hugging each other and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, it will work.'”

For her, Winston was the “top model” of Puppywood, who starred in campaigns like Petco, not just a pet.

He is like a person.

“I swear he’s not even a dog,” Bell said as he fought back tears. “He really knows me better than I know.”

Gary, the husband and father of Chelsea’s two children, has a similar symbiotic relationship with his golden retriever Marley.

“I love my family, but they aren’t always that easy,” said Gary, 30, who chose not to share his last name for privacy purposes. “Marley is always easy.”

“If I had a tough day, I could put my head on Marley’s shoulders because he’s the one who makes me happy for a reason,” continued the proud dog dad, adding that his golden boy was crowned the “best looking dog in the world” in the canine competition.

Gary is indomitable with his loyalty and status, and Gary’s 7-year-old Marley spoils his wife Susan with top treatment.

Gary smiled and said, “Like my wife and I love each other, the guy I want to hug.”

He often laughs at Susan for being “jealous” about himself and Marley’s fanaticism, witnessed by the dog’s more than 2 million social media followers. Before sailing out the door, Gary hugged, rubbed and kissed his hound bye bye and threw his bride peace sign with a viral vid.