Research from Agria Pet Insurance discovered that more than half (56 per cent) of Brits surveyed fell in love with their pet within just half an hour. However, nearly a quarter (20 per cent) said it had taken up to six months to decide that their partner was "the one".

According to a new study, it takes just 30 minutes to fall in love with a pet, compared to six months to fall in love with a partner.

Four in ten (40 percent) of those polled said they would describe the moment they met their pet as love at first sight, while only 16 per cent could say the same about their other half.

It's not surprising that so many of us believe in love at first sight as most dog lovers know that feeling when we meet a dog and our heart just melts.

"One of the reasons we have such a great relationship with our dogs is because of the unconditional love that they are so good at giving – and that we so often don't get from others in our lives.Statistically speaking, the relationship we have with our dogs is more likely to last longer than our marriages, and so choosing our canine partner wisely couldn't be more important for a long and happy life together, as is responsible dog ownership.

The survey of 2,000 pet owners found that 53 per cent of people cuddle up with their pet on the sofa yet only 36 per cent would snuggle up with their other half. In fact, more than a quarter said they would actually prefer to share their bed with their pooch rather than their partner.