Leeds locals discuss their pets and partners

With Valentine’s Day not too far away, a new survey has found that many of us prefer our pets to our partner - but who are the loves in your life?

Transcript

00:00 Well I'd have to put my partner Jane first, that would be stupid not to.

00:03 We had a pet called Jamie who we lost last year. We had a love-hate relationship with Jamie.

00:08 He could eat his way out of a metal cage, so he was a strong dog, a staffy dog.

00:12 And if you left him at home he would get into the fridge, eat all the contents.

00:16 I mean he was a rascal. So when they go they leave a big hole.

00:20 But definitely not above my partner or my family, because if I said that now, it wouldn't work well.

00:27 I have had a pet before. I had a dog for 13 years. I haven't had one now since 2015.

00:32 Don't intend to have any more pets. Don't have a significant other in my life at the moment.

00:38 Do want to have love in my life, yes I do still feel optimistic about it.

00:43 For me it's I want to have another human being in my life.

00:46 Yes dogs and animals and pets have their place,

00:49 but it's not the same as having someone in your life to share things and to share your experiences.

00:54 The last time I got a Valentine's can, it was a joke one at that,

00:58 an homemade one by a fellow college student a long time ago.

01:02 She had a dog, that's about the nearest I can get with that.

01:06 But when my daughter lived with me, it's good, quite a long time ago now,

01:10 we had two cats that I really liked and I missed them when she left home and took them with her.

01:15 They used to wake me up in the morning. They were good mates.

01:19 My big love of my life is my daughter. She's called Alessia.

01:24 And we used to have a dog, she called Mia, but she passed away two years ago.

01:32 Still very hurt. So the pet is sometimes more, gives more love than the people.

01:40 So I can't have another dog because it's still hurt, so I can't cope with this again.

01:49 But now we have a cat, he's called Shark, and here we go, this is the family.

01:55 I'm an international student. I've got no pet here, but I've got a pet back home.

01:58 Yeah, and I love my pet. It gives like connection between the two.

02:03 There's chemistry between me and my pet. It's a dog, actually.

02:06 I love it. Her name is Lucy. Shout out to Lucy. And I hope I meet her soon.

02:13 I've got a dog called Tia, and I've got a cat called Molly. I've had my dog seven years.

02:23 She's been very loyal to me, and she's loyal to my friends.

02:29 She's a good house dog, and my cat's lovely.

02:35 I think we do need somebody in our life. We should be sharing our lives with other people.

02:40 So yeah, I'm still all for love. Valentine's Day, not so fussed about that date.

02:45 It should be more about what you do all year round. It should be specific to one day.

02:49 So yeah, I think it's a good thing. But pets have their place,

02:55 but my pet would have come before my partner. My partner is my person. They come first.