Lexicon ·
dogfishing
noun, also verb (to dogfish)
- Stated meaning
- Posing on a dating profile with a dog that is not yours.
- Operating meaning
- A borrowed character reference, with four legs, that cannot be asked a follow-up question.
- Origin
- In print by August 2019, in the Washington Post. Cambridge Dictionary entered it in March 2026, citing an Irish magazine.
In August 2019 the Washington Post (opens in a new window) described daters “posting photos of pups they don’t own, to attract matches.” It weighed the offence carefully: “‘Dogfishing’ is not exactly a lie - the person did take a photo with that dog - but to some daters, it feels like a veiled form of deception.” A dating coach in the article reduced the remedy to four words: “Stop borrowing dogs.” Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new window) entered the word in March 2026: “using a photo of you with someone else’s dog in your profile on dating apps to make yourself seem more attractive to potential partners.”
The market supplied the motive. A pet-care company, Scripps News reported (opens in a new window), “found that 60% of those surveyed (1,000 people) prefer dating profiles with dog photos, while 83% of online daters believe that these pics can increase matches.” A photograph that most people believe works will be taken by people who have no dog to take it with.
Under load, the dog does work the profile cannot. It vouches for patience, a routine and someone home by 6, and it does so without words, as a reference from a party who cannot be called. The reference holds until the date, where the first easy question is the dog’s name. The answer arrives a beat late, and the beat is the whole discrepancy.