There's a website that matches you with the perfect dog or cat suited to your personality

It isn't easy finding the right one. Whether it's a life partner, a job or even substantial investments like a house or a car, we give a considerable amount of time and thought to pick the one that best suits our personality and lifestyle. Welcoming a furry best friend into your life is no different. While one person's dream pet might be an energetic canine who can join them on long runs on the beach, another might prefer a cuddle partner for evenings spent snuggled up on the couch. Thankfully, there's a website out there that can match you up with the right dog or cat!

PawsLikeMe, which bills itself as "the eHarmony for pets and people," uses questions about your personality, lifestyle, likes and dislikes to match you with the ideal cat or dog from adoption listings across the country. "We realized that people had a lot of difficulty finding the right pet," Elizabeth Holmes, the company’s CEO and co-founder, told the Boston Herald. "Oftentimes, people would return a pet because they had made a bad decision. Seventy percent of pets (change families) more than once in their lifetime. We knew there had to be a better way."

Joining forces with her sister and clinical social worker Marianna Benko and veterinarian Dr. Coleen Johnston, Holmes came up with an algorithm that provides users with suitable matches among dogs or cats at government shelters, rescue groups and nonprofits in your desired ZIP code. "I was their vet," Johnston said of Holmes' dogs. "One day she and I were talking, and she said, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could match people and pets based on personality?' I said, 'That would be awesome.'"

Johnston, a self-professed numbers geek, and Benko tested and refined the algorithm on more than 3000 humans and their pets to bring its accuracy level up above 90%. "We look at compatibility and people’s environment," said Benko. "We also really look at how people relate to their pets." By answering a questionnaire tailormade to determine your personality type, you'll get access to a list of prospective animals in need of a home and details about how well they would match your lifestyle. "Answer questions relating to energy, confidence, focus, and independence—the four 'Core Personality Quadrants.' The quiz assesses your personality, lifestyle and home as it relates to pet parenting. Adoptable pets are given a similar personality profile," explains the official website.

"Using an algorithm similar to dating sites, results are tailored to match you with your ideal pet. The results include a description of your 'ideal pet' to help you understand what to look for in your next best friend," it continues. "You will see a list of nearby canine or feline candidates who are in need of a forever home. Your pet list is automatically ranked based on overall match score. Further refine your pet list using filters for preferences, such as age, size, and breed." Johnston explained that a lot of prospective pet parents—"especially first-time pet owners"—don't think about all these things before making the leap. 

The ultimate goal of the site is to reduce the likelihood of a bad match, which often leads to dogs and cats being returned to shelters or worse, abandoned. Among the countless personality quizzes plaguing the internet, the PawsLikeMe personality questionnaire is hands-down the best! Try it for yourself here.