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It’s Official: These Are the Cutest Pets, According to Science
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Of course, every pet owner believes that their furry friend is the cutest out there – but the question over which pet is actually the cutest is something of much debate.
As a specialist website for animal-related insurance, from pet insurance to dog walking and pet grooming insurance, we have a particular interest in anything about our cute companions. So, it got us thinking – is there a way that we can reveal, once and for all, what the cutest pet is? And even more specifically, what the cutest dog breed is?
We turned to an ancient algebraic equation called the ‘golden ratio’ as our methodology. The golden ratio is an equation that’s used as a way to better understand what makes some things more visually attractive. It’s been famously used by Michelangelo and Dali in their art and design, but in modern times George Clooney has been revealed as having a face that adheres closest to the golden ratio – making him scientifically the most handsome man in the world. So, it seemed the perfect choice for being able to rank the looks of our pets and pooches.
In our study, key points on the animals’ face, such as ears, eyes, the tongue, and nostrils, were analysed and compared to the ‘perfection’ of the mathematics outlined by the golden ratio.
So, which animals are officially the most aesthetically pleasing (in other words, cutest!) in the world? The results are in…
It’s our feline friends that are the cutest pets of them all, according to science. With cats coming out as the animals with the most adorable faces, followed by ferrets, rabbits and hamsters. Interestingly, dogs only squeezed in at fifth place!
The Top 5 Cutest Pets, According to the Golden Ratio
| # | Pet | % Adherence to the Golden Ratio |
| 1 | Cat | 46.51% |
| 2 | Ferret | 46.20% |
| 3 | Rabbit | 40.30% |
| 4 | Hamster | 31.46% |
| 5 | Dog (averaged across 100 dog breeds) | 29.64% |
1. Cat (46.51%)
2. Ferret (46.20%)
3. Rabbit (40.30%)
4. Hamster (31.46%)
5. Dog (29.64% – ave. across all breeds)
What is the cutest dog breed?
Although perhaps not the cutest pet (according to science), dogs are undeniably the most popular pet choice around the world. With so many different breeds with so many different looks, we wanted to delve deeper into the data and reveal the cutest breeds. With that in mind, we took the 100 top dog breeds and analysed them to discover which one adheres to the golden ratio the most.
The data shows that it’s the Dalmatian, made famous from the Disney film 101 Dalmatians, that is officially the cutest dog breed in the world. The Irish Water Spaniel, the largest of the spaniel breed with brown curly fur, comes in second place and the Wire Fox Terrier, with distinctive wiry fur and folded ears, is the third cutest dog breed.
Other popular breeds that make the top 20 are family favourites Labradors (4th), Jack Russells (7th) and Golden Retrievers (10th). Two mixed breeds also feature, Cavapoos (a mix between the Cavileer King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle) are the 15th cutest dog breed and the Springador (a mix of a Springer Spaniel and Labrador) makes it to 16th place.
It also seems that size doesn’t change how cute we perceive our pooches, as very large breeds such as Newfoundlands and St. Bernards make the list alongside small dogs like Pugs and Schnauzers.
| # | Breed | % Adherence to the Golden Ratio |
| 1 | Dalmatian | 67.03% |
| 2 | Irish Water Spaniel | 66.26% |
| 3 | Wire Fox Terrier | 65.53% |
| 4 | Labrador | 64.67% |
| 5 | Basset Hound | 64.43% |
| 6 | Samoyed | 64.33% |
| 7 | Jack Russell | 63.86% |
| 8 | Rottweiler | 63.65% |
| 9 | St. Bernard | 62.94% |
| 10 | Golden Retriever | 62.52% |
| 11 | Newfoundland | 62.07% |
| 12 | Pug | 61.44% |
| 13 | Schnauzer | 59.01% |
| 14 | Leonberger | 58.99% |
| 15 | Cavapoo | 58.79% |
| 16 | Springador | 58.69% |
| 17 | Siberian Husky | 58.48% |
| 18 | Bernese Mountain Dog | 56.76% |
| 19 | Old English Bulldog | 56.30% |
| 20 | Bloodhound | 56.05% |
1. Dalmatian (67.03%)
2. Irish Water Spaniel (66.26%)
3. Wire Fox Terrier (65.53%)
4. Labrador (64.67%)
5. Basset Hound (64.43%)
6. Samoyed (64.33%)
7. Jack Russell (63.86%)
8. Rottweiler (63.65%)
9. St. Bernard (62.94%)
10. Golden Retriever (62.52%)
11. Newfoundland (62.07%)
12. Pug (61.44%)
13. Schnauser (59.01%)
14. Leonberger (58.99%)
15. Cavapoo (58.79%)
16. Springador (58.69%)
17. Siberian Husky (58.48%)
18. Bernese Mountain Dog (56.76%)
19. Old English Bulldog (56.30%)
20. Bloodhound (56.05%)
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we feel science has done a pretty good job of ranking the cutest. Above everything else though, the research has made us appreciate the many differences between the animals in our lives.
If you’ve been inspired to get your own pet, or set up a pet-based business, we might just have the insurance for you – so check our pet insurance, dog walking or animal grooming insurance.
Methodology
The golden ratio of each pet type was analysed using ‘face-on’ photography of each pet, and calculating the ratio between key points on each, including eyes, ears, nostrils and tongue. This in turn provided an overall percentage of how much (or how little) each pet adhered to the rules of the golden ratio.
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