I'll be doggoned

The popular belief that dog owners look like their pets may be correct, suggest the results of a study at Bath Spa University. Researchers from the psychology department asked people to match photos of dog owners to one of three breeds: labrador, poodle and Staffordshire bull-terrier. They correctly matched the owners to their breed of dog at a level that was significantly higher than mere chance. Lance Workman, head of psychology at Bath Spa, said: "This suggests that certain breeds of dogs are associated with particular kinds of people." However, he added that there appeared to be no truth that dog owners' personalities shared traits with the personalities of the breed of dog they favoured.