The Rosie and Roula Show

234: Why Do Animals Look Like Their Humans?

• Roula Abou Haidar and Rosie Burrows

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0:00 | 13:22

Have you ever seen a dog and instantly thought, yep, that makes sense for that owner? Or noticed couples who’ve been together for years starting to look eerily similar? In this episode, Rosie and Roula unpack the idea that animals, partners and even friendships can start to mirror each other over time. They talk pet personalities, matching outfits, shared energy, attraction, environment versus genetics, and whether similarity is comforting or just plain weird. It’s a light, curious conversation about identity, connection, and how much we actually influence the beings closest to us.

Topics covered

  •  Do pets really look like their owners
  •  Personality versus physical resemblance
  •  Couples dressing alike and shared style
  •  How long-term relationships shape behaviour and energy
  •  Environment, genetics and influence
  •  Why similarity can feel comforting or unsettling

Have you ever looked at a couple or a pet-owner duo and thought, yep… they totally match?

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Rosie (00:00.066)
You do fancy dress a lot. You do it a lot. I like the fact that you do fancy dress. You're fun. Anyone who thinks Gen X's are boring.

Well, they are, but not me.

No, not you, exactly, not you.

This is the whole purpose of the podcast. I thought I will get GenX on board to live their life like they'd never done before, but they're not listening as we discovered.

Let's not bag off the Gen Xs because guess what? The only two people that so far have responded to our survey are both Gen Xs, Ruler.

Roula (00:38.216)
Wow. I'm Do I hate them or do I love them?

Mm-hmm

Rosie (00:45.07)
think you should love them. Don't write them off yet. There's some cool Gen X's. This is a different person to whose topic we spoke about yesterday, but it was someone who did the survey. And I think this one could be quite fun actually. They want us to talk about animals looking like they're humans. Have you ever heard this concept before Rua?

Okay.

Roula (01:08.27)
you

Roula (01:13.742)
Welcome to the Rosie and Rula show. Marhaba.

G'day.

Roula (01:21.998)
doesn't surprise me but I'll let you give your opinion not me.

I would love your opinion actually on me and Tilly, because I've never thought of this. But in case people aren't familiar, often, especially with dogs actually, you'll see an owner taking their dog for a walk and you just, you look from the owner to the dog and they're just such a perfect fit. They look like each other, like similar kind of energy and body shape and how they walk.

Sometimes it's just so humorous. It's really funny. I think it's great. But do you think Tilly looks like me? I don't see that, but I'm very curious.

thought about that with you and Tilly? No. The ones that I think about are people who... you know, you're a person with a certain character. So you will look for a dog, for example, that resembles your character because you have to get along with that thing or show off with that thing or... I don't know, because I wouldn't see...

No, neither.

Rosie (02:21.377)
Right.

Roula (02:37.536)
I don't say that I see it very often. Sometimes I see some guy who's really like strong and tall walking like a little poodle. I cannot say they resemble each other.

This is true. And I'm not sure I'd want to choose a dog as my pet that's just like me. That'd be annoying. I can't imagine anything worse than hanging out with someone like me all day. Goodness me. I think that's why you and I get along so well. We compliment each other. We're different. There's similarities, but we are not the same person.

that brings me to interesting thought. Like when a couple start dating, they have so much in similarity. They think we're perfect for each other. Until one day they realize this is the most boring thing on earth because there is no variety.

This is true, but you know what it's made me think of? I want to know actually if this applies to you and Rianto. I feel like maybe not. But do you see couples who start...

Rosie (03:43.392)
almost like talking the same and wearing similar clothes or matching. It's like becoming the same person. Do you see that? Yeah, she's rulers nodding her head.

Actually, Rionto grabbed my attention the other day. Okay. I it's crazy. I don't know how many times I mentioned this on our podcast. I love my husband's style. Yes. Okay. And I don't just love it because it turns me on. It's his style. I love to wear it myself.

I have something, you know, I do like to wear year 40 and 50 style, but I also like to wear very much masculine clothes like garçonnette. And I like his style very much. And sometimes he grabs my attention to the fact that we're not leaving the house wearing the same stuff. That would be ridiculous.

you

But then we go somewhere and we see a couple and they're matching and wearing the same style in a feminine and masculine way. Doesn't matter who's feminine, who's masculine. It could be the other way around. And we think they are so nice and they look actually very classy. I don't know what defines classier, but for us, they look such a nice couple, very attuned to each other.

Roula (05:11.38)
It shows some kind of harmony, peace.

That's like they're wearing clothes that tie in together. It sounds like they're not wearing exactly the same clothes. they match in a way like the color scheme or the style. But have you ever seen those couples? I can picture it. Often there are tourists when I lived in Cairns that be

No.

Roula (05:35.406)
.

Rosie (05:47.018)
Often Asian tourists, I don't know why I felt the need to specify that, but I'm going to because I know Australians will immediately see the image I am talking about and they will be wearing matching crocs, matching hat, matching t-shirt, matching bottoms, everything matching 100%, not just same colour scheme, same style, everything exactly the same.

hope these people have this wonderful relationship that is matching their clothes, that they're so into each other. I don't know what I think of it. Of course, I will notice it. And I will think it's cute. But whether this define their personality, I've never had a conversation with a couple who are dressed alike, so I can determine their personality.

Shopping easy, doesn't it?

Rosie (06:42.124)
Would you ever wear an identical outfit as Rianto

Maybe I would, but he wouldn't.

Yeah. What if, because obviously it's, seems to be you who emulates his style, but what if he chose to dress like you exactly the same clothes? Would you have issue with that?

never thought of this. Maybe I never thought of it because I know he won't. Let's take hypothetically he will.

I truly think he won't so I can't get myself into believing him.

Rosie (07:24.536)
Okay, what if it was, I don't know, what if it was me and I come visit you in the Netherlands and you want to take me out and I somehow have the identical outfit as you? What would your reaction be?

That would be fun. It'd be fun. I only hope it will suit you. You won't look ridiculous. Because then I'll tell you look ridiculous. Take it off.

I'm

Rosie (07:50.54)
Yeah, this is true. The initial, the initial topic was animals looking like they're humans. I think it does happen, but is it a hard and fast rule? Not really, but it is, it is quite comical when you see it. Like you might see a muscly man and you know how some of them, their muscles are so big, their arms are like out a little bit. They can't keep it flat by their sides and they kind of walk a certain way and the dog will be the same.

Gosh.

Rosie (08:18.786)
What are those muscly dogs? Are they bulldogs? You know, really muscly and...

There are many different kinds of musli dogs, yes. I don't know, in front of my house there is this lane where everyone can let their dogs out there. I haven't met people looking like their dogs, not really.

No. Although I do think a dog's behaviour often is a reflection of their owner.

I believe so with cats too. If you're kind and nice to the animal, they will reflect kindness also in return. If you're aggressive, they will behave aggressively, just like children. How we raise them until they're teenagers, they turn up.

And there's children who grow into adults or teenagers who do horrible things, but their parents aren't horrible. So it's like, where do you draw the line? There is definitely a correlation, but at some point there's got to be a distinction.

Roula (09:18.968)
There are genes with people, not people and animal. There is an environment inside of the house. There's an environment. There are a lot of things influencing, but also I believe not everyone on earth is born as a good person despite their upbringing. I mean, look at some of the leaders in the world right now. I don't think their parents.

If they are still alive, they wouldn't want to do anything with them, probably.

Yep. I don't know how to wrap up this episode.

I do have something to say about similarity. I noticed from an article I read years ago, like 20 years ago, and I kept observing all the time, I realized couples who are together for a long time, they look, they have features that are similar.

whether the shape of the face, the eyes, the nose. I'm not saying they look like each other, but I notice when I see couples who've been together for a long time. Yes, they're like, I cannot say their brother and sister or brother and brother or sister and sister, but they do have something similar. If I look, my ex was tall, red hair, blue eyes. I cannot say we had similarity, but with the my actual husband.

Roula (10:53.006)
We've been, I think, together longer now than my ex. Yes, we both have this some features that I could say we do apply to this.

I don't know how I feel about that. That's a very strange thought.

Is it? Yeah, I thought in the beginning like this.

That's an odd thought. Do you think it starts happening the longer you're together or are those similarities, like physical similarities, apparent?

I it has to do, it something to do with attraction.

Rosie (11:32.674)
We're attracted to ourselves, are we? I don't know if I am. You are. Yeah, you, you on the other hand. my gosh.

Roula (11:41.548)
know what to say to that. Yeah. I don't know what I'm talking about. It's just something I read. I observed and take it or leave it. I really don't mind. But if you listen to the end of this episode, please go to our website, rosyandrula.com forward slash coffee and buy us a cup of coffee so that we can enjoy it while making another episode for you. Okay. Bye. Bye.

I'm taking you by surprise with this coffee. Look at you!

Plug in the coffee thing every episode. I'm very impressed, Rula.

That's what I read. Even if it's ugly, the longer they hear it, the more they will remember it.

you got a kick out of our conversation today, can you pretty please hit the follow button and share it with another opinionated person? This is the easiest way for you to support the show. It also gives Rula and I the motivation to keep

Roula (12:42.228)
I have to stop you there. Stop telling people what to do. If they like to follow the show and share it, it's totally up to them. Guys, please, can you help us follow and share the show? Thank you so much. See you next time.