Too close for comfort These two sisters fuss over Big Jay, a Harlequin Great Dane, after they took first place in the owner/dog look-alike contest during Massachusetts SPCA’s Mutts ‘n Fluff ‘n Stuff Day. It is common for spouses and close friends to have similar behaviors, appearances, and personality traits, a similarity that psychologists attribute to modeling and/or self-selection, among other factors. However, such explanations tend to fall short when trying to account for the same kind of similarities between many pet owners and their pets.