A dog matchmaking event will be held in Shanghai this July, giving lonely-heart hounds a shot at puppy love and their owners an opportunity to find the best breeding match for their pets.

Hosted by gougou520.com, which calls itself China's first professional online pet matchmaking company, the event will gather 100 dog owners to find their pooch the perfect partner.

"Matchmaking will be held for one type of dog every time," said Zhou Handong, the Website's director, in a report by the Shanghai Daily.

"Because most people prefer to partner their dogs with ones of the same breed."

But it's not just the dogs who may get lucky, the newspaper noted.

"For single pet owners, this might also lead to a real romance," said Zhou. "We found most people who register are under 35 and working-class singles."

Pet owners looking to register should log onto the Website, with the most popular breed being picked for the first event.

Since the Website was launched last December, more than 2,000 pets have been registered and 100 successful matches have been made.

Breeding experts said the Website was a good idea, but suggested owners learn the basics of dog breeding first to ensure a good match.

Shanghai has about 30,000 pet dogs, according to Song Wenjun, general-secretary of the Shanghai Pet Society, a branch of the city's Zoology Society.

"There is a large market there for pet matchmaking," said Song in the Shanghai Daily report.

"But it's better to find out the health history of the dogs' parents to make sure there is no risk of hereditary diseases."