Ah, Valentine's Day. No other holiday inspires so much romance...and bitterness.

For coupled folks out there, the day might imply a decent dinner (maybe even at a place that uses table cloths - and not even the plastic ones!) or a fist-full of flowers topped by a sweetly worded card.

Or the day might come and go as the others do because, hey, you've been loving on each other for months or years now and you don't need no stinkin' holiday telling you what to do.

Uncoupled people tend toward two camps: Ignoring Valentine's Day altogether or actively hating it. One friend of mine insists on calling it "Independence Day" as a way of professing her proud singlehood.

But last night's Planet Dog Canine Cocktail Party proved that some of us have the notion of Valentine's Day all wrong.

Forget the dinners and the heart-shaped chocolate. Not that there's anything wrong with chocolate - it's a fine treat to be sure. But the heart of Valentine's Day is really the L-O-V-E.

And you probably have some pretty decent L-O-V-E hanging around whether you realize it or not. Perhaps hanging around right at your feet, in the shape of a four-legged, contentedly panting dog.

Love was in the air during last night's canine-centered Valentine's party. There were treats for the pooches and beer and finger foods for the human attendees. But really, we all were there for the Kissing Contest - an opportunity for dogs and dog owners to show their sloppy affection for one another and maybe win the coveted title of "Best Kiss."

Some were clearly uncomfortable with the PDA - deciding instead to turn their snouts and/or look worriedly at the odd crowd of people watching (what are those people looking at?!).

Most of the dogs were too enthralled with all the activity and new smells to pay their human companions much attention.

But a handful were able to shirk the distractions, remain focused and execute a medal-worthy licking performance.

Some dogs went the sweet and gentle route.



Some chose the impressive, though hard to master "Tongue in the Eye."



Some dogs and their owners couldn't get enough of each other, even after their time in the kissing spotlight was over.



But only one canine could reign champion. He is Stewart. And he's a licking force to be reckoned with.


So maybe no one's taking you out to Back Bay Grille on Saturday. Maybe you won't awake to cherubs sprinkling rose petals on your bed. But I bet there's someone - human, canine or otherwise - happy to share some L-O-V-E with you this weekend.

All the Kissing Contest photos on MainePets.com