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Valentine's Day makes February a hard time of year for us cynics. It seems the teenaged, hormone-sodden, delerious state of being "in love" has, for some incomprehensible reason, become the gold standard of adult love.

All I can say to that is, blech! You couldn't get me to be "in love" like that again for ten million dollars.

I ran this sentiment past my mom the other day, though, and she rolled her eyes and informed me that the last time she'd seen me "googy eyed and breathless" was when I got my dog, Colleen. Which is why I was so tickled at the results of poll done by the Veterinary Information Network, which found that 74 percent of pet owners who responded intended to include, or had already included, their pets in their wedding ceremonies. Add to that the ones who wanted to but couldn't find a facility that would permit it, or who bowed to family pressure to exclude pets from the ceremony, and it's clear I'm not the only one who knows where to find perfect, unconditional love. Or why the most common name for a dog has always been "Fido" ("Faithful").

But I think my favorite quote about the truest expression of love known to humans, the human-canine bond, comes from someone involved in a high-profile marriage positively littered with scandal, infidelity, and public disapprobation.

Asked if he would be keeping his dog, Buddy, with him after he left the White House, then-President Bill Clinton replied, "I know I'll take Buddy, because I slept with him for sixteen months all during (Hilary Clinton's) Senate campaign. He was with me all the time. I can't live without him."

I know just how he feels.

Copyright 2004 by Christie Keith. All rights reserved. Used with permission.