Canine Valentine

Seeing as how this is my second Valentine's Day spent in the midst of divorce proceedings, I'm not terribly inclined to wax virtuous about love right now, but I will say this: I love dogs. They're one of the few things that makes me believe there might could be something like a god somewhere, and that maybe he/she/it isn't indifferent to our plight. I open up to dogs in ways I'm rarely able to bring myself to open up to humans. By its very nature, a friendly dog can cut right through pretension and fear in a manner capable of instantaneously drawing out the purest expressions of fealty.

It's hard to really know how much dogs get out of their interactions with humans. We've gamed the system to make them appreciate us when their ideal life might be roaming in packs through bountiful countryside. Sometimes you'll hear some cynical wiseacre say something like, "You may think your dog loves you, but if you died, your dog would start eating your corpse." To that, I'd say, "Bon appetit for a job well done!"

Much love to all the dogs and their good-hearted human minders this Valentine's Day. And the cats, too, even though y'all make me sneeze.