Love is in the air, and even canines get a twinge of Cupid’s arrow as Valentine’s Day approaches. As dog moms and dads, we love our dogs relentlessly. But is it possible for dogs to fall in love with one another?

These nine dog couples showcase the true meaning of “Be my Valentine,” with their love and affection for one another. If you don’t believe your dog can fall in love, let us know how you feel after reading these stories.

1. Love is blind

Jim and Ginger Kutsch, who both own seeing-eye dogs, met while training at The Seeing Eye with their dogs. “While Ginger and I met in class, it really was our seeing eye dogs, Payton and Anthony, who started ‘dating’ right away. The two were trained by the same instructor and were inseparable in class,” Jim says. “It wasn’t until several months after class ended that Ginger and I went on our first date — much to Payton and Anthony’s delight. The joke around here is that we had to get married so they could stay together!”

Jim later became the first blind president and CEO of The Seeing Eye, a national nonprofit that breeds, raises, and trains seeing eye dogs for people who are blind. While Ginger’s Payton and Jim’s Anthony have passed on, they now have new dogs who are just as in love: Ginger has Pixie, a female German Shepherd, and Jim has Colby, a male Labrador retriever.

2. Small package, big love

Sometimes, true love appears in small packages. Eli is the celebrity Chihuahua of Karen Biehl, and he is oh so in love with Ada Nieves’ Chihuahua Vanilla that the two were married in Central Park in New York City in 2008. “Eli wiggles whenever he sees Vanilla,” Biehl beams. Their wedding was even filmed for a WE TV online series called Puppy Weddings.

3. Weiner affair

“When it comes to love, breed makes no difference,” says Dawn Dwyer of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Her parents’ Dachshund, Heinz, is madly in love with her Miniature Pinscher, Keiko. While visiting her parents, Dwyer’s caught Keiko and Heinz playfully teasing one another in the bedroom. “He was just biting at Keiko’s neck, she was soaked in saliva, and I just laughed and figured that’s where the term necking comes from,” she laughs.

4. May-December romance

Bird, a 13-year-old Black Labrador, has an affection for the younger canine set. Bella, his 4-year-old flame from Stamford, Connecticut, has regular play dates with her man. Rescued from a shelter, Bella ignored her family but always took a liking to Bird, whom she plays with for hours on end.

“Now that Bird is older, it has become very difficult for him to jump into the car to go for rides,” dog mom Catherine Simms says. “When we say, ‘Let’s go and see Bella,’ he is right by the front door and jumps right into the car.”

5. Destiny doggies

Cuba and Tasha met at puppy school when they were 11 weeks old in January 2007. Cuba, a Havanese, and Tasha, a Morkie, both live in Manhattan, where they frequent parties, events, eat out together, and are presently planning their wedding. We’re thinking their eyes met across a crowded puppy playground, perhaps?

6. Long-distance love affair

“They were long distance lovers, since Farley, the Cocker Spaniel, lives in Alberta, and Sadie lived in Northern California, but that didn’t stop them,” Farley’s mom, Kelly Ladouceur, says. In addition to photos and posts on Facebook, they sent parcels filled with gifts and treats back and forth. They had been in love for well over a year when Farley proposed and Sader Tot accepted. It was to be a sock monkey-themed wedding with invitations, a cake, and a bridal party. Unfortunately, much like Romeo and Juliet, their love was not meant to be. Sader Tot passed away a week before the wedding, from complications related to chronic health issues.

7. Slick moves

Oliver, a Springer Spaniel, is definitely a ladies man, but he only puts the moves on his girlfriend, Kenai, a Black Lab/Border Collie Mix. “There are countless stories and pictures of the two lovebirds holding paws, giving each other soft kisses, and even putting their legs on top of the other as if they are humans putting their arms around one another,” says Chris Thonis of Chicago, Illinois.

They become depressed when they do not see each other for long bouts of time, and when they do, Oliver is prone to pee on himself in excitement — which Thonis says is something that never happens otherwise.

8. Peace and paws

Giddy and Twinkle form what their mom calls a “canine odd couple” — and they’re the official mascots of nonprofit dog rescue agency Peace and Paws, based in Hillsborough, NH. What makes Giddy and Twinkle so popular is their humorous “love/hate” relationship, as created by their owner Melissa Hannon. Since 2006, Peace and Paws has saved more than 2,000 dogs and counting, Hannon says.

9. Modern day Lady and the Tramp

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my favorite canine couple of all time, my dog Dexter and his fiancée Zoe. The two are set to be wed in a fun fundraiser gala this June in Connecticut, called the “Wigglebutt Wedding.” The bride’s mom, Val Sorensen, and I decided to raise funds for Life’s Little Paws after Zoe claimed her man.

We drive from Pennsylvania to Connecticut for play dates every few months. On each visit, Zoe, a Cocker Spaniel who was rescued the day she was scheduled to be euthanized, locks her sights on Dexter. It wasn’t long before Zoe was displaying a “mounting” passion for Dexter, and the deal was sealed. The two love playing together and look forward to their vows this summer.

Does your dog have a special love interest for Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments!