Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Off Beat: Puppy love

Dog owners and their significant pooches will compete to see who can hold the longest smooch at Planet Dog on Wednesday.

There is no gray area when it comes to getting kissed by a dog.

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VALENTINE'S DAY CANINE COCKTAIL PARTY & DOG KISSING CONTEST

WHEN: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Planet Dog Company Store, 211 Marginal Way, Portland

HOW MUCH: Contest entry fee is a $5 donation to the Planet Dog Foundation

INFO: planetdog.com

Non-dog people would likely view getting their whole face licked by a dog as unpleasant, at the very least.

But dog people view it as part of daily life with a furry friend.

"I think somebody who doesn't own dogs might think of it as the grossest thing in the world," said Craig Dilger, a Portland photographer. "But for dog owners, it's just kind of normal. Your dog is going to lick your face no matter what."

Dilger might get kissed more than the average dog owner. His dog Miles -- whose breed Dilger announces as "mystery mutt" -- will kiss any face at any time as long as he has an opportunity.

Dilger used this fact to good advantage last February at Planet Dog's annual Valentine's Day Canine Cocktail Party and Dog Kissing Contest. Miles kissed Dilger for 19 seconds, meaning they won the contest and a gift certificate for dog products from Planet Dog.

This year's event is happening Wednesday, and the prize is $75 worth of Planet Dog stuff. For dog owners, there will be beer, wine and treats.

The contest entry fee is a $5 donation to the Planet Dog Foundation, which provides cash grants to nonprofit programs throughout the country that train, place and support dogs who help people in need.

Like any competition these days, you can't talk about dog kissing without at least bringing up the possibility of a performance-enhancing substance. Might some dog owners try to encourage longer kissing by smearing a little gravy on their cheek, perhaps? Or maybe just a tiny dab of pan drippings from last night's steak?

"We do not encourage using any performance enhancements during the competition, but we do not do a formal inspection of participants to ensure that they didn't use something before they got there," said Kristen Smith of Planet Dog. "Because it is Valentine's Day, we encourage people to do the competition without artificial inducements and simply out of pure love."

The kissing contest at Planet Dog was launched more than eight years ago as a way to include dogs at in-store events, said Smith.

"We were brainstorming ways that people might want to celebrate Valentine's Day with their pups, and my dog Kaya was licking my hand rather compulsively during the meeting," said Smith. "We were joking about how long she was content to just kiss my hand, and a light bulb went off -- the kissing contest was born."

Miles will be defending his title at this year's contest. And although he'll be competing with a new partner this year -- Dilger's wife, Julia -- you'd have to expect that he will be a strong competitor once again.

Like lots of competitors, his great skill -- in this case, kissing -- seems to come from deep within.

"From the moment we adopted him, he's been like this," said Dilger. "He'll lick anybody's face for as long as they'll let him."

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com