It makes me sad to think that I won't be with my Valentine on Valentine's Day this year. I'll be here at school, while she's at home. I'll be going to class, while she'll be playing outside. I'll be working on a paper, while she'll be working on her tenth nap of the day. In case you're a bit confused, my Valentine is my dog.

This may sound melodramatic, but my dog is the love of my life. She's the best dog you could ever ask for; she's lovable, friendly, and protective. She absolutely loves hugs and you better bet she expects them when she does something good.She goes nuts when I take her for walks and trips to the beach. Photos of her take up the majority of my phone's storage. And yes, I have a framed photo of her on my desk.

Besides her awesome personality traits, my dog is the best valentine I could ask for because we have so much in common. She loves food, I love food. She loves naps, I love naps. I love exercise, she loves exercise. I love my bed, she loves my bed, which may or may not be a good thing since she takes up over half the mattress.

The distance between us hasn't affected our relationship too much. Of course, it's disappointing when I come into my dorm room after a long day and not to see her laying on my bed, wagging her tail.It broke my heart when I left for college, afraid that she'd be too sad without me or worse, she'd forget about me. I'll FaceTime my family sometimes (okay, every time) just to see her face. But whenever I come home, she's the first one waiting for me as I walk through the door. Those hugs are the best.

I love my dog and my dog loves me (if not, this article has become very awkward). Like I said, I'm sad that I won't be with my dog on Valentine's Day this year, but she'll always be in my heart. And on my phone's screensaver.