All the great couples start somewhere.

For Cookie and Bentley, it was over the water bowl and treats at yappy hour, the doggie social every Tuesday and Thursday night at Completely Canine, a Miami pet store.

Small dogs (under 25 pounds) come on Tuesday night, big dogs on Thursday. They arrive with leashes taut, followed by their humans, for ``safe socialization.''

Last Tuesday, Sasha, the Maltese mix, still a little shy and unsure at 7 months, ventured from Freddy Saenz's protective lap into the small dog group to meet Minnie the dachshund (divine hat, darling), Coco and Gigi the Pomeranians, Mugsey the Havanese, and Sammy, the 15-year-old chow chow. Sammy, who at nearly 60 pounds clearly exceeded the weight limit, was allowed to stay, as he belonged to Michael Toomey, the Poms' owner.

Thursday, Christina Bonelli Roadruck, a personal trainer who lives on Venetian Causeway, brought Liberty Lady, a 4-month-old German shepherd. She calls her the belle of the ball, as she coaxes shy puppies into play.

Bentley, a flat-coat retriever with such shiny black hair he looked like polished onyx, belongs to Michael Oettinger, partner in a catering company in Coconut Grove. Oettinger walks Bentley every morning for 40 minutes, and the playful 4-year-old goes everywhere with him.

'I'll ask a first date, `Do you like dogs?' and then 'Do you love dogs?' and then I'll say 'What is dog spelled backward?' If she can't answer right away, that's it,'' says Oettinger, a widower.

Cookie, a golden retriever belonging to the Tom and Carole Cookson family, has been coming to yappy hour since school let out, along with her human children Margaret and Cameron.

''I met Graham through a mutual friend and he went with me to pick out Cookie,'' Carole said. ``He said he picked out a submissive female, and I said great, we need one in the house!''

Shop owner Graham Coords, 31, grew up in Miami, and went to Elon College in North Carolina for a degree in psychology. He came back to work at the Seaquarium training sea lions, dolphins and whales, then moved into dog training.

He opened his shop 19 months ago. His girlfriend Camille Gerrish runs the shop, Roberto Prata is the groomer, Bryee-Annon V. Pozzessere helps with fitness and retail, and Coords trains the dogs and is a dog talent scout.

Yappy hour has been going on since the beginning, Coords says. 'I had just opened the shop and a young guy came in and looked around, and said, `You ought to do something called yappy hour' and he left. He never came back.''

Destiny, Coords figured, and he tried it.

Moe the Norwegian elkhound (''Keeps elks out of Coral Gables,'' quipped someone from the sidelines) arrived with his mother Florence Jacobson, who uses Coords as a trainer. Katie Scarlet O'Hara McGee, a beagle, came with Bill and Moppy, her humans, and their 11-year-old son, Parker.

Good Golly Miss Molly, a 5-month-old golden, arrived with Sue and Andy Weinstein.

Wine, spinach dip, nachos and beer are complementary for the two-footeds, who meet and swap dog stories.

Maruchy Perez, with Bailey the bull terrier, says, ``I come here almost every Thursday. She gets to play and doesn't get dirty.''

Bentley, meanwhile, is making amorous moves toward Cookie. Katie, the beagle, howls at the back gate because her human is outside talking on a phone, and Bailey is staring straight into Roberto the groomer's eyes, trying to hypnotize him into giving her more treats.

Said Andy Weinstein: ``There's a lot of licking going on.''