As you all know, this past Saturday was Valentine's Day/Love Day/Just Another Commercialized Holiday. It's the holiday everyone loves to hate, but personally, it's one of my favourite days of the year. There's something nice about taking a whole day to think about your loved one and why you love them -- and in turn, coming up with creative and fun ways to show them your love!
This year was Zoey's first year with us for Valentine's, so we wanted to do something that included her as well. We went to Purina Paws Way, a pet centre located near Lakeshore and Spadina that was offering drop in agility classes. They happened to have a Valentine's themed do-it-yourself photo-booth, so we tried getting a few photos with squirmy little Zoey...
With all the energy Zoey had in her, we knew that agility would probably be a better activity than having her sit around and try to stay still. What we didn't know, however, was just how darn good she would be at it! Because she'll do anything -- literally, anything -- for a treat, Zoey wasn't afraid of any of the obstacles and whizzed right through them.
The trainer had to put out a disclaimer to the other dog owners who were waiting for their turn. "Don't be discouraged if your dog doesn't get it right away! Not every dog performs like this their first time, and that's OK!" Below is a short clip of the kind of silliness Zoey was up to.
Sometimes, though, Zoey wanted to play with the other dogs that were waiting around. Who can blame her, look at the cutie she approached!
The evening portion of our day required us to leave Zoey at home (no dogs allowed in restaurants!) as we ventured out in search of food. We had been thinking of going to House on Parliament for a few weeks, but it wasn't until Valentine's Day that we had a reason to go. We were really excited to try out this "gastropub" and it certainly did not disappoint.
A plate of calamari is my signature go-to dish, and I order it as an appetizer at every restaurant we go to if it's available. You could almost say I'm a calamari connoisseur... :-) These were deliciously crispy, battered with buttermilk, and not chewy at all. The dip was a chipotle aioli, and it complemented the calamari perfectly.
For our main course, Milos ordered the tourtiere, a "Quebecois classic", which was a pork pie that came with tomato jalepeno chutney and roasted garlic mash potatoes. I was feeling quite hungry, so I went ahead and order a steak and fries. I can't decide if the dip for the fries or the shallot butter was best, because it was all so savoury and delicious!
Overall, it was a great day with a nice blend of activity and relaxing. I hope everyone enjoyed spending time with loved ones, whether it was a pet, a significant other, or friends and family.
