Happy Friday friends! The sun is shining, and it's the weekend! I've been helping out in my dad's office all week, so it definitely feels good. The best part about today - I get to see my puppy, Rudie, and my boyfriend, Pedro tonight! My parents live about a half hour drive outside of Toronto, so I've been staying with them, while Rudie + Pedro have been at home in TO of course.

Given that Rudie's first birthday is fast approaching, and I was thinking about how much I have been missing him all week - I thought I would share the story of how I came to know + love + own the cutest puppy in the whole wide world!

This is going to sound strange considering the title of this post, but I have always been more of a cat person. For years and years, I did not like dogs, more than that, I was afraid of them! I had some really bad experiences with a mean + badly trained shitzu, and other unruly canines as a kid and was left pretty traumatized for most of my life.

I really wanted a pet when Pedro and I moved in together. To be honest, as someone who has had a feline companion for as long as they can remember, the apartment felt a little empty without one. Sadly, Pedro is incredibly allergic to kitties... So it was out of the question. Pedro had always had family dogs growing up, and missed having his pal Kiko the dachshund around. We started seriously considering letting a dog into our little family.

At the time, I was working as an in-house designer at a hardware company, about an hour and a half to two hours outside the city, depending on transit. I was seriously underpaid + seriously unhappy. I would leave the house at 7:30 AM and get home at 7:30 PM.. It was terrible. And obviously not a lifestyle that supports a little pup. But regardless, we began to look for little guys to adopt.

In July of 2012, I had finally had enough of my job, and decided to quit. I went to visit my parents for the weekend, and spent a Saturday morning in bed searching Kijiji for a dog. I am obsessed with pugs, and so I was searching for a wrinkly friend. I fell in love with a two month old "chug" (chihuhua-pug cross), and decided to go take a look at him. I told Pedro I was just going to meet him, but kinda knew that I was coming home with a little fluff-ball.

His owners didn't realize how much work a puppy would be, but Pedro + I were up for the challenge. Given our unorthodox work schedules (as I had decided to begin freelancing full-time, and Pedro works + freelances in the film industry), we had lots of time to shower our little Rude Boy with love + attention + affection. We named him Rudie, because we both love The Clash (Rudie Can't Fail) + Jamaican ska music. Contrary to popular belief, I did not name my dog after a Rihanna song (sorry, just not my thing)!

Needless to say, it's been a crazy 10 months! Rudie is now 20 lbs., and will be 1 year old on May 20, 2013 (I think I will make him a peanut butter cookie)! He can sit, lay down, roll over, stay, stand, dance, say please (beg), and give his paw. He is the smartest little guy I know.. ahha. He also LOVES the dog park + my dad more than anything. It's pretty cute. He is the BEST at snuggling, and has an attitude that lives up to his name. He may be a pain sometimes (like when I tried to give him his bath last week), but I wouldn't trade him for the whole wide world.

Seriously, if you asked me two years ago, I never thought I would be a dog person - but Rudie makes me really happy! So happy. Quitting my job, and getting a pup all in the same week, were the best, most impulsive, craziest decisions I have ever made. But you know what, I really think they were the right ones, and I am SO GLAD that I just went for it. Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do, I guess!

And hey, if you follow me on Pinterest, you definitely know I'm now a converted dog person, aha.

Be sure to check back for more Rudie adventures soon! I think we are going to go to High Park this weekend to see the cherry blossoms bloom!