As you saw on yesterday’s post, Journey went along on Puppy Delivery Day too. Yes, it would’ve been easier to leave him home, but I couldn’t pass up a great socializing opportunity for him. Since we live so far from “civilization” 😉 we don’t have a lot of opportunities to see people, hear city noises, smells and those other great socializing experiences.

But first, lunch with my sister <3

Since all the puppies had breakfast super early, I fed them an early lunch while I chatted with our puppy families. So when we humans were ready for lunch, Journey had already had his. I left him in his crate with water and toys and parked where I could watch the truck.

When I came back to the truck after lunch he had been sleeping and groggily opened his eyes and lifted his head when I opened the door. Then it was time for a quick potty break in the litter box in the back of the truck.

The humans parted ways and Journey and I continued on our trip.

Lowe’s was nearby so I pulled in a spot near the entrance, grabbed Journey and his blanket and headed to get a cart. (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Hobby Lobby are just some of the pet friendly stores where you can take your puppy for some socializing).

I put Journey’s blanket in the bottom of the cart and set him in. He thought the leash was a great thing to play with.

When a puppy is not completely vaccinated we don’t want to put them down on the floor or ground out in public because of the fear of parvovirus. But it’s super important to socialize your puppy. This is pretty safe way to get them out to see some new sights, sounds, smells and such. And when you put a cute puppy in a cart and push him around a store, it’s like a magnet. People love puppies and will want to come meet your puppy. I didn’t have treats with me, but letting each person who comes to meet your puppy give them a treat teaches the puppy that humans are great!

This lady just loved and loved on him. He rolled over and laid there to get his belly rubbed. But of course the only pictures I got is this silly one.

I actually just went in the store to socialize him, but actually ended up finding something that I had been looking for!

He rode in the cart like he’d done it a million times, even with the noisy wheels and bumpy ride that only a grocery cart can make. He just stood up front in the cart taking it all. And got to meet a few people, which he thought was fabulous.

This Lowe’s employee even dug a little treat out for him at the check-out stand.

Then it was back to his crate as I had more errands to run. Of course, not everywhere I went was pet friendly, so he got a lot of crate practice throughout the day too.

I ended up cutting some stops off my list because I knew it was already going to be a long day for him.

By mid-afternoon is was dinner time for him. Meal times were messed up with the time change and our early morning breakfast. So I timed it to stop at Costco and give him dinner while I ran inside for a few things.

After I got back and unloaded the groceries, he had another potty break. He hopped right in and peed. He then went into the “potty dance” mode so I knew he had to make a deposit too. I kept telling him “go potty” as he hopped in and out of the box. And then he hopped back out and headed to the back of the bed where I couldn’t reach him and promptly pooped! Oh well, they can’t be perfect all the time. 😛

We had one more stop to make before we headed towards home. And this was another part of puppy socializing. A drive-thru experience with a treat at the end.

I always want my puppies to travel in crate (or a  doggie car seat with a harness is another option) to keep them safe in case of an accident.

So once I pulled into Starbucks parking lot, I stopped, got out and got Journey out of his crate and put him on my lap. This was only for the drive-thru part of the drive. We pulled up and made our order. Then putted around the corner to the window.

The ladies at the window were so excited to see him! One asked is she could run and grab her phone and take his picture. I wish I’d gotten it from her. It turned out so cute!

Then I slowly pulled back into the parking lot (never going out on the road) and stopped the truck to give him his treat; his first pup cup!

I asked for a very small one and then didn’t let him finish it as I didn’t want an upset puppy tummy. Boy, did he enjoy it!

Then it was back in the crate and back on the road. We still had about a two hour drive home and another stop closer to home to make.

We finally made it home about twelve hours after we had left that morning. It was a long day for a little puppy but he did great!

I had to take him out to potty with the flashlight since it was already dark. But he promptly peed and pooped!

Then he had some playtime with mama Joy before I tucked him into his puppy pen for the night.

❤️