Harvey's First Week

Harvey is such a joy! Seriously, I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for Josh and I. He’s a playful and snuggly pup who has quickly found his way into our hearts.

The last time I talked about him, I shared with you some of our training experiences. Today, I want to share some of the adventures he has been on.

Deciding to not check out the water despite Josh prompting...

Josh and I live in an “outdoorsy” area. We are less than 5 minutes from Lake Michigan and incredibly close to bike paths, parks, and nature preserves. And since we want to include Harvey in as much as possible, we didn’t want to skip a beat in getting him acclimated to different things. (Plus, we want him used to the car so he doesn’t struggle when we go visit family). So this week we have been taking him with us whenever we can, even if it’s just a trip to pick up lunch.

Checking out the path

On Monday we took him to one of the beach access points nearby. Our thought was that it wouldn’t be crowded like the actual beach would, while still allowing us to expose him to the water. He came down the stairs and started walking in the sand, saw the water and decided it wasn’t for him. So we instead took him on a little walk on the path which exposed him to bikes, other walkers, and cars as they went by.

Tuesday, Harvey met his first little kid. We took him on a walk to the mail box (which is 4 buildings away in our apartment complex) and as we were heading back a little girl and her mom were just getting home. We saw he checking him out and offered to let her come meet him. He did fairly well, barked a few times and eventually hid behind me, but nonetheless he met her and made contact outside of Josh and I.

Harvey joining in on a workout

Wednesday was a big day for our little guy. He had his first vet appointment and took it like a champ. Harvey literally slept through his entire exam and the shot. Unfortunately, the shots made him sore so he lounged most of the day, but don’t think he didn’t make up for that at bed time when he turned into a little tornado.

Harvey at Lake Michigan

My favorite of his first week adventures was yesterday when we took him the beach. We figured mid-week and on a day that it wasn’t particularly warm, not many people would be there. And we were right. We got to let Harvey run on the beach and play in the sand. He even went in the water on his own!

It’s been a blast taking Harvey to try new things and watching him develop more of a personality. I can’t wait to introduce him to our families this weekend and continue exposing him to the fun stuff we can include him in on.