Car rides, hotel stay, and new apartment

[Jennifer and Lily]

This week has been a whirlwind for our little family! We packed our apartment and moved from Michigan to Iowa (I just got a job, YAY!). My mom traveled with me and Lily, and my husband is making the drive today. We had an 8 hour drive Tuesday, stayed in a hotel, and then 4 hours on Wednesday. Lily did GREAT! I had her eat in the car when we stopped so there would be less distractions, and she slept almost the whole time! The hotel was ... stressful... She does not bark very much, unless she hears doors slamming. So we had a night of fans running, tv turned up high, and treats on hand. We may not get our stuff for 1-3 weeks, so I made sure to bring our big air mattress and of course Lily's bed to the new apartment. She is normally attached to me like velcro, but when I took a nap in the bedroom after dropping my mom off at the airport I found my precious doodle curled up in the living room. She is very comfortable here, even though I can tell she misses my husband.

The only change in her behavior is that she is afraid to meet new people. She is very protective of me, so sometimes she barks at unfamiliar people, but she warms up quickly. The past few days she has been scared and backing away from people who want to meet her. Do you think she just needs more time to adjust? Maybe she will open back up when my husband gets here?

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Congrats on your new job! We went through a similar situation 7 yrs ago when DH's new job took us from cleveland to california. A long drive, new hotels each night, and then a new and empty apartment at the end of journey were a little unsettling for our normally rock solid Buddy. Our stuff took 2-1/2 weeks to get to us and once our bed was set up and the couch was in the living room, he went back to almost normal. And when I started unpacking he seemed to "even out" even more. I would bet once the familiar smells arrive to your new apartment, Lily will be less scared.

There is probably another cross country move in our near future and I'm considering shipping some things like the boy's blankets and towels UPS so they show up way before the movers do and ease some of the transition. Space in the car is at a premium when moving that far, so we won't be to have much with us for a few days.

Good luck! :-)

Here's a pic of the first day after our stuff arrived. Buddy was just happy to have familiar surroundings again.

[Jennifer and Lily]

Thank you! It has been an exciting few months with graduating, getting married, and moving away. I have been taking Lily on short walks every few hours, which has been helping her adjust and become familar with the area. One big downfall is our previous apartment was on the first floor, and this one is on the third floor. She doesn't mind the stairs, but she gives me big ole puppy dog eyes everytime she was to go up them.

That's a good idea to ship some familiar things to help them adjust. I made room for her bed because she always seems to relax if she has it. Did you like moving from Cleveland to California? Was it hard to adjust? Just curious :) Oh, I love that pic of Buddy, he looks so content and happy!

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

That's the great thing about living in an apartment when you move to a new city - lots of walks bc you don't have a yard and that means you get to meet your neighbors. We lived right in the middle of downtown Mountain View for three years and it was fun, social, and we had a lot friendly neighbors with dogs. I would swear that Buddy is still missing the fun of that place, even 2-1/2 yrs later.

Coming from a house in the Cleveland area to an apartment in Silicon Valley was an adjustment for all of us. The traffic was awful, the cost of living was shocking, and we moved in 2007 while the economy was tanking so there was a lot of stress that we had maybe not put ourselves into a better situation. But, in terms of adjusting it was okay for me. I've been the new kid many, many times so I'm not intimidated by many people and I always welcome other new people into the neighborhood, doesn't mean I like everyone but that's a different story. Lol.

I will tell you though, that grocery shopping (of all things) was difficult bc it made me feel like such a stranger. There's a market type grocery store in San Jose called Zanotto's and the first time I shopped there I thought that it was my kind of place. The second time I shopped there, 2-3 people recognized me and stopped to chat with me and when I got in my car to go home, I cried bc I felt less like a stranger. And the funniest part of my love for Zanotto's is that when my in-laws came out for the wedding, they stopped there and got sandwiches. Then they called us to "clue us in" to this great little market they thought we would love bc the people and the store were great.

Moving to a new city is not easy, but we always said as long we've got each other and our Monkey we're good. You guys have that and bright future to build on and I really wish you the best of luck!

[Jennifer and Lily]

Thanks for your input! After our adjustment period, I think we will really love it here! :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm so happy to hear that the trip went smoothly with Lily.  I really think she's just adjusting to the changes.  Try to keep things as normal as possible for her and I'm sure she'll be back to herself soon.

[Jennifer and Lily]

Thanks! I am so proud of her! She has been doing so good with the transition, even when she senses how stressed I am.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Good wishes for a smooth transition.  I moved from NY to SF when I was much younger and remember quite clearly how it took a bit of time to not feel lonesome!  I think Lily will be a great intro to new friends! Find the dog park and dog friendly restaurants!  

[Jennifer and Lily]

Thanks! I think I am going to have a longer transition period that she will. Most of our neighbors have dogs which will be nice for her and us :)