If you have dogs you know it’s a challenge to grocery shop with them in the car. I feel guilty depriving them of a ride so off we go, the three of us, to the store. Everyone knows it’s hard grocery shopping in the heat of summer. You ask the store clerk to bundle your frig and frozen items together and you hope you get them home before they thaw. In the dead of winter you still ask the nice clerk to package frozen foods together, and they can stay in the bed of the truck just fine. But you have to pay attention how everything else gets bagged up too so things don’t freeze! I usually have multiple errands to make on my trips to town and if the grocery store doesn’t fall in line with my stops, sometimes groceries have to stay in the truck for a while – enter dog logistics.

Coop was my first boy then a few months later Sara came to live with us. That November I thought I was being so careful, I put anything that looked like it might entice the dogs behind the seat. I left canned goods and cartons of milk, etc. on the front floor. I made one stop after picking up groceries. When I came back to the truck a quart of buttermilk had been chewed open and drained into the passenger seat – OMG! By the time I got home there were a few drips that had seeped through between the seat and the seat back, which I mopped up and cleaned as best I could. The rest of the milk was gone. It was below freezing outside, so I hoped for the best. To my surprise, by spring I never smelled a thing. I steam cleaned the seat but it was pointless. I can only imagine what that seat cushion inside must look like. So then came a waterproof seat cover that covered the whole front seat. I couldn’t leave the doggies at home. I bought a little tub for the front floor with a lid on it!

I had a meeting in town a couple of weeks ago and picked up groceries first, wanting to zoom home after the meeting before it got dark. Of course I took the kids. I carefully arranged the groceries, frozen stuff in the truck bed, veggies and eggs and fresh bread I bagged up and took into the meeting with me, three bags – it looked like I was bringing enough groceries to provide dinner for the whole group. After the meeting I lugged my bags out to the truck. I couldn’t even see the dogs – the windows were fogged up and dripping – on the inside. I mopped the windows down and got everything situated. All that hot breath must have kept it warmer than I thought in the truck – turns out I forgot to take in the celery and it was just fine 🙂 I was glad it was still there!!!