19.03.11

morning run:
Bette
Gracie
Godzilla
Frankie
Maggie
Ziggy
Stella
Floyd
(8)

This was mostly a grouping of convenience. We left late, but I really wanted to tire Floyd out today so I wanted fast dogs and these are the ones that were outside that happened to qualify, with the exception of Mags. Maggie is not a fast dog, but she's got what sporting people would call "heart" ... also, she tends towards chubbiness and needs the exercise; anyway, her boyfriend Zig was along and she always runs well with him (it's mildly adorable). The sun was high and bright but there was a chilly wind in the air somehow; Mags, Bette and Floyd drank almost all of the water. We went south via the land bridge, then right back north via the terreno federal serpentine, over to the short cut east and then out east to the palapa road for a stretch, to the Au Soleil Couchant road, and home via the trails north of the tortuga road and the coco trail: 7.6k (google earth). Except for watering the dogs and picking our way through the occasional rough spot we were flying. I did manage to tire Floyd out to the point where there was slack in the leash for a few kilometers, but he always gets a second wind at the tortuga road turn. He's so strong I have to constantly stay on him about pulling and being a wild man. I also was rather severe about watering. He always drank last, only when he was sitting, and I made him defer to Maggie whenever she wanted a drink, since she obviously needed it the most (and because he should defer when told to). He was doing better at the end than at the start, but at least he isn't aggressive about it, just pushy... he always wants to chew on the bottle. Everyone else was good and had a good time, although Frankie doesn't like the longer distances as much as everyone else. We've got to watch Stella and continue to work with her on the leash; she's very willful and could become a problem if she isn't kept in check and disciplined.
GRADE: A