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afternoon gallop:
Alice
Lucy
Gracie
Rita
Molly
Floyd
(6)
To the tortuga sign via the monte and back the same way: ~4k. This was mostly to get Floyd, Alice and Lucy out; the other three happened to be around and it seemed like a good group. The ocean was stormy and had a lot of nasty black seaweed in it, but everyone jumped into the waves face-first and swam around anyway. We ran this pretty quickly considering the heat and humidity; we caught a bit of a break from clouds at times, but even then it was oppressive and buggy. I put Molly on the hook with Floyd at the shrimpery to avoid shenanigans on doce. Alice and Lucy lagged a bit and Floyd pulled a bit too much on the leash on the way home, but otherwise everyone was good.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Otto
Archie
Chester
Truman
Rufus
Ernie
Jack
Luna
(8)
Oscar skipped again due to his health; he's feeling much better but he still looks skinny and weak. Luna took his spot today and acquitted herself well. We took an odd route: the coco trail and then immediately east along the cow pasture, across the alternate land bridge and back south along on the ridge, south to the main road, east into the monte at the last turn, around the southern charcos and onto the palapa road north, west/northwest at the three-way intersection, west to the swimming hole north of the shire and then through the shire to the intersection, west and south along the cut-over back to the same land bridge we crossed at the start and home the way we came out: at least 8k, probably closer to 9k, I'll have to check. It was hot and humid but we caught a bit of cloud cover and everyone jumped in swimming holes and puddles the whole way, since it rained yesterday. There were a fair number of salt workers, many with machinery and vehicles. I put Truman on the hook at the shrimpery to preempt any thoughts of him jack-rabbiting north when we got to the gate, and scooped Luna up when we got to doce for much the same reason. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
evening walk:
Floyd
(1)
Roni took him for a couple trips around the block. He was a bit troublesome and headstrong, and as Roni was dealing with not only him but navigating her way around vehicles, people, dogs and even a horse it was not the most pleasant walk. Floyd has to get better about doing this kind of thing under less-than-optimal conditions.
GRADE: C
evening walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Monkey*
(5)
Roni left with these five for a walk just before a storm. Monkey came back to the gate early, but the rest of the crew carried on, had a nice time and did no wrong, as usual.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Posey
Eve
Gowron
Maggie
Ziggy
Elewah
Monkey
Floyd
(8)
Another hard one due to the heat and humidity; not as brutal as yesterday but 100% in the monte again: across the land bridge, south and east at the last turn, continuing east into the monte, around the southern charcos and north up the palapa road, past the shire three-way, across the inter-charco berm and north a spell to the swimming hole north of the shire, south and then west to the intersection, south down the main road to the cross-over and back home via the land bridge: ~8k. There were people, motos, 18-wheeler trucks, etc. and everyone was good. At one point two salt workers were more or less on our tails on bikes for a little more than a kilometer until we finally hit a good stretch and dusted them; nobody so much as sniffed at them. I scooped Elewah up just past the shrimpery coming home - there are too many people around for her to be poking around on her own. Once again swimming holes provided relief from the heat and humidity. Everyone behaved themselves and had a nice time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Frijolita
Blue
Godzilla
Molly
Floyd
Twiggy
Xmul
(8)
A difficult group, but necessary and worth the trouble. We avoided the beach entirely today as there are plenty of swimming holes in the monte: north the usual way, back to the intersection, north and east through the shire, east at the Au Soleil Couchant road, south at the three way that goes to the long and winding road and back home in the monte via the swamplands east of the shire, the main road and the land bridge: ~8k. The monte made a pretty picture this morning but the heat and humidity were unreal and the bugs were bad in spots. The dogs killed most of the water but the frequent swimming holes and patches of still-cool water helped us make it through. Ginger was a trooper as always; you would never know she's at least twice as old as all the other dogs on this run. I had Molly on the hook with Floyd near the start and was about to put her on after we crossed the land bridge when a moto went by us; she gave chase for a few meters but gave it up, and she wasn't aggressive about it. I did manage to get her on the hook at the shrimpery, though, just in case; I also scooped up Xmul after we crossed doce to avoid an unscheduled jaunt to the beach, so that was a bit of a handful getting everyone in at the gate. Twiggy was an angel the entire way, especially at the end when I was busy with everyone else. When we were running we were hauling ass. Everyone had a good time and is tired now.
GRADE: A
mid-day jaunt:
Frankie
Stella
Floyd
(3)
Stifling heat and humidity kept this short: around the cow pasture via the dead-goat trail: ~2k. Saw nothing but lizards and orioles in the monte. Put Stella on the hook with Floyd at the shrimpery as per standard protocol.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Bette
Gracie
Osita
Rita
Ziggy
Floyd
Daisy
Mo
(8)
North the usual way, east and then south to the intersection, east and north into the shire, west down the Au Soleil Couchant road, south at the last road before doce and back home via the tortuga sign crossroads: ~7k. It rained yesterday but there were surprisingly few mosquitoes in the monte; there were a ton of plain old bugs and things that crawl, like the local crablings. There are quite a few swimming holes that are full of mostly nice water so we skipped the beach today and jumped in those instead. I scooped up Mo right at the last turn home so that she wouldn't be tempted to run down to the beach solo. Everyone was good, had a good time and is tired now - the humidity was crazy. I looked like I had just jumped in the ocean when we got home and the dogs drank most of the water on the run.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Otto
Archie
Chester
George
Truman
Rufus
Ernie
Jack
(8)
Pretty much the only way I've had time to go lately: out north to the Au Soleil Couchant road, west to the beach, south to the tortuga sign and home in the monte: ~6k. We left late and had George with us so both the heat and the distance were a concern. In any event we have a sick refugee (Buddy) with us right now, and that is consuming a lot of our energy and attention; I didn't want to go for too long. George drank most of the water but kept up well and had a blast, especially swimming. There was a group of salt workers right near the end of the dead goat trail, slightly to the north of where it meets the north/south road. On the way out Otto led the charge up there, and on the way back Rufus did; in both cases it was kind of justified (they had left food out on the ground where any interested animal could have at it). Even so I don't like them running up to people and their stuff in the monte like that, so I stopped them and had both Otto and Rufus on the hook at various points. Rufus was seriously crazed on the way out but as usual calmed down even before the shrimpery; we just need to work on those exits. Everyone was good otherwise and had a good time, albeit a hot one. Water was nice.
GRADE: A
evening walk:
Frankie
Floyd
(2)
Roni took these two on a jaunt across the land bridge and around the apocalyptic cove. Frankie ran ahead a lot and it was ridiculously hot and buggy. Floyd needs to improve on the leash when not running, so that he keeps pace with his human and not the other way around. He started out poorly in this regard but by the end he was doing a little better.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Frijolita
Eve
Floyd
Daisy
Twiggy
Xmul
(7)
Odd group on a short one: the land bridge to the ridge, straight through to Au Soleil Couchant, west to the beach, home via the tortuga sign: ~6k. It took us longer than I thought it did, because I felt we were moving quickly but it took us an hour, so my perceptions were clearly way off - we frequently go almost twice as far in the same amount of time. This was Twigs' first run after surgery and she did very well. We ran into two groups of campers on the beach, which is certainly strange; one at Au Soleil Couchant and one at the tortuga sign. The dogs were all friendly and behaved themselves; Xmul likes to bark a little too much but nobody took offense, and she is not aggressive.
GRADE: A
swims:
Greta
Shirley
(2)
Greta did 8 laps and Shirley did 7 in calm seas. Bottom is a little chunky but the water was nice.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Lucy
Rita
Blue
Ziggy
Maggie
Monkey
Molly
Floyd
(8)
North to the Au Soleil Couchant road, out east a piece and then back west to the beach: ~6k. We left a little late and I sensed Lucy didn't want to do the hidden trail. I had Molly on the hook with Floyd near the beginning and at the end, and she did reasonably well. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Bette
Gracie
Godzilla
Posey
Gowron
Lily
Floyd
Luna
(8)
Hidden trail the standard way: ~8k. Left relatively early, did it pretty quickly.. We had rain yesterday and the monte was full of bugs; stopping was painful, so we only did it briefly for water (Bette, Floyd mostly). The water was nice north of Au Soleil Couchant but the rotting, black seaweed gets thicker by the time you get to the tortuga sign. I scooped Luna up at the turn onto our road when we got home because she likes to hit the beach solo after a run sometimes, and I want her to stop doing that. Everyone was really good.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Floyd
(1)
Ian took Floyd for a run up and down the beach.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frankie
Stella
Xmul
(3)
Jami took these three into the monte for a reasonably long run (not sure how far). Xmul was a little bit of a pain at the end but she's getting better and actually came in on her own.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Stella
Floyd
(2)
Ian and Jami took these two for a walk on the beach.
GRADE: A
evening walk:
Oscar
Monkey
(2)
Ian and Jami took these two for a late walk up the beach.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Bette
Gracie
Frijolita
Blue
Ziggy
Floyd
Daisy
(8)
North the usual way, south into the shire from the Au Soleil Couchant road east, back home via the intersection, the cut-over, the alternate land bridge and the coco trail: ~7k. Extremely high pace. Ian and Jami came alone. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run #1:
Otto
Archie
Truman
Ernie
Rufus
Reggie
Elewah
Jack
(8)
North the usual way, back south to the intersection, east into the monte, continuing east through the charcos across the flood plains to the palapa road, south all the way around the southern charcos and home via the land bridge: ~8k. Jami came with us and the shy dogs (Jack, Rufus) were really good about it. Rufus was not as terrible at the gate as he has been. Oscar sat another one out because we don't feel he's really back yet from his giardia/ehrlichiosis double whammy (still on doxycicline for the latter). I meant to take Chester but somehow Elewah snuck in instead - Chester gets dibs on the next one. The pace was high and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run #2:
Floyd
(1)
While Jami and I took the gang of eight out into the monte Ian took Floyd for a run up to the palm tree and back on the beach: ~6k. They both had fun.
GRADE: A
evening walk:
Zasu
Miles
(2)
Roni took our ever-intrepid pair of West Virginians into the monte for a walk to the nearest charco and environs. She says the bugs were terrible but everyone had a good time anyway.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Bette
Frankie
Floyd
(3)
Ian and Jami said they ran into Weltin's dogs w/some new handler to the north. They prepared themselves and had all of their charges on the hook before they reached them. No harm done.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Osita
Molly
Stella
Floyd
Daisy
Luna
Xmul
(8)
North to the tortuga crossroads, east and south to the intersection, through the shire, the Au Soleil Couchant road to the beach and home via the tortuga sign: ~7k (closer to 8k). This was an extremely fast group. Jami came with us, and even she commented that we were basically at a racing pace; if we hadn't stopped to water the dogs and let them swim it would've been a fairly competitive time. Everyone really wanted to run. Daisy, Luna and Xmul were especially energetic, but there were no slackers. I had Jami put Stella on the hook when we were getting close to home, and I also put Molly on the other end of the leash with Floyd so that she wasn't tempted to run up to random salt workers. Everyone was good, had a good time and will be tired for the rest of the day.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Bette
Stella
Floyd
(3)
Ian and Jami took these three to the sign and back.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Posey
Osita
Godzilla
Gowron
Ziggy
Floyd
Luna
(8)
North to the tortuga sign road, east and then south to the intersection, east to the crossroads and then through the shire north, to the Au Soleil Couchant road, west to the beach and home via the tortuga sign the normal way: ~7k. An overcast day so it was slightly cooler but extremely humid and hot in patches when the cloud cover was thin. We had rain yesterday and many swimming holes are now full enough to jump into with a satisfying splash (or so says PupG). They burned through most of the water (mainly Floyd). The shore is still a big ugly with mounds of that nasty black seaweed slowly rotting at lower tides. We were attacked by clouds of mosquitoes constantly but everyone had a good time anyway.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Frijolita
Eve
Blue
Ziggy
Molly
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Odd group on a strange route: land bridge to the last turn east, into the monte and then south to the road to no man's land, back down to the palapa road, north to the first turn west and home via the intersection, the cut-over, the alternate land bridge and the coco trail: ~8k. Jamie came with us. Between the way-out "Y" and the palapa road Gracie decided to check out a trail to the north, which we didn't notice until we past the three-way. This led to Jami and I yelling for Gracie for ~15min and getting bitten by mosquitoes the entire time. Not fun. Gracie went on the hook when she finally came out of the bush. On the cut-over Molly ran back down to the road to see a moto which landed her on the hook for the rest of the run. Too much misbehavior and too many bugs but otherwise a fun run.
GRADE: C (Gracie, Molly)
morning walk:
Frankie
Floyd
(2)
Ian took these two for a walk to the tortuga sign. He says Floyd was a bit pensive but they all had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run #1:
Otto
Archie
Chester
Truman
Posey
Rufus
Ernie
Jack
(8)
Hidden trail the normal way: ~8k. Jami came with us and everyone was good; Rufus was really energetic at the gate but he calmed down quickly. I had Archie on the hook briefly after we left the beach on the tortuga sign road because he was lagging too much to roll around in trash. Other than that perfect. Today I go to pick up Twigs and Mo from the vet after their surgeries. It was nice to get the boys out first.
GRADE: A
morning run #2:
Floyd
(1)
While we were running in the monte Ian took Floyd up to the palm tree and back on the beach for a quick run: ~6k. They both had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Frankie
Stella
Floyd
(3)
Ian and Jami took this crew up the beach for a walk on a windy morning.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Shirley
Gowron
(3)
While Ian and Jami were north I took these three out to swim. Greta did 8 laps, Shirley did 6, and PupG swam a lot.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Bette
Osita
Frankie*
Molly
Floyd
Xmul
(7)
Bette ran off ahead and I had to yell 10 minutes for her to come back to me, right at the shrimpery; this spooked Frankie, who went home as Bette was finally getting to me from the north. I happened to have my phone on me so I called Roni to let Frankie back in and then carried on with six. Bette continued to not listen so I had to jump in the ditch at the end of the coco trail to get her on the other end of the leash, where she stayed for the rest of this mercifully short run. We left late and only did the tortuga/maginot circuit: ~3k. In spite of so much bad behavior we did it quickly.
GRADE: C
morning walk:
Floyd
(1)
Ian took Floyd for a spin north on the beach.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Archie
Frijolita
Elewah
Ziggy
Stella
Daisy
Mo
Twiggy
(8)
North to the tortuga crossroads and the trails to the north, onto the main road to the Au Soleil Couchant three-way, ran into slow traffic slightly ahead of us and going in the same direction so weh decided to double back south down the main road to the intersection, east to the cross-roads and then south, to the short-cut, the terreno federal serpentine, cut over to the tar paper shack and home via the land bridge: ~6k or so. Jami came with us and everyone was good about it. Mo and Twiggy are slated to go in for their sterilizations today so it was nice to get them out; they were both really good. Jami put Stella on the hook at the shrimpery and there were no shenanigans near home.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Bette
Frankie
Floyd
(3)
Ian and Jami took these three on walk on the beach, and they were all good.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Shirley
(2)
Ian took Greta and Jami took Shirley. I'm not sure on how many laps but it looked like enough from up here.
GRADE: A
late morning run:
Alice
Lucy
Blue
Eve
Rita
Floyd
Luna
Xmul
(8)
Across the land bridge, on the ridge to the cut-over, the intersection, the shire, the Au Soleil Couchant road, the beach, the tortuga sign and home via the monte: ~7k. Jami came along and everyone behaved themselves. Luna and Xmul listen really well already. Before the run Jami spotted what she described "an anmial... maybe a goat?" across the road from our gate just as we were ready to leave. It turned out to be a flea-and-tickh-bitten, horribly skinny, sarna-infested red-haired dog. We are calling him Hugo provisionally. He is probably some kind of cocker spaniel, and is recovering nicely from an intense delousing-and-medication session. We brought him in and put him in the bodega while we went on the run, then cleaned him up afterwards.
GRADE: A
afternoon walk:
Floyd
Molly
(2)
Ian and Jami took these two on a walk up the beach. Everyone was good.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Floyd
Stella
(2)
Oscar was deathly ill last night. It looks like he picked up some giardia in the monte on a run. If he hadn't also had ehrlichiosis (unknown to us at the time) he might've just fought it off but since his defenses were weakened it took him down hard. He had blood in his stool and couldn't keep anything down all night, so I took him to the vet at 5:30 this morning. This threw a monkey-wrench into the normal morning routine, obviously, as we were all up well before dawn and sick with worry. Ian and Jami managed to get Floyd and Stella out for a walk later in the morning anyway, and Roni managed to keep everyone content the whole day... looong day.
GRADE: A
evening run:
April
Maggie
Ziggy
Twiggy
(4)
Ian and Jami ventured into the monte intrepidly at dusk with this little crew, knowing full well the bugs were waiting for them. A couple kilometers out Maggie decided to bolt for home, apparently because she's afraid of Ian; we didn't realize that Maggie had an issue with him. They both said they noticed her lagging back as they went, but then all of a sudden she wasn't there. Jami ran her down and brought all of the dogs back, then went back out to tell Ian she had gotten Maggie home so he could stop looking for her. Even with all of the shenanigans they both said they had a nice time and they all had a good run.
GRADE: A
