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morning walk:
Lucy
Bette
Bosha
Linda
(4)
I took this little squad up the beach to the tortuga sign mainly to get Bette and Bosha out. The ocean is cold, muddy and a bit stinky and there are piles of rotting seaweed on the beach; in other words: perfectly fun for dogs. Bette, Linda and Lucy all had fun in the water and Bosha waded in up to her nips several times.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Archie
Reggie
Gowron
Rufus
Lily
Luna
Mega
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. Once again Roni pulled rodeo duty and helped at the gate which smoothed over our exit; Rufus wasn't too bad in the launch-pad because Roni and I managed the process well. I threw Mega in because he's been annoying the last couple of days and I was hoping to tire him out. He was on point nearly the entire run but listened well generally. He did misbehave a little as we were heading to the southernmost turn; a man my age was coming towards us on a bike and Mega surged forward and barked like a lunatic, frightening him. Rufus followed him and I had to yell at them both to get back with me. I apologized to the fellow, who thought it was funny when he realized I was there and they weren't wild dogs; Mega went on the leash from there until we got home. I didn't think he'd do something like that - it's usually his sister who has all the ideas in that regard. Other than that nothing of note happened. It was a bit windy and chilly and everyone had a nice time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Chester
Frankie
Ernie
Ziggy
Jack
Stella
Twiggy
(8)
To the swimming hole: ~7k. A strange group of loud freaks with a couple angels mixed in; Ernie, Ziggy, Stella and Frankie really needed to get out and it was a little late and hot so I didn't want to take anyone too heavy or slow. We went out the parallel road, looped around to the swimming hole and came home via the cut-over for the first time in a while. Stella was on the leash the entire way; I put Twiggy on the other end at the base of our trail to keep her from wandering over to the rotting corpse a couple of meters away. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Reggie
Linda
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk in the monte. From the outset Miles made it clear he would be dawdling; the combination of his behavior and Hazel's running ahead and not listening made it a fairly unpleasant walk for Roni. In general they were rowdy and a bit undisciplined; Reggie and Henry both could've listened better, Tito insisted on frolicking in the grossness, Hazel was out of her mind and turned her ears off for the most part resulting in her having to be carried home from the base of the trail at the end (along with Tito), and Miles dawdled to a criminal degree. It is truly irritating to go on a walk with one who won't catch up and one who won't slow down and that's what this became, punctuated with various misdemeanors. Zasu and Linda were both uniformly good and Lucy was good for the most part.
GRADE: D
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Godzilla
Posey
Truman
Elewah
Molly
Daisy
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We left with Molly off the leash and she was only on a little bit near the end; I think she may be turning the corner behaviorally but I still put her on the leash when we're near vehicles or people. At some point I'll have to test her out there and see how she does. I scooped Elewah up when we got back to the shrimpery. She's been feeling "special" recently and we are a bit worried about it; we're going to take her to the vet but for now I keep a close eye on her when we're out there just because there are so many stray males around. All in all they were angels and had a great time.
GRADE: A
morning walk #1:
Zasu
Miles
Tito
Lucy
Blue
Frijolita
Reggie
(7)
Roni took this crew out for a walk around the monte. Frijolita and Blue immediately rolled in the grossness at the end of the trail; they got baths when they came home and felt absolutely no shame about it. Henry sat this one out with a limp - again. Reggie is an angel.
GRADE: A
morning walk #2:
Alice
Otto
Lily
Bosha
Linda
Petey
Hazel
(7)
I took these out for what was probably an identical route to Roni's. Petey rolled in the same grossness and was a real freak about getting washed off when we returned; he had to be separated from everyone for a bit while he calmed down. Hazel barked at a guy on a bike at the shrimpery coming home and I had to pick her up to make her stop. Bosha was off the leash the whole way and a really good girl. She gets crazed before we leave and acts out in the launch-pad but once we're out there she's fine. In general everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Monkey
Mo
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Petey sat this one out due to logistical considerations: (a) he's a freak, (b) there were too many wound-up dogs between him and the door, (c) he's a FREAK. I haven't been taking all six of them at once lately anyway but some mornings it seems like it's just impossible. The idea was to get as many of the tribe out as possible to tire them out / shut them up today so 5/6 was good enough. I decided to hit the hidden trail right as we were at the turn north from the Au Soleil Couchant road; I have been doing the southern routes more recently to avoid the gringo-laden beach (and because I like it out there) but the tribe love the ocean so much that they sort of talked me into it. I had Amber on the hook the entire run and she was really good about it. We ran into Xmul and her human/pack on the beach just south of where we come out on the hidden trail; Xmul chased Mega into the water and ran around like a lunatic while Nicole wrangled her terriers but we separated amicably and quickly. I put Mega on the other end of the leash as we turned south from the tortuga road to keep the pace down in the last ~2km and keep us all together. Everyone listened and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Osita
Eve
Chester
Archie
Rufus
Jack
Molly
Twiggy
(8)
Southern charcos via the northern route: ~8k. Same route as the last two times. Roni had to open the gate for us to leave but Rufus was a bit calmer and was an angel otherwise. I put Molly on the leash on the way back near the tar-paper shack and had Rufus on the other end of the leash at the shrimpery. I managed to keep them out of the filth at the base of the trail and kept us moving on the way home. No surprises, no incidents, everyone ran well.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Lucy
Frijolita
Blue
Bosha
Linda
Monkey
Hazel
(8)
I took this crew for a walk in the monte on a chilly morning. It turns out the nastiness that several of them have rolled in right near the end of our trail is a dead dog that was dumped in a black plastic garbage bag; this makes it difficult for the carrion birds to find and dispose of it as they normally would and ensures it is as disgusting as possible for as long as possible: perfect for our dogs to roll in. A big cosmic "fuck you" to whatever toothless moron decided it was better to dump their dead dog like this than to bury it like any decent person would've. I'll have to head over there with a shovel and bury whatever is left so that we aren't constantly running afoul of it. Frijolita, Blue and Alice all pointed it out to me in their typically disgusting but enthusiastic way as we were heading out so I had the whole walk to ruminate on the subject, with olfactory punctuation. Other than that it was a nice walk. Nobody was on the leash at all; Bosha did her usual acting-out routing in the launch pad before we left but I was on top of it, and once we left she was really good and had a blast. We jogged a little in spots and she was really happy about it; I think I'll try her on a shorties/fatties run soon. Hazel should also go on such an adventure as she is obviously up to it. She runs around like a lunatic and is always grappling with Linda. Alice really had a great time... this was more her speed. We crossed the alternate land bridge and looped around on the road to come back over the standard land bridge on the way home. I had to bathe Frijolita, Blue and Alice when we got home or the stench would've knocked us (humans) out but I don't blame the dogs.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Tuesday
Gowron
Daisy
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Petey
Steve McQueen
(8)
Southern charcos via the northern route: ~8k. We took the same route as yesterday but it felt like it took half the time; we were at the turn to no-man's land in what seemed like less than half an hour. As is usual when Tuesday is around we did not stop until almost the ~3km mark; I didn't let her off the leash this time because we kept running into people and I was getting the feeling she might go a little paranoid on me but she didn't seem to mind as long as I kept up with her. Zoot was a little difficult to wrangle into the launch-pad but once we left he was really good: he listened, he didn't dawdle, he didn't freak out when we saw people. I put Mega on the other end of the leash just inside 1km from home because I wanted to start dialing the pace down a bit and that's impossible with him on point; this trick works almost immediately and by the time I got to the land bridge they were all around me in a little cluster. The only two flamingos we saw were right there at the land bridge on the way home and everyone was good about it. A nice, fast run on a sunny, chilly morning.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
George
Ernie
Maggie
Ziggy
Luna
Amber
(8)
Southern charcos via the northern route: ~8k. It was a bad idea to bring Maggie on this one but she hadn't gone in a while and I thought she could do it. She could and she did but she lagged a lot; some of it is due to her being a little pudgy and short but she also screws around A LOT. It made the run take much longer than it should've and it was my fault. George was totally up for it and hardly lagged at all until the very end. It was overcast, blustery and even a little cold which made the heavier dogs happy. Amber was on the leash the entire way and was good about it. Maybe in a couple more runs I'll consider letting her off the leash when we're out there. I put Luna on the other end when we were nearing home just to be sure. We went all the way around and came out via the "terreno federal" road to the main road and home via the land bridge, which was high and dry. No flamingos, only a few random people in the monte and everyone was good about it.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Tito
Lucy
Eve
Otto
Reggie
Monkey
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk down to the charcos. They ran afoul of some nasty surprises left in the brush by nameless idiots who apparently lack basic training in hygiene; sometimes it seems like the woods are full of this kind of crap and there's no way to avoid it. Reggie and Miles abstained but everyone else jumped in one way or another; Otto had to have a bath immediately upon arrival home. Roni was not pleased - it is an ugly reality at times and although we both blame the shitter for the most part the dogs should still listen a bit better. If a turd falls in the forest you don't HAVE to roll in it.
GRADE: C
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
A little choppy, a little chilly but puppy.liebschen did her duty and swam like a gazelle. Yes, a gazelle. They can swim, too.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Lucy
Bette
Archie
Gowron
Bosha
Linda
(6)
I took this unit up the beach almost to the tortuga sign with plenty of swimming along the way. Archie kind of talked his way onto the squad on the way out but I had to put him on the other end of the leash with Bette because he runs ahead too far; he's not bad but I had a lot to contend with already and I didn't want to be yelling constantly. He was good about it but it hampered Bette's swimming a bit... kind of funny I had Bette and Archie on the leash, anyway. Bosha was really good once we got under way and enjoys walks like this off the leash much more than anything else. She runs around a lot but never gets far from me. Everyone else was good.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Frijolita
Reggie
Archie
Rufus
Lily
Jack
Lex
(8)
Northern loop: ~7k. This was the same route from a couple of days ago: out the parallel road, north to the palapa road, across the bag end land bridge and home via the tortuga road. Rufus was crazed but again I got him hooked up quickly and Roni pulled the rope on the chute and she let us suckers go, so I didn't have to screw with the gate. There is something dead right near the end of our trail to the shrimpery and Frijolita was covered in it within ~30 seconds of leaving; I had to bathe her with soap when we got home. Everyone was really good the whole way. I wanted to get back because the big demo for work was this morning and everyone obliged me by running their asses off. I had Lex and Rufus on the leash at the end but nobody was interested in bolting north. Good run.
GRADE: A
mid-day walk:
Lucy
Shirley
Linda
Bosha
(4)
I took these four up the beach almost to the tortuga sign. Bosha was off the leash the whole way and really did well; she's a freak and a nut-job but she's not dumb and knows where she lives. Shirley, Linda and Lucy all went into the water even though it was choppy and a bit chilly.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Eve
Godzilla
Posey
Chester
Frankie
Lily
Daisy
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Left a little late and am still ridiculously pressed for time with work. The run seemed to help lift me a bit as I've been lacking sleep. I didn't want to go too far because of the time; they almost convinced me to go the extra ~1km to the hidden trail but I thought better of it; this group could easily have gone 10k. I tried to keep the pace up at least and everyone did have a good time. We ran into a moto heading towards the intersection and everyone was perfect. I didn't use the leash once until we were getting close to home; Posey has run ahead just as we're getting home and bolted off north on several occasions so I put her on the leash at the shrimpery. I had forgotten that there was some nastiness on the trail home; Roni and I had both run afoul of it recently but I was kind of stupid today and didn't realize what was going on until I had to yell at Lily, Godzilla and Chester to get the hell out of whatever they were into. I ended up washing them all when we got home, they stank to high heaven; I put Lily on the other end with Posey for the last ~50m. I almost can't blame the dogs, although they do know they're not supposed to do that. At least Godzilla and Chester got baths.
GRADE: A (blame the shitter not the shit)
morning run:
Alice
George
Ernie
Ziggy
Molly
Monkey
Twiggy
Steve McQueen
(8)
Northern loop: ~7k. We went out to the north on the parallel access road, east into the monte as usual, took the loop onto the palapa road but then crossed at the bag-end land bridge and came home via the Jeep berm and finally north from the intersection back to the tortuga road. Alice lagged a bit the whole way but caught up frequently and seemed to feel good; she likes to hang back and screw around a lot but I'm worried she might be a step slow besides... need to watch her. Steve McQueen is really good in the absence of his peeps; he's on my heel for the most part and always stops when I call him. Molly was on the leash for most of the way but I let her off when we were getting near the palapa road; there were several motos around and people in a couple places but no flamingos. We ran into a couple of salt workers eating something before they started work just north of the dead goat intersection. Everyone else was good but Twigs kept trying to sneak back to wheedle food out of them; I saw them throw a couple chunks of it at her (giggling all the while) when she lagged back after everyone else had passed so I made her come to me and put her on the other end of the leash; no harm, no foul, and she can't help it she's such a good mooch. A decent run.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Linda
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk to the charcos. Hazel did well. She didn't harass Tito (and in fact seemed to be paling around with him), ran around like a lunatic and mostly listened; Roni said that she went ahead a bit more than she should when everyone else stopped with Roni at the shrimpery for a bit to look around, but she came running back when she heard Roni calling for her. She is definitely becoming more intrepid and needs a collar and some time on the leash soon; it is nice to see that leg getting stronger. Linda likes to run ahead too much once you hit the last trail home and she drags Hazel with her a bit; there was some strange traffic on the road as Roni was getting near and Linda's antics didn't help but Roni's vigilance (and running) kept everyone on track.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Osita
Rita
Chester
Archie
Daisy
Mo
Amber
Lex
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. Amber left on the leash and stayed that way the whole run; she is too smart and willful to be so undisciplined and is going to be a leash-only dog for a while, at least - she'll get over it eventually. She was surprisingly good the whole way and didn't dig in her heels, try to tie me up or do any of the other irritating things that smart dogs who hate the leash tend to do. We ran into a couple of motos heading out as we were coming back towards the intersection and both she and Lex were good (although of course Amber had no choice). Everyone else was perfect. Rita was really up for it after finally getting over her latest ear surgery; at least she's pretty close to over it and she just had to get out. I watched her and made sure she didn't roll in anything or dart off into the brush where she might catch her ear on something. This group wasn't as insanely fast as the last one I took out but the pace was both definitely and defiantly high. No marmots were harmed, no people were barked at, no birds were chased and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Lucy
Otto
Frijolita
Reggie
Lily
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk to the charcos before it got too terribly hot, although it was still plenty hot by the time they got back. We switched Lily for Miles at the very last minute when Roni realized that taking Miles with Otto on the leash would be problematic, especially at the start. This was probably a losing proposition; Miles might've been difficult at first but Lily was a pain in the ass mid-way through the walk as it turns out. Lily ran ahead with Frijolita a lot to start with and Otto pulled like a madman; Roni let Otto off when he had calmed and put Lily on instead but she was not very cooperative. Apparently Otto and pals had been thinking of heading off to roll in poo but came back when Roni called them; Lily, on the other hand, didn't listen at all when she was released and took off in the direction they had just come from, spent five quality minutes with some feces and came tearing back after Roni was just about to leave without her. When she was put back on the leash she did her best boat-anchor impersonation all the way home, stinking to high heaven for good measure. Not a good performance by Lily but everyone else was good.
GRADE: B
morning beach jaunt:
Bette
Gowron
Linda
Hazel
(4)
I took these four up the beach past the HoJo, almost to the tortuga sign. The ocean was churned up and chilly but Linda, PupG and Bette didn't mind and they jumped in a lot; Hazel is not so crazy about the water like that but she had a good time on shore and harassed Linda whenever she was on dry land.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Godzilla
Posey
Truman
Tuesday
Elewah
Mega
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. The first ~3km of this run are perhaps the fastest 3km I have ever run in my life. We didn't stop or even slow down once; not at the shrimpery, not at the tortuga road, not all the way until we were heading east on the Au Soleil Couchant road. We couldn't possibly keep that torrid pace the entire way but it was damned fast anyway. I let Tuesday off the leash on the Au Soleil Couchant road near where we head south towards the palapa road but I put her back on at the palapa because I just had a feeling I should and I've learned to pay attention to those feelings. Nothing happened and she didn't seem paranoid at all (for the second time) but you never know. She was a good girl the whole way. I was thinking of letting Elewah come home on her own when we got back to the shrimpery but she started to look like she was going to sneak off towards the soldiers' so I grabber her. Mega ran ahead on the trail home but he kept looking back for us and I knew he would just go to the gate so I didn't bother yelling. They killed almost all of the water. Good run.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It was chilly and shallow but we persevered. I held her stationary in the water and made her swim against me for long periods since there was no point in going out any "deeper"; it was not even up to my thigh and we at least 30m out so I just went with it. She was breathing heavily when we were done. Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Lily
Monkey
(8)
Roni took this crew out in the heat for a walk to the charcos. There were some salt workers on the land bridge and nearby there so she avoided them; everyone was good and listened. She said Lily wanted to chase a flamingo that was near to the road once but listened when she called her and broke it off.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
George
Maggie
Ziggy
Molly
Twiggy
Luna
Frankie
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We went to the swimming hole as usual via the intersection, then south past the concrete shack, across the berm to the palapa road and home via the first turn north, the jeep berm and the tortuga crossroad; I specifically avoided the cut-over and everything to the south of the intersection. We didn't see that white dog today but I kept an eye out for him and had Molly on the leash when we were close just so that I wasn't caught flat-footed. Everyone did really well and had a blast. Twigs and Luna worshiped George non-stop at every opportunity. Maggie held her own and although she was lagging a bit by the end she obviously had a good time. Alice also lagged for a lot of the way but picked it up and took point for a stretch heading home. Good run.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Blue
Reggie
Monkey
Linda
Hazel
(7)
Roni took this crew down to the alt. land bridge and environs and came back via the coco trail. Hazel actually ran in the water a bit playing with Linda, a first. Monkey decided to attend to some monkey-business on the other side of the land bridge for a few minutes but she came back just in time to avoid censure. Blue and Reggie are always angels.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It was a little chilly but otherwise nice; deep enough to swim in and calm. She swam a lot more than I thought she would and was fairly enthusiastic about it. As long as there isn't a storm and it isn't ridiculously shallow I'll try to get her out. She's a trooper. Greta FTW!
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Eve
Chester
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Lily
Lex
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. In spite of the time off Rufus was surprisingly good at the gate on the way out; I'm not saying he wasn't a bear but I had him hooked up and ready to go in a few seconds and he calmed down relatively quickly. We took the parallel road going north and headed to the palapa road as normal, coming home via the serpentine and the cut-over. Just east of the circular intersection a white dog started following us; male, about Rufus' size, short coat. He seemed inclined to check us out and I thought it strange that none of mine were reacting to him very much; Lily barked at him a little but hardly at all, and I had Lex on the leash so he didn't factor into it. When we crossed into the intersection proper Rufus all of a sudden took note of him and bluff-charged, with Jack on his heels; this made our follower tuck his tail and head north. Rufus was good about coming to me afterwards and we didn't see the white dog again; he could've been out there with people I suppose, as there were salt workers nearby. These same salt workers left some presents under a bush near the cut-over, which put me in the position of having to wrangle them away from said filth while getting Rufus back on the leash, as he was one of the chief investigators. Disgusting, infuriating, etc. I must remember to avoid the cut-over and the region directly south of the intersection for a little while as people seem to be working there regularly and this kind of thing is unpleasant. I came home the rest of the way with Lex and Rufus on either end of the leash - no problems, everyone was good.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Frijolita
Otto
Linda
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk down to the charcos. Lucy irritated her by taking off down the trail home at the end but she only ran to the gate; Miles' dawdling sort of makes that kind of thing stressful on occasion but this time it wasn't so bad. Linda was especially well-behaved before and after. Yay mom!
GRADE: A
morning run:
Osita
Archie
Ernie
Stella
Daisy
Zoot
Steve McQueen
Petey
(8)
To the swimming hole and home: ~7k. I fell and injured myself last Friday; slashed my head open and banged myself up nicely. Roni has tended to my wound all week and it was clear that I should not go for a run or anything like it; the week has been further spiked by a nice head cold for me, a nice head cold for Roni offset by a couple of days and a wave of general suckitude that wiped us both out and grounded all doggie sorties while we recovered. Today was the first day I could feasibly think about going out; Roni is hopefully only a day or two behind me. I'm noting this in detail now so we can figure out when that was that I sliced my head open like an idiot... This run was challenging. Stella was on the hook the whole way. I was in surprisingly decent shape considering the layoff but the point was really to check things out, blow a bit of goo out of my head and get some of the crazier dogs out before they drive US insane. We ran into a salt worker truck just past the 1km mark. Petey didn't want to go by it so I took us all back and brought us around in the monte to the side; Petey was brave enough to wait for me and follow along. We took the parallel road to the Au Soleil Couchant access road, looped around for the swimming hole and headed home via the cut-over. It would've been perfect if not for Ernie deciding to take a 10 minute roll-in-human-shit break (he claims the union negotiated him that in his contract). I was pissed to put it mildly and he was on the other end of the leash from there on. Other than that everyone was perfect and had a good time.
GRADE: B (f'ing Ernie)
mid-day walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
(4)
Roni took this little crew down to the shrimpery for an executive overview. She wanted to go farther but Tito decided it was too hot or something high-tailed it for home while everyone else was checking things out.
GRADE: A (it's hard to stay mad at Tito)
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Truman
Reggie
Tuesday
Mega
Lex
Steve McQueen
(8)
Southern charcos plus the road to no-man's land: ~9k. Zoot was a freak this morning and could not be coaxed out; perhaps he can tell the weather. Reggie really asked to go so Roni let him out instead. I intended to leave Petey and Amber because they've gone recently and I thought this one might be too long for Petey anyway. Tuesday left on the leash as usual but I let her off just east of the intersection and she stayed off until we were almost to the turn to no-man's land; I put her on there because if she gets paranoid and wants to ditch me way out there it is a pain in the ass. I don't think she would've done so today - in fact I don't think she got paranoid at all, perhaps for the first time. Reggie was a joy; he's so big that when he gets playful and wiggly it is high theater, especially when we're really moving. Mega, Lex and Steve all love to pal around with Truman and Reggie. As we turned the corner on the southern charcos and arrived at the head of the serpentine it started drizzling; by the time we got to the turn to the secret trail it was raining in earnest. This motivated everyone and we really ran like blazes for the last 2km. We took Tuesday's crossing to get home quicker. Really nice run.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Bette
Shirley
Ziggy
Maggie
Linda
Hazel
(7)
I took this group for a walk around the cow pasture the long way. The Boobles are a bit of a challenge together but they settled down; I had them on separate leashes for the whole walk. Ziggy is good on runs but on walks he tends to get too far ahead and be too interested in chasing waterfowl; he also wasn't wearing a collar so there wasn't much I could do about it but keep calling him to me. He does listen at least but he's a little pain in the ass. Hazel stuck to Linda and they had a great time. Alice looked okay. I had her run to me at several points and her gait looks normal again, so she must have stepped on something yesterday.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice*
Blue*
George
Ernie
Maggie
Molly
Jack
Twiggy
Petey
(9)
To the swimming hole and home via the parallel road: ~8k. This was a star-crossed run that had two false starts; the actual run would've been perhaps ~7k but there was at least 1km of screwing around first. I left first with Alice and the rest of them except Blue. As we were just on the trail to the shrimpery I noticed Alice was lagging more than usual and when she caught up to me I could see that she had come up lame; her left rear leg was bothering her. It was clear by the time we got to the shrimpery intersection that she could not go but everyone was so fired up that I couldn't just turn back so I took us around the cow pasture the short way, watching her as we went; she definitely didn't want to use that leg much and I don't know why. I got us back home, put Alice in and Roni released Blue. We took off, or so I thought, but when I was back at the shrimpery intersection again I realized I was missing someone and it turned out to be Twiggy. I had a feeling she had skulked off to screw around to the north while Roni and I were wrangling Alice and Blue and she is mischievous enough that I couldn't just leave her so yet again I turned us around (this time on the spot); sure enough as we got near doce I saw her on the other side of the road looking at us. She was far enough away that Blue and Ernie thought they should take a run at her and they took off. Roni happened to be at the gate because she heard me yelling and Blue ran up to her and insisted on being let in. I got back to Twiggy and had everyone else moving in the right direction again and Roni and I decided to just leave it at seven; obviously today was going to be challenging. I headed out for the third time then with the last seven on the list above and finally managed to crank out a short run to the swimming hole. I didn't want to hit the beach or screw around. Molly was off the leash more than she has been; we saw motos and vehicles and she showed no interest in chasing them. On the way home just south of the tortuga crossroads we encountered a truck of salt workers coming towards us. As has happened so many times before I asked them to please stop while I got my dogs around them but they just shined me on and seemed to think it was funny; I do not think it is funny and am going to stop being so nice about it, since these assholes can't seem to maintain a thought in their heads for more than 30 seconds. Naturally it was Petey who was trapped on the other side of them and he took off so we gave chase; he is, of course, smarter than a truck-load of salt workers and figured out a way to get around them and come back to me. I had Molly and Twiggy on the leash coming home and I was glad to get there. No misbehavior on our part today, just a lot of unfortunate incidents.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Lily
Monkey
Linda
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk to Poop Island and everyone had a blast. She decided to leave Miles for once because his dawdling makes the walk much less fun when fast dogs like Lily are around; Hazel is also challenging enough at this stage and sometimes you just have to change things up. It was a good decision because Lily and Monkey ran around like lunatics and Miles would've had Roni waiting for him constantly. Hazel is getting stronger; her bum leg seems to be working better for her. Monkey was in her glory and everyone had a blast running around Poop Island a few times.
GRADE: A
afternoon recon:
Zasu
Miles
Blue
Hazel
(4)
Roni took these four down mainly to get Miles out but also to check out the shrimpery (aka The Beta Site) which we will soon be renting; she took them out down the coco trail just for a bit of fun as well. Hazel can be a bit of a pain with her crazed enthusiasm for biting, chasing and rough-housing but everyone puts up with the puppy and Miles enjoyed himself.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Friojolita
Eve
George
Chester
Gowron
Rufus
Daisy
Luna
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. Instead of going all the way to the swimming hole we crossed on the Jeep berm and went over the bag end land bridge to get to the palapa road, then went south and took the left to the road to no-man's land as we did yesterday. I brought George because he's fat and has been doing well on the fattie/slow-poke runs recently; I thought he might be up for a faster run and he proved me correct. He ran like a pup most of the way and had a really good time. Rufus was no worse than last time at the gate but he needs to leave and come back more to diffuse some of his craziness; I let him off on the short spur of the tortuga road that leads east after we make the turn and he was a good boy. Everyone was good and had a good time in general; the pace was high, especially for George, and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Otto
Tito
Blue
Linda
(8)
Roni took these out for a walk down to Poop Island and environs. Tito really likes to go without Hazel and was in fine fettle according to Roni; he even ran through the water with the other dogs a couple of times, something he does not normally do.
GRADE: A
beach jaunt:
Bosha
(1)
I took her out by herself on the beach and headed north past the HoJo before we turned around. I really just wanted to gauge how she is doing and whether or not she would be good on a walk off the leash on the beach with other dogs. The answer is that she's fine and that we don't have to worry about her bolting off any more. She was obviously happy for the time one-on-one and had a good time.
GRADE: A
mid-day swim:
Greta
(1)
Conditions were less than ideal to say the least: choppy, windy, cold. When I first dragged her into the water she gave me a "what the hell?" look and made it plain she would rather be elsewhere. I only made her swim a few "laps" but Roni and I really wanted to get her out. It's hard because any amount of running causes her to come up lame and we don't want her to get worse but we also need her to lose weight. She had a good time in the end and we'll do more of this now that it looks like we'll have access to a pool of some sort at the Beta Site (cue evil laughter).
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Osita
Posey
Archie
Elewah
Molly
Amber
(8)
Southern charcos: ~9k. We went via the swimming hole on the way out, took the turn southeast from the palapa road that joins up with the road to no-man's land and looped around to the southern charcos, coming home via the serpentine, the intersection and Tuesday's crossing. That last bit was not my plan but was instead due to Amber's outrageous misbehavior which cost her quite a while in the box afterwards. I had Molly on the leash to begin with but I let her off before the swimming hole and she was off until we were almost to the end of the serpentine. Around that time I also had the thought that I should put Amber on the other end of the leash soon but I didn't act quickly enough. When we got to the intersection Amber took off south down the main road, dragging Osita, Posey and Ginger with her. The rest of them came back quickly enough but Osita and Amber were nowhere to be seen for a couple of minutes. Finally Osita showed herself sheepishly on the road but Amber cut across west to the charco between the road and our cut-over trail and wouldn't come nearer to me. I thought I'd head down the cut-over and get her to come to me but she saw what I was doing and I very clearly observed her decide that she would have none of it; she did an end-run behind me and bolted for Tuesday's crossing with Osita on her tail. I turned us around and gave chase but they were too fast and had already crossed when we were just hitting the eastern shore. From there on it was a footrace which I was obviously destined to lose. As we got to the coco trail Elewah also took off ahead and I thought the wheels were coming off but as we crossed the shripmery intersection I realized that Elewah was heading home because she didn't want me to scoop her up; she wanted to come home on her own and she was showing me she would do it by herself so I stopped calling for them and hauled ass home to find Amber, Osita and Elewah at the gate ahead of me. Amber knew she was in trouble and I was plenty hot over it but then she made it worse by evading me in the yard and giving me attitude when I finally grabbed her to put her in the box. I don't know if I'll ever be able to take her off the leash again but she certainly is a leash dog now and for some time to come. Until Amber decided to pull her little stunt at the intersection this run was an "A"; a real shame.
GRADE: C (at least we all came home)
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Reggie
Monkey
Lily
(8)
Roni took this group out for a walk in the woods in spite of her various injuries and everyone really had a good time. Reggie is always a little scary leaving at the gate because he's so excited, so large and so clueless about his own size but once on the road he's always an angel. Tito enjoyed a walk without Hazel running him over all the time and Lily didn't run ahead quite so much because there were no other fast dogs on the walk. Roni avoided the charco they usually go to jump in because there was some loud machinery somewhere nearby, probably a salt loader; everyone thus came home a little cleaner than usual but no less proud of themselves.
GRADE: A
morning beach jaunt:
Bette
Frijolita
Linda
Hazel
(4)
I took these four up the beach to the tortuga sign just to get out and have some fun. There was a construction worker on the beach just north of our house and that spooked Hazel a little; she barked at him and didn't want to go around him, so I went back and picked her up and carried her around. There are some strays up at the army camp that barked at us a bit but everyone was really good. Hazel definitely does not like the water but Linda and Bette sure do; it was cold and choppy but those two swam a fair amount and Frijolita also jumped in many times.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Godzilla
Truman
Tuesday
Ziggy
Daisy
Twiggy
Mega
Steve McQueen
(8)
Southern charcos via the nothern route: ~8k. Went out via the swimming hole, came home via the serpentine and went the extra little bit all the way to the tortuga crossroads on the way home. There were a lot of flamingos in spots; everyone was perfect about it. We ran into salt workers in a couple places and everyone was likewise good for the most part; out near the berm Steve and 'Zilla barked a little but stopped immediately when I called them. Tuesday was on the leash for most of the way; I just had a feeling she would get paranoid and I didn't want to chance it. She was an angel paranoia or not. I put Mega on the other end of the leash at the end of the dead goat trail on the way home and everyone was good and kept together for the final 1km.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Eve
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this group out for a walk to poop island and environs. There were a lot of flamingos around close-by but everyone in this group was so good it presented no real issues (other than staying on top of them). Hazel has become a super-enthusiastic walking dog and her leg is improving daily it seems.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Bette
Lucy
Tito
Monkey
Bosha
Linda
Hazel
(7)
I took this crew for a walk around the cow pasture the long way. Bette and Bosha were on leashes the whole way; I should make an effort to get Bosha out on her own or only with Linda and other dogs that don't require a leash or so much attention, but even though she was a little freaked out she had a good time. Linda and Hazel have a lot of fun but Linda is not a great influence on her own. She sort of crapped on what had been a nice walk by darting off towards Gary's road as we were on the final bit of road next to the shrimpery; she dragged Hazel with her and turned her ears off to check out something in the high grass at the intersection with Gary's road. When she finally came back (dragging Hazel with her again) she darted around me and ran home well ahead of the rest of us; I picked Hazel up at that point so that she could not follow suit. Linda spent some quality time in the box after the walk as a result of her little stunt. Other than that everyone really did well and had a good time.
GRADE: B
morning run:
Blue
Eve
Archie
Reggie
Frankie
Lily
Stella
Luna
(8)
Southern charcos via the northern route: ~8k. We went out north via the swimming hole and came back via the serpentine. Stella was on the leash for the majority of the run but I let her off after the swimming hole and didn't put her back on until we were nearing the end of the serpentine. Except for Stella this was an angelic group. We saw many flamingos in spots, especially way out there; everyone listened well and there were no problems.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Rita
Frijolita
George
Ernie
Maggie
Molly
Lex
(8)
Northern loop: ~7k (I think). We went to the swimming hole as though we were heading to the beach at A.S.C. or going to the hidden trail but then I took us east and south down the palapa road to the bag-end intersection, crossed there, went across the flats to the Jeep berm and ran home north and then south from the tortuga crossroads. It is a stormy day and the light was strange in the monte. Clouds were blowing in from the north while we were out there so it changed from sunny to overcast; this suited everyone, especially the heavier, slower dogs. Lex was in fine form and showed himself again to be a member of the Good Boy's Club. We passed an old man on a bike at the turn onto the coco trail coming home and there was not so much as a sniff in his direction from anyone. I had Molly on the leash for about half of the run; she was good when she was off. Not that many flamingos but a couple here and there.
GRADE: A
new arrival:
Bees
(1)
We appear to have adopted a hive of local bees. They appear to be Mayan sting-less bees. They seem to coexist just fine with all of the critters and they love our Moringa trees. Yay bees!
GRADE: !!
morning jaunt:
Rufus
Ziggy
Jack
Twiggy
(4)
To the tortuga sign on the beach and home in the monte: ~4k. A quick one to get Rufus out. Everyone was good.
GRADE: A
morning beach walk:
Lucy
Bette
Shirley
Linda
(4)
I took these four out on the beach and headed to the tortuga sign. The water is choppy and cold but everyone went in a few times and had fun. Both boobles had to be on leashes the whole way - they would run too much otherwise and hurt themselves. The xmul on the beach was terrible.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Posey
Lily
Monkey
Hazel
(8)
Roni is still recovering from a foot injury and we thought maybe Zasu would consent to go with me so I gave it a shot; it seemed to both of us as though Zasu understood that Roni is hurt. She was a joy on the walk and came home completely covered in something I'll call "mud." I carried Miles across the road and although he did lag a lot at first he was totally with the rest of the pack by the end. Posey and Lily predictably shot ahead and were way too fast to start with; I had them on either end of the leash until we turned onto the dirty road. They both listen well and can't help that they're insanely fast. Hazel did well and might've even gone into a charco or two playing with Monkey. Tito is a great little walking buddy.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Eve
Blue
Osita
Chester
Gowron
Mo
(8)
Southern charcos: ~9k. We went north to avoid flamingos on the way out, crossing the alt. land bridge and hitting the swimming hole on the way to the eastward road, turning south onto the palapa road and coming home via the land bridge. This last bit was stupid. On the way out I thought about going across the land bridge but there were flamingos literally standing on it so we took the dirty road to the other land bridge, but by the time we were coming home I had already forgotten that (the stupid part) and we nearly shook hands with those same flamingos. When I realized my error I pulled us back and started north again to the alt. land bridge but it is quite a bit longer and we had already been out for a while so I decided against it. Instead I put Mo on the hook (least trustworthy), walked towards the land bridge and talked to the dogs a lot to make some noise the birds could hear. This group is so well-behaved that nobody tried anything funny and sure enough the sound of my voice and our very slow advance had the desired effect; the flamingos moved cautiously off into the deeper part of the charco and we passed by without incident. I have to be a bit more mindful; I could've easily taken another route that would've brought us back via the intersection or something. I felt a little guilty at not taking any "problem" dogs that needed to be on the leash but once in a while it's nice to not have to worry about anyone and just run. Everyone was in fine fettle and had a great time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Godzilla
Posey
Rufus
Elewah
Jack
Lily
Daisy
(8)
Southern charcos: ~6k. This is an incredibly fast group and we were set to go the distance until 'Zilla came up a little lame at the first turn north near the coco plantation. At first I thought it was a spine but I checked her over and she was clean; she had been rough-housing with Daisy something fierce and could easily have twisted her leg. I watched her for a couple hundred meters and she seemed to mostly shake it off but I didn't want to take any chances so I cut it short and took us home via the middle path to the Jeep berm. I'll get everyone out on a couple long ones eventually and it looks like maybe it was nothing but I'm tired of so many dogs coming up lame for whatever reason recently. In spite of being curtailed the run was otherwise nice; Lily and Elewah both listened to me on a several occasions when bad behavior seemed imminent and chose to come with me instead. Daisy didn't seem as boisterous or intent on taking runs at her running-mates as she has been. Rufus was difficult to settle at the gate but was an angel otherwise. At the very end Jack led a brief and ill-advised charge north on our road with Posey, Frijolita and Daisy in tow; no big deal but I'll try to have Jack on the leash when we arrive home next time.
GRADE: A
morning beach walk:
Lucy
Shirley
Linda
(3)
I had promised Shirley I would get her out and the other two both needed it so what the hell. It turned out to be an incredibly uncomfortable, bug-ridden walk to just past the HoJo and back. The chaquistes on the beach were unbelievable; they did not stop hounding us from the moment we hit the beach. It must be all the seaweed; the water was shallow and stinky which means there's a lot of submerged, rotting seaweed on the bottom. It was also cold and choppy so nobody was much into swimming. Bugs aside everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Gowron
Monkey
Mega
Zoot
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Lex sat this one out because he's been on antibiotics for a few days; he had a bit of a fever and didn't feel well at all on Saturday and we don't want to chance it with him since he has a history of being a little sickly. I threw Truman in instead since he was due. I haven't taken the tribe to the hidden trail in a while mainly because of Petey; he hasn't had any kind of a limp after a run recently and everyone was so fired up that I thought I'd chance it once with him. If he limps afterwards then we won't do it again (honestly even if he doesn't I probably won't); he was having such a good time that I admit I just didn't want to cut it short for him. I got Mega on the leash at the shrimpery but this group was still insanely fast. Nobody wanted water and everyone wanted to run; we probably broke some kind of record on the way to the turn to the hidden trail. I had Mega off the leash on the beach; the water was shallow, cold and a bit stinky but the tribe are always up for horsing around in the water. I put Mega on at the tortuga sign but I should've also put Amber on and I didn't; I paid for it immediately when she chased a moto on doce as we were heading east. She danced around me when they got back to me and I had to run her down to put her on the other end of the leash. We continued on that way until Mega had to go to the bathroom and stopped suddenly; this put too much pressure on Amber's collar and it gave way, releasing her like a stone from a slingshot. The rest of the run from there on was basically one long sprint; I nearly ran her down again except Mega once again stopped suddenly (to smell something, I don't know) and that sapped our momentum. Amber just ran to the gate but I didn't appreciate being dissed that way so she spent some time in the box after the run. For the most part it was fun and high paced but Amber's shenanigans were irritating and almost completely avoidable. My fault. From now on I take two leashes with the tribe.
GRADE: B
morning run:
Alice
Rita
George
Frankie
Ernie
Maggie
Molly
Twiggy
(8)
Southern charcos via the northern route: ~8k. This has become my new favorite route when I don't feel like going to the beach. We left early and it was a bit cold; my feet hurt for the first ~2km because the ground felt so hard and the night's cold clung to the parts of the monte that were in shade. This was just fine with all the dogs who were really up for this run; at the very end Maggie and Alice were dragging a bit but mainly because they wanted to jump in the charcos. We took the middle road coming back north instead of running all the way around and coming home on the serpentine. There were a few flamingos but hardly any compared to what we've seen recently; in total we might've seen a dozen scattered throughout the monte. I had Molly on the leash for most of the run but I let her off out on the palapa and for a part of the way back heading north. Ernie was a good boy and showed no signs of chasing anything (he claims he's reformed). We ran into a moto heading east out of the intersection just as we were reaching it heading west but I already had Molly on the leash by that point so there was nothing to worry about; she doesn't make any sign of wanting to chase motos when she's on the leash but I still don't trust her completely. All in all a nice run, brisker than normal with this group.
GRADE: A
morning walk/jog:
Osita
Shirley
Rufus
Jack
Linda
(5)
To the tortuga sign on the beach and home via the monte: ~4k. We went a little farther than the tortuga sign at first but then I realized that we should come back in the monte (people everywhere, too much crazy dog energy) so I doubled back and headed home the usual way from that point. I'm going to MĂ©rida today but we got up early and we both really wanted Shirley to get out and Rufus to get out so this seemed like a good way to do it. The ocean is churned up and the beach is windy and cool - perfect for this crew. I left with Shirley on the leash and Rufus off; he was completely crazed in the first 50m and then I realized there was someone staying in a tent under the palapa at the army base and I didn't want Rufus pulling his berserker routine... he usually doesn't but you never know. I wrestled him down (demonstrating that I do indeed have a ground game), got him on the other end of the leash and we carried on until past the HoJo that way. By the tortuga sign he had calmed down and was off the leash having fun with his buddy Jack. Linda and Osita also both had a blast. Shirley is not supposed to run but she's so crazy and enthusiastic that I fear for her hips just walking; since she has lost weight and looks so good it seems like they don't bother her so much and I watched how she was using her back legs intently. We ended up jogging a little bit in stretches just to burn off the excess energy that everyone was exuding; not too long at once and slowly but it made Shirley happy. I hope she doesn't end up paying for it. On the way home I put Rufus back on the other end of the leash at the shrimpery; we ran into a construction worker walking south as we were coming north on our road and everyone behaved perfectly, including the dogs in the yard. Silly humans misbehaved on the beach a lot directly in front of the house while I was gone, which irritates both Roni and I, but our dogs were all stellar for the most part. Yay pack.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Posey
Archie
Ziggy
Lily
Xmul
Amber
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k; this was almost the same route as last time but I took a slightly shorter way home so it was probably less than 9k but not by much. I didn't feel well the last couple of days but today I felt much better so a fast group seemed appropriate. We went out like we were going to the hidden trail again but I didn't feel like going that way and everyone was really up for it so I took us back south and came home via the serpentine just east of the greenway. We forded the nearest charco just north of the 1km mark because there were no flamingos there and I wanted to get home faster than by running all the way north to the tortuga crossroads; it was up to my knees and everyone had a good time swimming across. This might be Xmul's last run with us this year as her Other Mothers from Canada are arriving this week; she was a good girl but I did have her on the leash the whole way because of the flamingos. I put Lily on the other end of the leash for a bit because she bolted ahead near the turn west as we were coming south on the palapa road; her purpose was to chase waterfowl and although I'm not sure she actually harassed any she was at least 200m ahead of me in a flash and tearing through a charco where a lot of flamingos congregate. I let her off on the serpentine and she was fine after that. I put Amber on the other end of the leash on the coco trail coming home because she still has issues with vehicles but everyone was under control and with me on the trail and there was no misbehavior. Nice run.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Reggie
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this crew down to Poop Island and environs again and everyone thought it was jolly-jack splendid. Reggie just wants to know where his puppy is at all times. Zasu rolled in something mildly hideous which counts as a victory in her book. Roni said this was as close to a perfect group as possible and everyone had a blast.
GRADE: A
morning beach fu:
Greta
Bette
(2)
I took Greta out swimming enough though it was choppy and cold. She was not thrilled with the idea and it was harder than normal because of the undertow but she managed and was out of breath when we came out. I walked Bette up to the HoJo and made sure we jumped into the water lots but she doesn't like it as much when it's choppy; still her natural enthusiasm is hard to beat.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Eve
Godzilla
Chester
Stella
Daisy
Luna
Steve McQueen
(8)
Southern charcos: ~9k (at least - not sure exactly because Google Earth won't start for me right now). We took a strange route, heading north to the swimming hole as though we were going to the hidden trail but then continuing east and then south towards the southern charcos. We went all the way around to the first crossing south and then headed back north again, crossing the large berm between charcos where Roni and I almost lost the Jeep years ago and heading home by running north all the way to the tortuga crossroads. Stella was on the leash for the majority of the run. I let her off a little here and there but she doesn't listen very well and seemed inclined to screw around. Everyone else was stellar, ran fast and had a blast.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Linda
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this crew out to Poop Island and environs where everyone had a terrific time running laps around her through the salty pond and the brambles; Hazel is not a water dog but enjoys harassing her good pal Linda when she gets out of the drink. Zasu was obviously very pleased with herself when they got back having rolled in wet filth on many occasions. Hazel fell in a hole early (stupid humans leaving stupid overgrown holes everywhere) but Roni helped her out and she had a nice time afterwards. It was not hot and even a little chilly - nice walking weather.
GRADE: A
morning beach jaunt:
Bette
(1)
Bette REALLY wanted to go out so I took her up the beach to the HoJo on a leash and made sure we went into the water many times on the way up and back. She's an angel.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Osita
Gowron
Tuesday
Archie
Ernie
Monkey
Twiggy
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. Ernie was off the leash for the whole run but I kept him close verbally and he listened well enough I didn't feel he needed to be reeled in. Tuesday was on for almost the whole time, only coming off around the swimming hole; normally I would've let her off more but the whole pack was just completely out of their minds this morning since well before dawn and I didn't like the out-of-control feeling in the air. She was a good girl and only got a tiny bit paranoid at the very end. Twiggy was crazy to go and was as enthusiastic as I've ever seen her but she didn't give me cause to discipline her. Monkey was also noticeably up for it: on the Au Soleil Couchant road she was always ahead of me and really wanted to run. It must be the bite in the air. I put Twiggy on the other end of the leash at the very end and scooped Monkey up as we were crossing doce so she wouldn't be tempted to go do whatever it is she does when she's screwing around like that. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Blue
Elewah
Ziggy
Xmul
Mo
Lex
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. I thought I might go south for a change but I didn't want to risk it with all these fast dogs and the density of the flamingo distribution in all the charcos nearby. Nobody much cared. It was genuinely chilly out for the first time this year; the cold hurt my feet for the first kilometer or so. I had Xmul on the leash out of the gate and all the way until we turn north from the Au Soleil Couchant road to head to the hidden trail. We took the long way via the parallel access road to avoid flamingos but we still saw plenty; Ziggy made a pathetic attempt at chasing one early on right at the 1km mark but I scolded him and he kept it in his pants the rest of the run. Lex missed out on the last run and had a real blast on this one; he gets on well with everyone and doesn't have the crazy neuroses of his siblings. The ocean wasn't as cold as I thought it would be and most of the swam at some point or another. I put Xmul on after we crossed doce on the way home from the beach and everyone else was good.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Reggie
Lily
Linda
Hazel
(9)
Roni took this crew out for a walk around the cow pasture the long way, effectively. Lily did a bit of chasing at the alt. land bridge; she's just so damned fast she can be all the way across it in a heartbeat; she knew she had done wrong and Roni had her on the leash for a while from that point which complicated taking pictures a bit. Hazel had a great time. She definitely has some kind of hitch with her messed up little leg but she's fine on walks so far and plays like a lunatic all day long. Reggie just wants to know where Hazel is to a degree that is sometimes comical, sometimes scary; he really does not know how large he is. All in all this was one dog too many; Roni and I both feel it starts to get harder to keep track of everyone once you have more than eight dogs with you... Lily runs ahead too much to be in a big group and Tito always wants to go place dice and drink with the marmots. Roni said it was as frustrating as a nice walk can be.
GRADE: B+
final walk:
Buddy
(1)
Buddy died of renal failure at the vet's office. I had taken him in on Saturday when he was obviously not doing well. Dra. Sandra said that it is likely that the encephalitis that took him down when we first met him had consequences for his kidneys that could not be overcome, even by him. He was irritating and lovable, loud and affectionate. Roni poured herself into his recuperation early on; we both spent sleepless nights in the bodega with him as he was chased in circles by his invisible demons but Roni especially took it up even when we were both beginning to think it was hopeless. He turned the corner and had a nice retirement with us; it seemed like every day he would amaze us with something new he couldn't do the day before. We both loved him and miss him.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
George
Molly
Mega
Zoot
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. Lex stayed home to make room for Molly (or Alice depending on how you count); I'll work him into another run soon (such a good boy). Molly left on the hook but was off for a lot of the run. I left Mega off until we were coming off of the beach; he behaved well and listened but he's just so ... damned ... FAST. We flew like demons the whole way to the beach, although Alice and George did lag a bit at times. I got Mega and Molly on either ends of the leash as we were coming off of the beach and left them that way for the rest of the run. Amber was a bit fast at times but everyone listened and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Frijolita
Truman
Rufus
Jack
Lily
Daisy
Zoot
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. Zoot threw himself into the mix at the last moment; normally I would not let him go like that but in his case I didn't want to nix his impulse to go on a run since we've had so much trouble getting him to go on outings. He's still skittish and the other dogs on this run weren't used to having him around but that passed and he had a good time; he listens well. Rufus wasn't so horrible at the gate and Roni helped so we didn't get hung up. We ran to the swimming hole via the intersection as normal and we really flew. The ocean was rough but Daisy had a good time swimming and several of the others dipped in at opportune times. I had Rufus on the leash on the coco trail coming home and nobody else needed it. Nice run.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Reggie
Linda
Hazel
(8)
Roni took this crew down to see the flamingos via the dead goat trail; the wandered around at the shore of that charco near the alt. land bridge and everyone obviously had a good time horsing around. Hazel is not a water dog so far; she abstained from jumping in the charcos but had a great time playing and exploring. Reggie watches over her like a mother duck; almost every picture Roni took of Hazel has Reggie looming in the background looking concerned. Miles didn't destroy the walk with his dawdling and everyone was happy when they came home.
GRADE: A
morning jaunt:
Rufus
Jack
Linda
Amber
(4)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~3k. We ran straight up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back just to get Rufus out of the house. First time we've left by the beach in a long time; Rufus was on the leash and Roni did the gate. I put Amber on the other end of the leash coming home just to be sure. Everyone was good.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Eve
Posey
Chester
Archie
Reggie
Gowron
Ernie
Twiggy
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Ernie slipped his collar in the confusion at the gate upon our exit, and by "confusion" I mean Reggie being a lunatic and literally running Ernie over (with love). Still, that was the worst of it; I got Ernie on the hook by the shrimpery and we were fine after that. I let him off before we got to the tortuga road with a stern warning to mind his behavior; I doubt the warning had any effect but he was a good boy nonetheless. We went to the swimming hole via the intersection and everyone was exuberant but listened well. Almost everyone swam on the beach even though it was a bit rough; Chester abstained as always, preferring instead to cover himself in filth and roll around like a lunatic. Reggie was a yippy angel, frequently playing little jokes on Ernie (head-butt, nose-up-the-ass, shoulder-tackle). I did not put anyone on the leash again and regretted it at the very end when Reggie, PupG, Ernie and Twiggy decided they just had to go check out the north house. I was not amused and put Twigs on for a few meters to make sure she came back to the gate and didn't dart down to the ocean. No harm no foul and it was a little bit funny.
GRADE: A
mid-day walk:
Lucy
Bette
Bosha
(3)
I took these three out for a short walk north on the beach. It was a bit windy and rough for Bosha but both Lucy and Bette went into the water at several points of their own free will. We just went up past the HoJo and came home. Good girls all.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frankie
Monkey
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. I think perhaps this run is a little closer to 6km but not quite. Everyone was really good right out of the gate. I got Mega on the leash at the shrimpery and left him on until we turned north on the parallel access road by which time he had calmed down a bit. There were a fair number of flamingos and although they did provoke some enthusiasm from the troops they were all good about listening and not harassing - even Amber. Zoot was less skittish getting ready to go and listened better than he has in the past; he stopped in his tracks and came back to me several times. I made sure everyone swam as much as possible while we were on the beach; this is not difficult with the tribe. I put Amber on the other end of the leash as we were nearing the 1km mark on the way home. Everyone did well and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
The undertow was a bit much and it was a little chilly but we managed a decent swim.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Osita
Frijolita
Rita
Elewah
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Long and winding road backwards: ~10k. Elewah chased a moto on doce right off the bat but straightened up after that and behaved herself. I thought we might go for a longer one today since we haven't in a while but I wasn't sure when we left; it took me a couple of kilometers to warm up and I wasn't sure how everyone was feeling so I left it undecided until we got to the head of the hidden trail. I let Xmul off the hook briefly there and she immediately rewarded me by jumping into the nearest charco up to her neck and swimming out towards some flamingos on the other side - obviously she had the energy to continue. She came back to me when I called her at least but she was on the leash for the rest of the run. There were lots of flamingos as we headed north but nothing compared to the number of them in the farthest charcos where the trail east runs into the north/south road to Xixim in the monte. I couldn't count how many there were; at least three large groups of over 100 individuals in successive groups of charcos as we headed south. I kept everyone close to me and there were no incidents. Fording the last charco before the road was pretty tough and there were many spots on the road south that also required careful and slow traversal; the bottom is frequently so slippery that the slightest misstep brings you down. I was going to bring us home by taking the berm to the swimming hole but I could see there were flamingos standing right on the berm when we rounded the corner so we again chose a difficult fording of that charco further north along the top of a much smaller, nastier berm that leaves you just north of the swimming hole. I had a tiny fall there thanks to Xmul continually crossing me up on the leash. Fording a charco with Xmul on the leash isn't something I would recommend but there were too many flamingos too close by to let her off. It wasn't a bad fall but just enough to scrape my knee. We also forded the charco right at the 1km mark (Tuesday's crossing) to get home a little quicker since I knew we had been out for a while. All in all everyone behaved themselves well and had a really good time; I paid special attention to Rita and every time I looked for her she was having a blast. Ginger is an ace.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Posey
Godzilla
George
Ziggy
Maggie
Molly
Mo
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. A bit unbalanced as a group with Posey, Godzilla and Mo always shooting ahead and Alice, George and Maggie lagging behind. Molly was on the leash for most of the run. I let her off around the swimming hole but she made me regret it when some vehicles appeared coming towards us just as we were heading west on the Au Soleil Couchant road. I got everyone off the road to the north into a swampy bit of land with a lot of iceplant. Although Molly did not chase the vehicles she did play you-can't-catch-me with me in that stupid field so I turned and left her and put her back on the hook when she caught up to me; she stayed on the rest of the way home. I put Mo on the other end of the leash coming home south from the tortuga road because she was starting to turn her ears off a little too much. Ziggy chases birds too much and although he usually listens he sometimes does not. All in all a lot of dealing with them but no actual infractions and at least everyone had a good time and ran a lot.
GRADE: B
morning walk:
Lucy
Eve
Shirley
Bosha
Linda
Petey
(6)
I took this group for a quickie around the cow pasture the long way; we came back up the road that borders the cow pasture to the north instead of the dirty road to avoid all of the flamingos in that charco (a lot today). We passed by a lot of flamingos regardless and everyone was good about it. Linda threatened to swim out there and give one what-for but she came back when I called her (more or less). Bosha and Shirley were on leashes for the duration. Petey was a good boy again and listened well. Linda bolted for the beach when we got close to the gate so I had to go fish her out of the drink; it got the whole house worked up and I wasn't happy about it so she spent some time in the box after the walk.
GRADE: B (Linda)
morning swim:
Bette
(1)
Walking and swimming on the beach; mostly swimming. It was too shallow to take Greta out but Bette is fine because she'll jump in and chase me around in the water no matter how deep it is. Good girl Bette.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Chester
Archie
Reggie
Rufus
Ernie
Jack
Luna
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. I really thought about going 10k today but I decided against it because I didn't really leave early enough. This would've been a good group for it... maybe next time. I threw Luna in because she was desperate to go on the last one. Rufus was more crazed at the gate on the way out than he has been in a little while - not sure why other than the fact that everyone else was also really excited and it carried him along. He calmed down quickly and came off the leash by the time we got to the tortuga crossroads. We took the long way along the parallel access road but still saw a lot of flamingos; I kept a close watch on Ernie and did not let him stray far from the straight and narrow. Reggie was a joy as always; he's so happy to go and he gets along so well with everyone that it's hard not to feel good about taking him. I put Luna on the leash just after we crossed doce leaving the beach because she was the last one back from an extended raiding party to the garbage heap nearby; it turns out she needed a bit of a reminder on the leash so I'm glad she came. She threw all the standard doggie tricks at me: trying to cross me up with the leash, dragging her heels, etc. I left her on until we got home with Ernie on the other end of the leash at the shrimpery. When we were in sight of the gate Rufus, Jack, Reggie and Truman surged north across the road and screwed around a little near the construction site; I put everyone else back in and rounded them up. No harm but I think Rufus and perhaps Truman should be on the leash coming home from the shrimpery for their next few outings.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Monkey
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. The same thing I did with the tribe last time only with Moneky and Rita along for the ride. Monkey had a limp for a while and we didn't want her to make it worse but it has cleared up in the last few days so a shorty to the beach seemed like the right thing. Rita has also been bothered by her continuing allergy problems but she's been on meds for a few days and she really wanted to go so what the hell - she's always good. The tribe were irrepressible as always but I had more control over them this time than last. I kept them close verbally in the first 100m and had Mega on the hook at the shrimpery so the rest of the first couple kilometers was not too bad - the pace was high but not Mega-high. Zoot is inclined to chase birds but this is tempered by the fact that he listens well; he stops in his tracks even if he's about to jump into a charco and comes back to me instead. He's still skittish and strange but I think a few more of these kind of runs on a regular basis will help. Monkey caught a lot of xmuls in her paws on the run but didn't have a limp before, during or after so far. Rita was an angel as always. I stopped many times to swim while we were on the beach and made sure Petey spent a lot of time in the water; Monkey was also enthusiastic about it. Amber went on the other end of the leash with Mega as we got near the coco trail and I left them that way until we got home. No shenanigans. Good run.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Blue
Frijolita
Elewah
Lily
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Xmul slipped her collar at the gate but ended up waiting for me on the trail with everyone else; she was probably confused and wondering where the hell I was since I'm usually on top of her at that point - kind of funny. I got her saddled up and we carried on as normal for the rest of the run. Lily was inclined to chase birds in the near charcos so she went on the other end of the leash almost immediately at the 1km mark. She cleaned her behavior up quickly and didn't stay on for long but I put her on a couple of times during the run just to keep her honest. We didn't go to the swimming hole in order to avoid flamingos and took the long way on the parallel access road but there were still a fair number of flamingos in the charcos on the way out and everyone was good about it once I laid down the law. We startled a few that were right next to the road at one point but they just skipped across to the far end of the charco in that strange way they have and ignored us otherwise. I prefer to minimize any kind of interaction with them just on principle and since this group was built for speed it wasn't that difficult; I just kept us moving. Xmul came off the leash on the road north from the Au Soleil Couchant access road and was a good girl; I put her back on as we were coming off of the beach at the tortuga sign. Elewah and Lily chased two bird trappers on a moto just before we got to the coco trail on the way home; they were heading towards us down the road that borders the cow pasture to the north. I don't feel too had about harassing bird trappers but was gratified that both of my charges came back to me quickly and weren't really intent on mayhem. Elewah needs to improve in that regard. Otherwise a completely uneventful and high-paced run. The bugs are still bad in spots.
GRADE: A
swims:
Greta
Bette
(2)
Angels.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Eve
Posey
George
Frankie
Ernie
Maggie
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. Alice seemed a step slow at times so we should watch her; she was fine on the way home so maybe she was just distracted by the smells of the monte which are getting stinkier as the charcos dry out in places. We had some rain yesterday so the swimming hole was moderately full and everyone enjoyed it. I had Ernie on the leash until just before the swimming hole as there were lots of flamingos everywhere. Alice (of all dogs) decided she might harass one early on and I had to yell at her to get back to my side; no actual harassment took place but I kept a close eye on her for the rest of the run. I left Ernie off from the swimming hole to the tortuga sign (which is now there again - I guess Semarnat does occasionally do SOMETHING). Everyone really behaved themselves well. Steve McQueen gets special notice for listening well; he always stopped in his tracks when I called his name and never left my sight. Good run.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
An angel. We'll have to do more of this again and try a walk (without Miles) in a week or two.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Godzilla
Osita
Chester
Archie
Tuesday
Ziggy
Twiggy
Luna
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. Tuesday was off the leash around the swimming hole but otherwise I left her on the whole way; she was really good and obviously had a good time, although she did get her trademark paranoia as we were coming home on the coco trail. This makes three or four times that Ziggy and Chester have gone on a run together. They have an interesting dynamic. Chester is obviously much faster than Ziggy and could simply dust him whenever he choses but he likes to be near me so he ends up letting Ziggy run ahead for the most part; occasionally he gets the zips and screams ahead and Ziggy runs after him but they seem to have some kind of a truce now. If I didn't know better I'd say Ziggy likes Chester (or is fascinated with him if that's possible) and Chester sort of tolerates it now. In any event there was not a hint of trouble from that quarter and everyone was much more interested in running and checking stuff out. We startled a couple flamingos that were really near to the road but otherwise everyone was good about listening to me and not chasing. I put Twigs on the other end of the leash on the trail home because she was pulling ahead a little but there were no shenanigans. A high-paced and fun run.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Frijolita
Blue
(7)
Roni took this crew out for a walk down the coco trail and to the edge of the charco there, where everyone had a good time larking about in the water and the brush (and the mud). The bugs were terrible at this point and the heat was high. Early on Lucy and Frijolita screwed around near doce and hung back after everyone had crossed to sniff something or another; Roni scolded Lucy when she made it back to her, and she carried Miles for the first bit to keep him from dragging the walk down but after that everyone straightened up and had a good time. This heat could break any time now...
GRADE: A
morning run:
Reggie
Linda
Mega
Lex
Petey
Zoot
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. Zoot prefers to go with his peeps and a short run is all I want to chance with Petey so yet again I took the whole bunch on a shorty to the beach. We left a little late and it was hot but nobody cared. Reggie is an angel and a perfect role model for the tribe; what's more they worship him and everyone had a blast as a result. The first km was one of the fastest I've ever run; I did stop to put Mega on the leash when I could but other than that we pretty much didn't stop from the moment we left the gate until we got to the beach. Reggie and Linda were both in fine fettle and the tribe was highly energetic but they listened and stayed with me. There were a lot of flamingos. On one occasion we came upon a couple that were really close to the road and they took off when they saw us but otherwise I was able to reel everyone in and keep the close enough that no birds were harassed. They all swam like nuts in the ocean. I put Mega and Amber on the hook before we left the beach and left them on until we got home.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Truman
Rufus
Lily
Jack
Daisy
Mo
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Rufus was perhaps slightly less of a bear on the way out; it's hard to get him to settle down and put the leash on him before we go but he straightens up. I left him on until we were heading north on the parallel access road just to make sure he was calm. There were a lot of flamingos in the close charcos and even though I took the route least likely to bring us near to them there were still plenty. Everyone was really good about it. I kept Lily and Daisy close to me but they didn't ever seriously try to harass any flamingos. It was not quite as hot as usual and a bit overcast but the bugs were fairly bad out in the deep monte due to the recent bit of rain. I put Rufus on the hook again as we were leaving the beach just to be sure. Nobody else needed the leash. The pace was extremely high.
GRADE: A
new arrival:
Hazel
(1)
This happened last night but blogger's craptastic new interface no longer appears to give one the option of setting the date and time on a post so I'll cram it in here. I saw this pathetic puppy in the Zocolo and near Fernanda's a couple of weeks ago and I didn't grab it because I didn't want to always be that sucker, but I had a feeling about it; it is probably the offspring of my buddy the police dog - she has his coat and a lot of his face. I regretted not grabbing her when I saw her even though that's crazy talk and had been internally conflicted over it since. Coming home from Merida yesterday I saw her lying almost in the road by the crosswalk in front of the central market. I thought she might be dead but she was just weak, so I grabbed her; I called Roni and we decided to prepare for incoming wounded. She's downstairs with Roni as I write this, having had a night to herself in the bodega. We're thinking "Hazel" now but we're also thinking we might find her a home.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Rita
Osita
Posey
George
Molly
Twiggy
Mega
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. Mega is always a challenge because of his incredible speed and energy. I had him on the other end of the leash with Molly for most of the run and it worked out well enough. I let them both off near the swimming hole and they were still off as we were heading to the beach when some old geezer in a VW bug turned off of doce and started towards us; he's one of the "professionals" who hang out at Julio's and drink until he stops giving them ponies. My troops were spread out a bit and I was concerned more about Molly at first but as he got closer I realized that she was fine and it was Mega who was getting freaked out. Before I could get to him to get him on the leash the VW was upon us and although I shouted to the driver to stop for a second he just smiled and hit the gas - jackass. Mega was caught on the other side of him and ran off east back into the monte. I gathered my remaining dogs and headed off after him; he made it all the way to the turn to the hidden trail before he came back so this run was nearly ~8k after all of that. I put him on the hook when I got to him and we headed for the beach; by the time we got there he was fine again - he is scared of vehicles. I put Mega and Molly back on the leash as we got off of the beach and that's how it stayed until we got home. Everyone else did really well with all of the shenanigans.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Greta
Lily
(8)
Roni took this crew out for what turned out to be a walk to the charcos around the land-bridge and back again; Miles made it take ~45min to go just that far with all of his screwing around and dawdling. He can be so infuriating at times it is hard to explain in words. This was Greta's first walk in a while and she was on the black leash to keep her from running too much. She is nearly as big of a pain in the ass as Miles on her own but together the combination of his dawdling and hanging back and her charging ahead and screwing around is a greater pain in the ass than the sum of its pain-in-the-ass parts. Highlights from Roni's debriefing: she had to go into the muck nearly up to her knees to fish Greta out of a charco, Miles ran across the land bridge after dawdling ~200m behind for half the walk and then lagged behind on the way back until Roni couldn't stand it and made him walk in front of her, the bugs were awful and Greta does not listen very well. Blue and Zasu were their usual angelic selves. Henry has had a limp recently but seems to be over it and did well. Lucy was just jazzed to be on the show. Lily was good for the most part. Greta and Miles should not go together.
GRADE: C-
morning run:
Frijolita
Godzilla
Eve
Gowron
Archie
Ziggy
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. We went the long way again to avoid flamingos but we saw a ton of them regardless; Xmul is the only real threat and she's always on the leash but Ziggy likes to chase the little birds sometimes so I also made a point of keeping him close verbally. The bugs were bad in spots but we hardly noticed as we were moving pretty quickly. A strange and oppressive air pervaded the monte this morning and the dogs obviously felt it. It was overcast but calm and virtually silent; the dogs all kept close to me even in places where they normally run ahead a bit. The ocean is churned up right now but Ziggy, Daisy and Xmul were not dissuaded and came in to get me a few times; the undertow was bad enough that I felt the need to nudge Ziggy ahead towards the shore with my foot at one point. Everyone behaved, had a good time and seems a little tired now... hope it lasts.
GRADE: A