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morning run:
Posey
Truman
Chester
Archie
Ernie
Rufus
Molly
Jack
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. They were hellions getting out of the gate; I had Molly on the hook and didn't end up putting Rufus on once, though I planned to initially. They had calmed down substantially by the time we got to the shrimpery corner and were good from then on. I let Molly off the hook before we got to the swimming hole and she was off for about half the run - all the way until we were back on the cut-over coming home, because she darted off on a little detour to check out the main road. I put Chester on for a few hundred meters on the beach because he was just too far ahead and intent on chasing pelicans. I put Rufus on the other end of the leash and strung it through Posey's collar to fit three on just before we got onto the trail home; I didn't want any shenanigans and Posey is usually the one who gets Truman interested in running north when we get home. We walked briskly down the trail and everyone stayed with me.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Lucy
Blue
Eve
Tuesday
(8)
Roni took this group out for a walk around the cow pasture the long way. Miles was so irritating with his dawdling that she had to yell at him several times. Eve is a good girl but yelling of any makes her paranoid and so when Roni had gotten to the farthest point on the walk and was exasperated with Miles for being such a little jerk Eve took off home back the way they had come. It's almost exactly the same distance home from there whichever way you go so Roni turned around and effectively chased Eve home; the bugs were terrible and all that dawdling doesn't help. Tuesday was on the leash the entire way and pulled far too much. Henry, Tito, Lucy and Blue are always angels on walks and Zasu is a real trooper and mom's first officer. Without Miles it would've been a fun walk; with him it was frustrating but okay.
GRADE: B
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Such a good girl and such a strong swimmer.
GRADE: A
afternoon swims:
Amber
Zoot
(2)
The ocean was still calm in the middle of the afternoon so Roni took a couple of the tribe out swimming, one at a time. Amber was hilarious and enthusiastic: she hardly came out of the water for a full 20min, swimming out to get Roni repeatedly. Zoot was less sure of himself and only swam out to get Roni once before wanting to come back in the yard.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Eve
Blue
Reggie
Gowron
(7)
Roni took this crew out around the cow pasture the long way. Without Miles to dawdle they all kept up a nice pace. They were a bit crazed out of the gate but settled down and stayed with Roni by the time she got to the end of the trail from our house and were good the rest of the way. It was hot and buggy out but at least Roni could keep a decent pace and have fun with them.
GRADE: A
afternoon jaunt:
Zasu
Miles
Jack
(3)
Roni took these three walking close by the house and slightly to the south. Zasu and Miles came back early because it was brutally hot. Jack was off the leash some but Roni had to put him back on towards the end to get him to come home properly; he wasn't great and got a little freaked out at the end, so he needs work with that.
GRADE: C
afternoon swim:
Lex
(1)
Roni took Lex down to the ocean for a swim, which he did with great enthusiasm. Like all of his siblings Lex adores swimming and it is difficult to get him out of the water once he goes in. They both had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Henry
Alice
Frijolita
Godzilla
George
Monkey
Luna
Twiggy
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Twiggy has looked good on walks recently and Sandra said she thought maybe she could go on runs if she looks okay, so I tried her out today. I let her off the leash after the swimming hole and she was a good girl; she listened to me and didn't screw around too much but she did have a blast. She and Luna worship George so that was nice - just like old times when I would take all three of the black sisters plus Xmul with George up the beach for a pup run. Henry really wanted to go so Roni let him out at the last second and he had a great time. The ocean was nice and everyone had fun swimming. We'll watch Twigs today and see if that was too much for her but it didn't seem like it when we were out there.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Blue
Stella
Linda
(7)
Roni took this crew out for a jaunt around the cow pasture. Henry insisted that he wanted to go even though he went on a run and he's always good so what the hell. Linda decided that they would go to the beach at the end which irritated Roni, who oddly enough had been planning on going to the beach anyway; last time we checked the dogs do what we say and not the other way around so that's not so good for Linda, who also stank because of all the screwing around she did in the ditch full of dirty water around the cow pasture. Blue was an angel as always, Stella was a good girl on the leash and Linda was the only blight on an otherwise good walk.
GRADE: A
afternoon jaunt:
Rufus
(1)
Roni took Rufus out on the beach for some horsing around. The went out on the leash but she let him off and he was a good boy; the most difficult part was actually getting him off the porch and out of the yard.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Rita
Frankie
Maggie
Bosha
Linda
Buddy
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Eve
Twiggy
(13)
I took the first six out around the cow pasture the long way. Buddy was especially impressive: not only did he keep up but he frequently was in the lead and corrected himself the one time he got turned around. I had to carry him around the puddle on the dead goat trail but if I had waited long enough he probably would've picked his way around it. When we got home Frankie and Linda bolted for the beach; I didn't get mad at them, I just scooped Linda up and put Frank on the hook (she wanted to go swimming). Roni then took the next seven out around the cow pasture the medium way. Miles dawdled too much and caused an imbalance in speed with Eve and Twigs, so that was irritating; it's hot and buggy out now so standing and waiting for Miles to catch up is a pain. Tito was a good boy and everyone looked hot but happy when they got home.
GRADE: A
swim:
Greta
(1)
Tabanos are really biting now.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Blue
Osita
Ziggy
Lily
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Southern charcos, road to no-man's land, palapa road to the bag-end land bridge and home via the swimming hole, the cut-over and the dirty road: ~8k. It is truly uncomfortable out right now; tropical storm Debby dumped a lot of rain on us and the heat turns all of that moisture in the ground into an open-air, bug-infested sauna well before 8AM. Nonetheless everyone was really up for this; Ziggy and Gracie were both irritatingly noisy at the gate as we left but everyone calmed down quickly. Xmul was on the leash the whole way. I didn't want to screw around with her in case we ran into wild dogs out on the road to no-man's land so I left her on the hook and kept everyone else close verbally. The entrance to the monte from the east was already flooded up to my knees in parts and all of the southern charcos were swollen with rain; we probably ran 1-2km in water up past my ankles in total. The good news is that it becomes impossible to get vehicles in when it's like that so there weren't many people; there were a few small groups who had come in to work on bikes but the dogs were all good. The swimming hole was worthy of its name today and everyone jumped in and horsed around like lunatics. The bugs were noticeable when we slowed down so we just kept moving - nobody wanted any water and we barely stopped.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Godzilla
Eve
Posey
Gowron
Molly
Daisy
Mega
Steve McQueen
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. We went out down the dead goat trail but doubled back to the alternate land bridge and the cut-over; on the way back from the tortuga sign we took the eastern branch of the road around the close charcos to catch the cut-over going south and came home via the dirty road. Molly was on the leash out of the gate and for the first few kilometers but for the first time in a while I let her off out towards the turn west; I put Mega on instead until we got to the beach so that everyone stayed with me. Molly was on and off on the way home and I put Mega on the other end of the leash with her on the trail and made sure everyone stayed together and crossed the road with me. It was humid, oppressive and overcast and the ocean was churned up; this did not stop Mega and Steve from swimming like lunatics though the surf really beat them up - they loved it.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Gowron
Frankie
Rufus
Ziggy
Lily
Jack
(7)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~6k. Left late, went fast. Rufus was on the hook out of the gate but I switched to Frankie for a while because she really jacked the pace up. On the way back I had Jack on for a bit to keep him in practice on the leash (he was a little rough but okay). PupG was fired up out of the gate and got into a loud, pointless scuffle with Frankie as we were leaving but it was just talk. Irritating but no big deal. Other than that everyone was good and ran like gazelles.
GRADE: B
swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Rita
Maggie
Ziggy
Bosha
Linda
Twiggy
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Blue
Tito
Buddy
(13)
First I took Rita, Maggie, Ziggy, Bosha, Linda and Twigs around the cow pasture the long way with Twigs and Bosha on the leash the whole way. Everyone was really good. Rita deserves special mention as being an angel; she didn't cross the road before I did, never ran ahead and was adorably enthusiastic the whole way. Her feet are getting better since we switched her diet and she was really into it. Next Roni took Zasu, Miles, Henry, Lucy, Blue, Tito and Bud out. Not a few minutes before I had gone the whole way around but by the time Roni got there she ran into semi trailer trucks parked both on the road down to the land bridge and on the dead goat trail past the coco trail. She just took everyone down the coco trail and let them play around a lot in the pasture (except Bud of course, but who knows someday). There were no complaints.
GRADE: A
swim:
Greta
(1)
Working a lot but at least she swam her usual. Water was clear, tabanos are biting.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Frijolita
Blue
Osita
Ernie
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Xmul was on the hook the whole way except for on the beach. Everyone else was good throughout. Ginger is a little mischievous and is constantly looking for stinky stuff to roll in but she's never bad; she is a bad influence, however, and Daisy was hanging with her a little too much for my taste at several points so I stayed on top of her verbally. I put Ernie on the other end of the leash on the trail home just to keep him from galloping home as is his wont. It was a little hot at the end but the ocean was nice and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Alice
Bette
Maggie
Twiggy
Linda
Buddy
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Fankie
Monkey
(13)
First I took Alice, Bette, Mags, Twigs, Linda and Bud out; Bette and Twigs were on the leash the whole way. I had to get Buddy turned around three times but we still went around the cow pasture the long way. Alice screwed around a little too much but in general everyone was good. Next Roni took Zasu, Miles, Henry, Lucy, Tito, Frankie and Monkey for nearly the same walk but in higher heat and with more bugs. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
swims:
Greta
Otto
Shirley
(3)
Greta gets harder to tire out each time. I took Otto out because he's pretty gimpy right now and needed to do something that wouldn't hurt his leg; he goes to the vet on the next trip to see if his problem can finally be sussed out. By the time Shirley and I got out there the tabanos had our number right away; they were noticeable with Greta and worse with Otto but were just furious at the end. Shirley didn't swim as much as the other two but she still had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Godzilla
Chester
Archie
Rufus
Elewah
Lily
Mega
Steve McQueen
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We went in the usual way, took the road to no-man's land, came home via the swimming hole, the cut over and the dirty road. It was overcast and oppressive and everyone was out of their minds and crazy-fast. I had Rufus on the hook out of the gate but switched to Mega once we'd headed east into the monte because he's just too fast. I had Lily, Mega, Rufus and Chester on at various times, all for speeding. At one point out where the road to no-man's land hits the Y intersection that brings you back to the palapa road Chester took off north like a shot and ran down the branch of the Y that goes to no-man's land; I couldn't tell at the time but there was faint barking to be heard deep in the mangroves so there must be wild dogs out there. Chester got the hook for that escapade and Lily got the other end of it. The bugs are starting to make their presence felt especially way out there. Everyone was a little too wild and needed too much discipline so this wasn't a great combination but they all enjoyed it regardless.
GRADE: B
morning run:
Alice
Blue
Eve
Posey
George
Maggie
Ziggy
Mo
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. I had Mo on the hook early; I took her off when we were at the beach and in a couple other spots but she (a) needs discipline generally and (b) has to stop being such a poo-seeking missile out there especially when there are so many salt workers around. Everyone was really good and kept up the whole way, even Alice and Mags. The bugs are starting to get feisty out there.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Gowron
Linda
(7)
Roni took this crew around the cow pasture with Lucy on the leash as they left; she came off during the walk and was a good girl. Tito is starting to be a little better about staying with his humans on walks. Miles didn't dawdle as badly as he usually does and PupG was comically enthusiastic about the brand new puddles on the dead goat trail.
GRADE: A
swims:
Greta
Bette
Lucy
(3)
It was calm when I took Greta out but was starting to get choppy by the time I got Lucy out. Luckily Lucy doesn't mind the rough stuff and still managed to chase me around a bit. Bette would rather chase lizards but she had a good time and Greta, as always, was an angel.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Truman
Frijolita
Ernie
Daisy
Xmul
Amber
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. We left a little late for this time of year and I wanted there to be time for a walk so instead of going to the hidden trail I shaved 1km off the distance and jacked up the pace; with this group that works out fine as they are all fast and energetic. I had Xmul on the hook the entire way; she doesn't bark when we see salt workers any more but I still don't trust her off the leash with lots of people around. We went out across the land bridge and ran the top of the ridge to the cut over, and came back via the tortuga crossroads and the dirty road. At the very end as we were nearing doce a moto went past; I had Truman on the other end of the hook to keep him from jack-rabbiting at the gate but I should've had Amber on instead because she chased the moto. She never got near it and she did run back and get to the gate before I did but I was still very unhappy with her; she'll have to be on the leash on the way home for a while. Daisy also spent some quality time screwing around unattended over to the north before she came in and went directly to the box for a spell. No great misdemeanors but not a good way to end an otherwise nice run.
GRADE: B
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Blue
Reggie
Linda*
(7)
Roni took this crew out around the cow pasture as it was really starting to get hot. She carried Linda out of the gate and Linda freaked out in her arms like a lunatic; it was at least partly due to the fact that the leash had gotten wound around her foot (Reggie was on the other end of it but he got out of his collar). She was also perhaps a bit overly dramatic and thrashed around too much so I went out and got her. Roni carried on and they were all angels after that. Blue and Reggie are both good on walks. Roni wanted to go around the long way but got complaints from the bridge crew (lieutenant Zasu is their foreman), so she went down to the alternate land-bridge and then came back the way she went, branching up along the north side of the cow pasture to the coco trail. It was really hot when they got home but everyone looked happy.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Eve
Gowron
Archie
Jack
Molly
(6)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Small, fast group chosen to help me work with Molly on the leash. She was on the hook the entire way and for once did not do her boat-anchor routine. We went out across the alternate land bridge and came back on the coco trail; curiously there were no salt workers anywhere, though it seemed like a perfect day for it. There were hardly any bugs in spite of us having had some rain recently... they must be gathering their forces.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Frankie
Monkey
(6)
Roni took this crew out into the heat and around the cow pasture the long way. Monkey had to go on the leash for something I will not name but in general everyone behaved themselves, if only due to the crushing heat.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Bette
Lucy
(3)
A little choppy but everyone swam with gusto.
GRADE: A
swims:
Greta
Bette
(2)
A little choppy but both of them swam until they were tired.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Shirley
Bette
Lucy
(4)
It was already getting a bit choppy when I took Greta out but everyone persevered and swam a ton. Bette really needs to do this regularly; Shirley's in better shape but still enjoys it (although she'd rather be chasing lizards). Lucy is the only one of the bunch that will chase me around in the water but she hates getting water in her ears so choppy seas are a bummer for her. Still, no complaints and they were all breathing hard when I brought them back in.
GRADE: A
arrivals:
Xmul
(1)
Nicole brought Xmul back and is going back to Canada now to take Diva to her new home.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Godzilla
Blue
Osita
Ziggy
Stella
Luna
Lex
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant and home via the tortuga sign: ~6k. Stella was on the hook the entire way; Luna was on the other end of the hook in parts due to her proclivity to seek out unburied treasures. Everyone rolled in something awful on the way to the beach so I washed the obvious goo off of Zilla, Blue and Osita in the water... Lex and Steve were angels and everyone ran fast and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Bosha
Linda*
Buddy
(7)
Roni started out with this crew but ran into trouble on the trail due to a number of factors: Miles and Buddy too far behind, Linda and Henry running too far ahead, Bosha getting freaked out by Roni disciplining some of the above and finally some creepy dude standing at the end of the trail staring at everyone; turned out to be a bird-trapper... way too much of that around here right now. I came out to chase Miles across the road and help her get them moving but by then Roni had come to the conclusion that her ankles were hurting more than she thought and Linda also started to run home (freaked out by the bird trapper), so she went back and I went on with the remaining six. I said something to the trapper as we went by him about how what he was doing was illegal then walked around the corner at the shrimpery and down the road a piece to give him time to go away, which is exactly what happened - he went and got his trap and left. Miles dawdled something awful and in general it seems it was a star-crossed walk with everyone out of sync... Nobody was what I would call bad but nobody was on the same page, either. In the end we all collectively ended up chasing away a bird-trapper so I guess that's a win.
GRADE: B
morning swims:
Greta
Lucy
Twiggy
(3)
It was choppier than I thought so nobody swam as long as they normally would but it was also a bit harder because of the waves and current. Roni came out with Zasu and Linda at one point and took pictures of Lucy and Twiggy and me in the water. At least the water temperature was nice.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It's getting harder and harder to tire her out.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Alice
Godzilla
Frijolita
Frankie
Maggie*
Bosha
Linda
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Twiggy
Buddy
(12)
First I took Alice, Godzilla, Frijolita, Godzilla, Frankie, Maggie, Bosha and Linda around the cow pasture the long way. They were all good, although Alice screws around a bit too much. When we got home Alice and Frankie went down to the beach without permission while I was dealing with getting the rest of them in. I didn't realize this and was yelling for them until Alice showed up on her own; I had to go fish Frankie out of the drink and she came in on the hook, but it wasn't a big deal. A little while later I took Miles, Henry, Lucy, Twiggy, Maggie and Buddy around the cow pasture the short way; Mags was already in the yard and she's fat so what the hell. Buddy did really well and Miles kept up for the most part so it was a fairly pleasant walk.
GRADE: B (a little too much screwing around for an A)
swim:
Greta
(1)
What a good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Truman
Chester
Archie
Rufus
Ernie
Jack
Daisy
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Ernie, Rufus and Truman were really noisy and difficult getting out of the gate; we left with Rufus on the hook and Roni got the gate behind me so we could just go. Once on the road everyone calmed down quickly and were good the rest of the way. At one point after we had turned east onto the Au Soleil Couchant road two motos came trundling up from the west and passed through us; everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do: no barking, no chasing, nobody was on the hook, they obeyed my spoken commands and stayed with me until the motos were far enough ahead. There were two cement trucks and a huge pump/crane parked near the house when we got home for this new construction to the north; Ginger and Chester (surprisingly) ran around a little checking it out but were quickly rounded up.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Bette
Shirley
Maggie
Ziggy
(5)
I took these five around the cow pasture the long way with both boobles on leashes... my arms are just a tiny bit longer now, if only from the first 100m of pulling. They settled down by the dirty road and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Monkey
Luna
Zoot
Lex
Mega
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Everyone was really good overall and the pace was high. I had Luna on the hook out of the gate to keep her from pulling them all towards the shrimpery; the tribe are definitely getting more sure of themselves but they don't run as far ahead as other groups and stay with me on the trail, so I want to continue that. Luna was an angel and I took her off when we were on the cut-over. I put Mega on the hook before we got to the intersection with the Au Soleil Couchant road to keep the pace down - he is definitely the lead dog if left to his own devices. I left him on until we got to the ocean and then put him back on at Au Soleil Couchant. They all ran and swam like lunatics. Monkey did her usual screwing around when we got home so she went in the box for a few minutes. Other than that they were really good. Unfortunately Petey came up lame after we'd been home a while; it appears to be his back right leg. This doesn't always happen after a run - sometimes he seems to be stiff in that leg for unknown reasons so he has to be checked over now to see what's wrong.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Gowron
Tito
Linda
(6)
Roni took this group out for a walk around the cow pasture the medium way. Miles not only kept up but led on the coco trail on the way home and everyone else behaved and had a nice time.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Gowron
Linda
Greta
(3)
PupG and Linda were covered in mud and filth after the walk so Roni took them out on the beach to swim and rinse off which they did happily. I then took Greta out for her ever-longer swim. Nicole and her friend walked north past us while we were in the water and everyone, including Xmul and Diva were good.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Lucy
Maggie
April
Bosha
(5)
Around the cow pasture the medium way: down the coco trail/dead goat trail on the way out but then back up by the cow pasture instead of the dirty road on the way back and home on the coco trail again. April and Bosha were on the hook the whole way. Everyone was good.
GRADE: A
departures:
Xmul
Diva
(2)
Nicole arrived while I was out on the walk and took Xmul and Diva home with her. She's here for a week to get Diva ready to go to Canada to her new home. We are happy to have helped her out; although we'll miss her we're happy she's going to have a person of her own. Xmul went along to keep Nicole company for the week - she'll be back when Nicole heads to Canada. Roni dealt with the whole thing since I was out... never fails.
GRADE: A
swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl puppy.liebschen.
GRADE: A
