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morning run:
Blue
Osita
Reggie
Tuesday
Luna
Amber
Lex
Steve McQueen
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. We left a bit late and it was really buggy. We took the same odd route I took the last time: all the way to the tortuga crossroads, then back to the intersection and to the swimming hole. I let Tuesday off the hook from the intersection to the swimming hole and then on the beach for a while. She was really good on and off the leash but started to get a bit paranoid with me on the tortuga crossroads on the way home. I think this was mainly due to me yelling my head off for Amber, who simply turned her ears off on the beach and did nothing but chase butterfly shadows; as cute as that might be she has to listen, and I had to trick her by getting her into the water so that I could get a hold of her. Needless to say she was on the other end of the leash with Tuesday for the rest of the way home; at least she behaved herself on the leash once I got a hold of her. Everyone else was angelic, did nothing wrong, listened and ran well.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Otto
Amber
Gowron
(4)
Cut short by the arrival of beach-goers. Greta went out first alone and did well - we swam a lot today and she was a trooper about it. Amber and PupG talked themselves into going out with Otto but they did not listen very well; Amber was really only interested in chasing butterfly shadows on the beach and PupG likes to swim but only on her terms. There were some strays to the south and some soldiers walking north so I decided to bring PupG and Amber in early, and went back out with just Otto to swim more. He did really well.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Rita
George
Gowron
Maggie
Molly
Monkey
Linda
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Molly was on the hook except near the swimming hole; she's a good girl on runs but still a loose canon and there are a lot of people working in the monte. We ran into two trucks right where the road from the swimming hole runs into the Au Soleil Couchant access road to the north and I was glad Molly was on the leash then. Everyone was really good and kept up well; there was a lot of swimming to be done in the monte and they did it with aplomb and enthusiasm. I picked Monkey up as we crossed doce on the way home to avoid her now-usual shenanigans; she made an outraged yelp as I did it, almost as though she understood why. I did have to go fish Linda out of the ocean after I got everyone else in but she wasn't really being bad. The bugs were as bad as I've ever seen them.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
The water is a bit chillier than usual and the bugs are insane but Greta is a trooper.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Godzilla
Chester
Elewah
Twiggy
Amber
Mega
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. I had to put Mega on the hook before we crossed the alt. land bridge because he's just too fast. I let him off at the swimming hole and on the beach but had to catch him again on the tortuga crossroads to keep the pace down on the way home. The monte is flooded, buggy and overgrown. Everyone ran like blazes and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Eve
Blue
Ernie
Ziggy
Lily
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Roni's back from Johnstown and environs and everyone is happy, Happy, HAPPY YEAH MOM! I took some of the biggest hoodlers / idiots out today on the first run since she left; Ernie, Ziggy, Xmul and Daisy have been especially energetic recently so I wanted to give them a chance to burn some off. All of my charges were really excellent; they listened, had a good time and ran like blazes. The swimming hole was topped off to well past overflowing, along with most of the hidden trail on both sides of doce and much of the rest of the monte - we have had a LOT of rain in the last eight days. The bugs were the worst they've been all year which really gave us motivation to keep moving; it seemed as though the monte exhaled us onto the beach in a cloud of bugs. Nobody so much as sniffed at a salt worker. I had Xmul on the leash for most of the run and she was really good; Ernie joined her on the other end of the leash on our trail to keep shenanigans to a minimum.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Zasu
Greta
Amber
Gowron
Lex
Zoot
Godzilla
Linda
Mo
Twiggy
Steve McQueen
(11)
Another complicated swimming morning. Zasu insisted on coming out with Greta, which made me very happy. Two of the strays that have been around close were right south of us on the beach when we came out; I was worried that Zasu would be too friendly and go try to recruit them while I was in the water with Greta so I brought us all back in and the two strays passed north of the house and went around. I went back out with Zasu and Greta for a few laps after that and Zasu even came out to get us in the water once. Next I took Amber, Lex, PupG and Zoot. Zoot is still too much of a freak but working with him like this is helping him a bit; he does come back in on his own when he's supposed to, at least. I wanted to switch it up so when I put Zoot back in I took out Godzilla and Linda along with Lex, Amber and PupG. Next round was Amber, Lex, PupG and Mo, which was really funny - Mo was so happy she didn't know what to do with herself but she did swim a lot (Amber beats her up something terrible in the water). I left PupG in on the last two trips because she's too bad about coming back in on her own, so it was Amber, Lex and Twiggy and then finally I switched twigs for Steve McQueen. I wish I could've taken a lot more out but it was getting late and everyone was starting to lose focus. Everyone who went out with me was stellar and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Otto
Amber
Lex
Reggie
Gowron
Linda
Steve McQueen
Petey
(9)
This was a complicated morning. First I took just Greta out because it was calm and she enjoys her alone time with me. Next I took Otto and threw Amber in; she came along for every outing after that. I'm effectively training her to be my little assistant secretary of Tribe affairs, since she mainly helps smooth over the strange and rough edges associated with her brothers; also she's a good girl, listens well and always has fun. After I brought Otto back in I took PupG and Reggie out with Amber. I took Reg because I wanted to get other dogs out and he is always such an angel. I had him on the leash out of the gate but quickly took him off. At first he was reticent about swimming, but Amber and PupG more than made up for him. After a couple of minutes and several "laps" out into the water and back to shore with everyone else Reggie got a funny look on his face and decided to come out into the water and get me; he was not the strongest swimmer but he came out where it's way over his head and swam around credibly with everyone else much to their delight (Amber and Lex worship him). We horsed around some, then I brought us all back in and went out with Amber, PupG, Lex and Linda. As usual I had to put Lex on the black leash to get him to come back in and I had to go back out and get Linda; PupG does seem to get better and come in with me like Amber the more she does this. I really wanted to get the two post-ops out since they're looking good and are both crazed. First I managed to wrangle Steve McQueen out so I took him with Lex, Amber and PupG. He was an angel, swam like a nut and came back in like a good boy without having to go on the leash. Finally I managed to wrangle Petey out and substituted him for Steve. Petey really had fun and swam a lot, but he also had a good time horsing around chasing butterfly shadows with Amber on the beach. They all came back in with me without a fuss and I decided to call it a morning. There was a little barking back at the ranch but nothing terrible that had me running back prematurely. We all miss Roni, but especially me (and I do howl a little sometimes... gotta watch that).
GRADE: A
swims:
Greta
Amber
Lex
Zoot
(4)
Tired today. Got Greta out by herself and it was a bit choppy but she managed. Since the tribe like rough waters I took Amber, Lex and Zoot. The latter was made bolder by the presence of his sibs and they all swam after me like lunatics; Zoot is not quite as strong a swimmer as either Lex or Amber but he had a good time. At the end Lex didn't want to listen coming in so I put the black leash on him and that also pulled Zoot along, as I thought it would.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Linda
Amber
Shirley
Lex
Gowron
Mega
Bette
(7)
I decided to try and shake things up and took Amber and Linda out first just to screw around. Both were highly enthusiastic but Amber especially so in the water, as usual. I made Linda stay in after the first outing but Amber came out each time with me because she listens; we shouldn't make a habit of letting her always get her way but today it worked out well because she got used to going out onto the beach and back into the yard with me many times over. After I put Linda back in I took Shirley out for a few laps and Amber dutifully swam with. Next I brought Lex out; I took the black leash but left with everyone off. We all screwed around in the water for a while. Amber is extremely competitive with her siblings one-on-one and is always swimming over them and biting at their faces to stay ahead of them. I put Lex on the leash at the end because he wasn't listening as well as I would've liked. I also let PupG out on this turn and she needed a bit of encouragement to come back in with the rest of us. I switched Lex for Mega and let PupG come out for another turn with Amber along as always, but I put Megs on the leash before we left. This was a fun bunch; Mega and Amber really swam like maniacs and PupG wasn't far behind. I had to carry PupG in on this group but she's so pathetically cute that I let her come out on the last swim with Bette. Bette really swam with gusto and gave the young ones a run for their money in the water. Amber was really good about going out and coming in the whole time.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Otto
(1)
I wanted to take Greta out but when I got her on the beach I noticed a wound on her shoulder; it isn't really serious but she shouldn't go swimming until Saturday or so. I took her back in and got Otto out for a bit but the dogs back at the range were antsy and there was a lot going on so I bagged it. Otto got a little swimming in anyway.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Gowron
Linda
Amber
Lex
(5)
Roni is safely in Johnstown for the next week. The dogs have all been pretty good thusfar, considering we have people camping on top of us in the shack to the north and lots of vehicles and pedestrians around for whatever reason. I decided I'd try to establish some semblance of normalcy and took some swimmers out; the ones who stayed behind were very good. First I took Greta by herself and she did very well. Next I was only going to take the girls but Lex talked his way onto the team; I took him out on the black leash and everyone else off. They swam with such abandon that it was at times harrowing; Lex more or less ripped the shirt off of my back and damned near pulled my trunks off with his crazy antics in the water and Amber was not far behind. We swam around a lot until Linda started wandering too far on the beach and the ones in the house started getting antsy. They all had a blast.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Blue
Reggie
Monkey
(7)
Roni took this crew around the cow pasture the long way, avoiding the dirty road and instead coming home up the path that cuts just north of the pasture. The bugs were terrible but everyone behaved themselves, walked briskly, jumped in puddles and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Gowron
Linda
Amber
Greta
(4)
I took PupG, Linda and Amber out first by themselves to horse around in the water. Roni came out with the orange ZogoFlex ball and we got Amber to chase it into the water a few times; she doesn't quite get how to grab things while they're floating but I helped her a bit and she was really happy about it. After that little crew went back in I took Greta out for her morning swim. She was predictably good and the tabanos were predictably bad.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Eve
Rita
Osita
Chester
Rufus
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Rufus and Xmul should not go together for a while - they are too much at the gate. I used two leashes for the first time in years, one apiece. They hauled me down at the first bend on our road, though to be fair it was more my fault than theirs; they were good and let me get up and we carried on from there well enough. I let Rufus off around the point where we got to the cut-over but left Xmul on until the swimming hole and put her back on before the road; she was off again on the beach and was good all of the time she was off the leash, although she didn't have much opportunity to be bad. Everyone was really good the whole way and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Amber
Bette
Otto
Shirley
(5)
I took Amber out with Greta but she wasn't that interested in swimming so I brought her in early; the water was a little stinky so maybe that was it (probably not). Bette really swam out to get me a lot but everyone else did well too and had a good time. The tabanos were terrible.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Posey
Frijolita
Ernie
Ziggy
Stella
Twiggy
Mo
Mega
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Stella was on the leash the entire way and Twiggy wasn't on even once. It was a fairly eventful run, although nothing too terrible happened. First off they did not wait for me at the shrimpery intersection like they always do; instead I suspect Ernie or Mega or both led the charge straight down the coco trail, possibly in pursuit of a marmot (there are lots around right now); I called them back and we headed out down the road to the land bridge and the dirty road. At the turn east off of the dirty road where it flattens out and overlooks the charcos someone (probably Zig) got between my feet and took me down hard; I scraped both knees bloody. I picked the pace up from there and kept us moving quickly all the way to the swimming hole, which has been completely topped off to overflowing by the recent rains and is now full of little crabs. I was a little trepidatious about taking Twigs all the way to the hidden trail so I watched her closely to the swimming hole and she looked fine; she didn't run too fast or horse around too much and she listened really well so I figured what the hell - it wasn't that much farther to go to the hidden trail than it has been on the last two runs she's taken. Mega was under control and listening to me although he was always out front with Posey (kind of cute). As we were nearing doce on the hidden trail I heard some barking to the north and several of them, leg by Mega and Ernie (!) took off up doce. I got to the road a few seconds behind them and could see a small, black dog ahead of Mega on doce about 500m to the north; I called Mega and the rest back to me and they came, although it took Megs a little bit to make up the distance. Ernie was huffing and puffing by the time he made it back. The little black dog darted west towards the beach about 800m up doce. I was therefore cautious while approaching the beach on the actual hidden trail but the cacti have grown up something fierce all along the path and I got hung up, literally; this gave the dogs a ~15second head start on me to the beach. By the time I got there about half of ours were ~50m north from where the trail lets out and I could see that the little black dog was in the water, out about 10m, swimming around furiously to avoid our pack. I called them the second I saw them and they all came running south, with the little black dog in the water barking at them. I took us south quickly and eventually noticed that the little dude had come out of the water and headed north - obviously not a dumb dog. We went back into the monte at the tortuga sign and there was no more fun and games from there on. I had Mega on the other end of the leash for the run up the trail but Mo and Ernie ran ahead more than I'd like - they have to get some work on that. Twigs ran to the construction site to the north at the very end but she was easily collected. All in all a good run with a few lapses and irritating accidents.
GRADE: B (too much yelling for an A)
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Blue
Godzilla
Gowron
Elewah
Lily
Molly
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Molly was on the hook out of the gate but I let her off a little more than I have recently; she didn't have much opportunity to be bad but anyway she didn't do anything stupid and had a good time. Blue and Godzilla rolled in something horrible and needed baths when we got home but otherwise everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Amber
Linda
Zasu
(4)
I took Greta out for her laps and threw Amber in; Roni came out with Linda and Zasu a few moments later. Amber was more interested in horsing around on the beach with Linda than she was in swimming today but everyone had a good time one way or another.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Lucy
Eve
Maggie
Bosha
Linda
Buddy
(6)
I took this group around the cow pasture the long way. It was a bit late in the morning and the bugs were just hideous by the time we were on the way home. Buddy did really well, running for long stretches and looking quite good doing it. Maggie and Linda rolled in a few disgusting things and everyone was twitching and biting at the bugs by the time we stumbled home, including me.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Shirley
Amber
Bette
Gowron
Lex
Zoot
(7)
First I took Greta out and she was her usual good self; she swam as much as she ever has. Next I took Shirley out and threw Amber in. Shirley was okay (never that enthusiastic about swimming) but Amber was excellent: she chased us out on every lap and played funny little competitive games with Shirley on the way back which egged Shirley on. We were all breathing hard by the time we came back in. Finally I took Bette out with PupG, Lex and Zoot. Bette chased me out each time and we were frequently escorted by Lex and PupG, at least part way; Zoot swam out some but was less into it than the others. Lex is similar to Amber in his attitude about swimming: he likes to "win" whatever that means. Roni came out and played with Lex, PupG and Zoot on the shore a bunch and everyone generally horsed around on the beach for a bit. Lex and Zoot wanted to run north a bit but in the end everyone scampered home more or less together.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Eve
Archie
Frankie
Ernie
Rufus
Lily
Daisy
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. This was another odd group. I had Zoot out at first but he was a bit reticent and Rufus was out of his mind so we switched them at the last minute. I left with Xmul on the hook and Rufus free; although he was crazed for the first 100m he settled down by the shrimpery and was a good boy thereafter. We left a little late but no matter - everyone ran like demons. I let Xmul off right before the swimming hole, put her back on for the stretch north behind the charcos and took her off again when we hit the beach; she was a good girl throughout and probably could've been off the leash more, but I'm still careful with her. All of these dogs were really energetic and played constantly the whole way. At the very end I had Xmul on the hook, Rufus on the other end of the leash and Frankie between them with the leash strung through her collar so that I could make sure none of the bolted for the ocean or barked at a moto on the road. As has been my custom recently I walked us all down the trail under control so that we crossed the road together and we arrived home as sanely as a crazy man with eight dogs can.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Frijolita
Reggie
April
(7)
Roni took this group out intrepidly into the bugs with April on the leash, where she stayed for the duration. They basically did a variation of the cow pasture the long way: down the coco trail, straight down past the cow pasture and then around and to the north to come home on the dead goat trail. The bugs were obviously insane and the heat really kicked in when she was on the coco trail coming home, but they were all troopers and walked briskly. Miles kept up and everyone obviously had a blast.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Shirley
Otto
Amber
Bette
(5)
I took Greta and Shirley out singly, and then Roni convinced me that Amber is such a good girl she can get thrown in to go for a swim so I took her out with Otto; she was an angel, swam out on every lap, beat us soundly back to the shore and sat patiently waiting for us to get back so she could chase us out again. Finally I took Bette out by herself and she had a really good time, chasing me out on every lap.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Frijolita
Osita
Godzilla
George
Ziggy
Luna
Twiggy
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. This turned out to be a good group. It was Twigs' second three-legged run of roughly this distance and she did very well. I had her on the hook until we got close to the swimming hole; she ran like a lunatic on the tortuga road to catch up after screwing around somewhere and I didn't like her running so fast and out of control so I put her back on there. I put Luna on the other end of the leash at the shrimpery and walked us home down the trail under control and together. Alice and George both ran enthusiastically and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Blue
Monkey
Linda
(6)
Roni took this crew out for a walk around the cow pasture. She started to go the long way down the dead goat trail but the bugs are ridiculous after 8am so she cut down the north fork next to the cow pasture and walked down to the water where the concrete markers are; she started to head around the bend to the north but again the bugs are just unreal, especially when you're walking, so everyone high-tailed it home down the dirty road. Monkey did a bit of screwing around when they got home but she came to the gate within a minute or two. Everyone was breathing hard and twitching from the bugs but obviously had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Zasu
Gowron
Linda
Amber
Lex
(6)
I took Greta out for her morning swim and Roni came out with the other five a few minutes afterwards for a photo-op and general horsing around in the water. Linda needs a bit of work on listening; for such a little thing she is very influential with the other dogs and drags them around on the beach to do whatever she wants to do, it seems. Lex and Amber both swam with me and Greta; Amber was especially keen on coming out to get us. PupG also swam valiantly and I made sure Linda had to do a few laps out in the deep water. Zasu even came in after us at one point. The tabanos had their way with us all but it was fun anyway.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Otto
Bette
Shirley
(4)
I was tired this morning and had a lot of work to do and Roni's ankles weren't up to a walk but we both feel strongly that the swims are really helping Greta and Otto so what the hell... the boobles got thrown in because of their enthusiasm. Bette actually swam out to get me many times and tired herself out a little at least. Shirley really just wanted to come ashore and hunt lizards but was a good sport; by the time she got out the tabanos were in full fury anyway.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Rita
Elewah
Lily
Daisy
Mo
Xmul
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. Xmul was on the hook out of the gate but I let her off for long stretches and she was good. Everyone was really up for it and kept a good pace. Lily ran towards doce when we were still on the way to the hidden trail because she heard a moto heading north; she dragged a couple with her and though they all came back and behaved I wasn't pleased with her and need to watch her / put her on the hook more. Elewah was surprisingly good, although I scooped her up at the shrimpery just out of habit. The bugs were starting to get really bad by the time we got off the beach at the tortuga sign and they hounded us all the way home.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Lucy
Blue
Tuesday
Gowron
Amber
(8)
Roni took this group out for a jaunt around the cow pasture only to be beaten back by the clouds of mosquitoes on the dead goat trail; at the point where there are big puddles the bugs truly throw down their buzzing curtain of pain and ... buzzing. The dogs were all good; Amber waited for Roni to get to her before crossing the road on the way home, Tito kept up and everyone had a good time and looked happy when they got home.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Mosquitoes in the monte and tabanos on the beach: you simply cannot escape the biting insects this time of year. They harassed us constantly but Greta did well nonetheless.
GRADE: A
morning swims:
Greta
Shirley
Otto
Zasu
Gowron
Linda
Amber
(7)
I got the first three out on separate swims as normal and all did well; Otto and Shirley aren't crazy about the idea but they're troopers. After Otto went in Roni came out with Zasu, Gowron, Linda and Amber for a little horsing around on the beach. Zasu didn't technically swim but she did loaf around and look cute. Linda is a wildling but she did manage to swim all the way out to me a few times with PupG and Amber; Amber was a bit of a freak at first and just wanted to sit on the shore whining but she got into the spirit of it and had fun swimming. The tabanos were biting with wild abandon.
GRADE: A
morning walks:
Frankie
April
Maggie
Ziggy
Bosha
Buddy
Henry
Alice
Lucy
Bette
Shirley
Rita
Linda
(13)
I took the first six out first for a walk around the cow pasture the long way with Bosha and April on leashes. I let April off on the dirty road and she was good the rest of the way. Buddy was excellent, never got turned around and made his own way around the puddle in the dead goat trail. I then took the next seven out for the same walk with Bette and Shirley on leashes; I had to leave the boobles on the leash the whole way but they did settle down a bit on the dirty road. Rita was an angel and everyone had a really good time. Linda bolted for the beach when we got back so I put the rest of them in and went to get her. She was swimming in front of the house; not too terrible but she has to learn to not do that unless we let her.
GRADE: A
swims:
Otto
Greta
(2)
They both did well.
GRADE: A
