Thursday, November 29, 2012

29.11.12

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

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

28.11.12

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

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

27.11.12

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

Sunday, November 25, 2012

25.11.12

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

Saturday, November 24, 2012

24.11.12

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

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

21.11.12

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

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

20.11.12

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

Monday, November 19, 2012

19.11.12

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

Sunday, November 18, 2012

18.11.12

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: !!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

17.11.12

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

Friday, November 16, 2012

16.11.12

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

Thursday, November 15, 2012

15.11.12

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

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

13.11.12

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

Monday, November 12, 2012

12.11.12

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

Saturday, November 10, 2012

10.11.12

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

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

07.11.12

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

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

06.11.12

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

Saturday, November 3, 2012

03.11.12

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

Thursday, November 1, 2012

01.11.12

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