29.12.13

morning beach dash:
Archie
Rufus
Linda
Daisy
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(7)

Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back: ~4k. This was a get-some-energy-out run for Rufus, the Heroic Trio (Hazel, Tori, Murci) and their pugilistic little friend (Daisy); Roni suggested recently that I should try to get Daisy out as much as possible for a while to get more energy out and calm her down... also it is a good situation to work on discipline. We more or less sprinted until we were past the HoJo; I had Rufus on the leash out of the gate but he came off right there and was good the rest of the way off the leash. Murci is now a more experienced runner and has also decided she is a water.dog: the surf was churning and high in places and she dove in with wild abandon to stay with her peeps. There were several breaks from hauling ass to jump into the surf and everyone really enjoyed it even though it was rough; Linda, the smallest, is really brave and funny in the water and is not discouraged by anything... she kept up with ease and we were really moving for long stretches. I put Hazel on the hook and Tori on the other end of the leash before we got to the HoJo heading south; Hazel is the one I trust least in this group and Tori just jacks the pace up too high if I let her. Configured thus it was no problem running the gauntlet past the soldiers; nobody was out when we went north but there were two people and that stray we got sterilized hanging out at the palapa coming home. The stray gave chase and barked at us and everyone was good; Murci wanted no part of it and was well ahead but didn't just bolt for home - she listened to me and stayed with us albeit in the vanguard, until she recognized our path on the beach, where she beat it for the gate. Nobody else paid the stray any attention; she looks good and I'm glad the surgery worked out. She also looks to have beaten the Ehrlichiosis so the soldiers must've given her her meds. Maybe she'll be healthy and happy for a while now that the bugs are dying down. Our dogs were stellar throughout and had a great time.
GRADE: A

25.12.13

morning run:
Otto
Alice
Truman
Frankie
Archie
Rufus
Daisy
Tori
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos, even shorter version: ~6k. It was difficult getting this group settled down at the gate before we left; it took several minutes of work to get them calm enough to leave. Once on the road they were great albeit really energetic; even Alice was noticeably fired up and had no problem staying with everyone. We took the northern exit from the southern intersection this time; it goes between the serpentine to the west and the middle road/palapa road exit to the east. We had not been that way in many years; I think only Otto, Alice or Truman might've been there before. It is completely underwater for the last 100 meters to the north before it joins up with the middle road. There were a lot of old salt piles that had been left out in the rain for months and not much else. People obviously haven't been there in a while since there was no garbage laying around. We ran into the cows again just before the small grove (groveling? grovelet?) on the middle road before it gets to the jeep berm; they were grazing in the bushes. Tori, Rufus, Truman and Daisy all thought they were about the coolest thing ever and ran ahead to go bark at them; they got back quickly and were good about coming with me once I caught up. Alice was very brave; she is terrified of cows and gave them an extremely wide berth but didn't balk at going by them like she has in the past. I put Tori on the leash after the cows because she led the charge and needs to be reigned in. I left her on until we got home and didn't put Murci on at all for the first time in a while; she rewarded me by listening well when we were close to home and not charging into the road ahead of everyone else. I chose a short route today because Archie, Otto and Rufus were along and shouldn't go on long runs; it has been a few hours since the run as I write this and so far no limps, but everyone is a little tired and hasn't moved much.
GRADE: A

23.12.13

morning run:
Ginger
Blue
Posey
George
Gowron
Ernie
Lily
Steve McQueen
Tori
(9)

Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. Same route as the others recently, taking the main land bridge out to the middle road north through the southern charcos and home via the alt. land bridge. Everyone was off the leash the whole way until the shrimpery at the end where I put Tori on to keep us together on the final trail home; we all crossed the road together and everyone stayed together well. PupG swam in every single puddle she could possibly jam her tiny, psychotic little frame into, no matter how muddy or disgusting (nothing's disgusting to a dog after all). Luckily for all of us there were plenty of deep charcos with mostly fresh water in them the whole way so she was reasonable clean by the time we got home. Ernie was frequently in the lead; amazingly he doesn't appear to have any kind of limp now hours afterwards, which is encouraging. I wanted to get more of the tribe out but it was impossible - they're all acting like idiots lately and I only seem to be able to get one or two out at a time... even that was difficult today but somehow I corralled Steve early enough to get him out; once on the road he was great and had a blast. The mist was still clinging to the charcos when we left and we could see clusters of bright pink flamingos in the charcos all around us obscured to varying degrees; the bugs were only noticeable in spots.
GRADE: A

21.12.13

morning run:
Gracie
Eve
Rita
Osita
Chester
Reggie
Luna
Mo
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. We did the usual shortie middle-road route, heading out the main land bridge and coming home via the intersection, cut-over and alt. land bridge. Everyone was off the leash on the way out. I put Murci on in the shallows to the east of the alt. land bridge coming home to keep her honest; she drank from the water bottle for the first time today and was obviously THRILLED to be running with Reggie, whom she worships. Everyone was really perfect and had a great time.
GRADE: A

20.12.13

morning run:
Godzilla
Tuesday
Molly
Jack
Daisy
Twiggy
Lex
Hazel
Tori
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. Strange group but it worked out okay. I let Tuesday off the leash right as we were heading east into the southern charcos and she stayed off until just after the main intersection as we were going to the cut-over; she was perhaps a tiny bit paranoid at that point but she was fine about letting me put her back on the leash and was stellar the whole time she was off. We've had rain in the last week and the monte is still flooded everywhere but it is receding a little in spots; very slippery and dangerous if you only have two legs. We ran into the cows that have been loose in the monte for months now; they were camped out at the intersection just as you turn north from the southernmost charco and were not impressed with us at all. A couple of my charges ran over to bark but they all came to me quickly and we carried on. In spite of high spirits early they were all good and listened well. The bugs were not bad and it was a bit overcast so we kept a high pace and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A

19.12.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Bette
Lucy*
Linda
Monkey
Baby*
(7)

Roni took this crew out for a walk down to the land bridge. Lucy decided it was too hot out of the gate and came right back; Baby (stray/new arrival with heartworm who we're trying to help) got spooked by someone on a moto but came back to Roni once it was gone and went with her the whole way and back. Miles seemed a step slow and should be watched. It was hot out but everyone had a nice time anyway.
GRADE: A

17.12.13

morning run:
Posey
Truman
Blue
Chester
Reggie
Rufus
Elewah
Hazel
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. We left with nobody on the leash and that worked well; there were some high spirits but everyone kept it together and stayed with me. We went out across the land bridge, still flooded up to mid-calf at its shallowest. We took the middle road on the way back but went all the way north to the tortuga crossroads and took the blue bag trail home instead of the alt. land bridge. I had Murci on the leash by the time we turned off of the tortuga road and it turned out to be a good idea: we ran into salt workers just south of the wooden shack. She wasn't thrilled but she was better than last time about coming along on the leash and we all ran by them with no problems. She had good examples on this run, at least. It was strange and beautiful in the charcos today. The southernmost crossing was a bizarre quasi-yuletide scene where large wads of salt foam have been blown into the grass and trees. The resulting effect is like some kind of cotton candy snow. It was not hot today and a bit overcast so it almost looked like December up north... one of the few times I wished I had a camera.
GRADE: A

16.12.13

morning run:
Eve
Frijolita
Ernie
Stella
Lily
Molly
Bosha
Daisy
Tori
(9)

To the swimming hole and home via the monte: ~6k. Considering how wound they all were it wasn't terrible getting out of the gate, although it was too loud; Stella left on the leash and was good about holding up while I fiddled with the gate. We took the alt. land bridge to avoid flamingos that were feeding directly in our path if we had gone that way. I was thinking of heading south from the swimming hole but Stella wanted to go north and I was fine with that; she was off the leash at that point but I put her back on at the three-way intersection north when she wanted to insist on going to the beach. She had been pretty good off the leash until then but I couldn't have her pulling everyone the wrong way so she went back on and stayed that way until home. We took the overgrown path between the charcos south and the blue bag trail to the wooden shack at the end. Everyone was really good about come home together and in general stayed close to me.
GRADE: A

11.12.13

morning run:
Alice
Lucy
Ginger
Otto
George
Rita
Archie
Shirley
Bosha
(9)

Short swampy loop: ~4k. A shorty with the limpy / older / slower dogs. We went out across the alt. land bridge, hit the intersection, continued north to the tortuga road, took it almost to the ocean but then went south and came home via the wood shack. It was a slog through the charcos to the north but nobody minded. Shirley was on the leash the whole way. Everyone was really perfect and had a good time.
GRADE: A

09.12.13

morning run:
Gracie
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Daisy
Petey
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos, short route: ~7k. We've been tired and for one reason or another we just haven't been able to get out for a couple of days so the dogs were a little wound up at the gate; Rufus, PupG, Hazel, Jack and Tori are all noisy on the best of days. I put a crate in the launch pad and stuck Tori in it while I was rounding up the rest of the team and that helped a bit - maybe one for Rufus next time as well. The group that went was also not the fairest but after a couple of days everyone forgets who's gone recently and the fact is that Tori, Murci and Hazel are young and have a lot of energy to burn. In spite of all the energy we left with nobody on the leash again and it worked well; they settled down quickly. We left a little late but there was nobody in the monte and we hauled ass most of the way. We went out the land bridge and came home via the alt. land bridge as usual; it's all still flooded, as is most of the monte, but some of the mud is beginning to dry out a little in places. There was still plenty of opportunity (and in fact necessity) for swimming and slogging and we did a lot of both. The conditions are slippery and dangerous in many places; this was not a run for newbies and I almost fell three times, only avoiding it because I know the monte so well... plus I was a little lucky. We took the middle road and skipped the swimming hole to keep the distance down a little. Everyone did really well the whole way. I put Murci on the hook as we were crossing the alt. land bridge on the way home and I put Hazel on the other end of the leash as we were nearing the shrimpery to keep her from dragging everyone ahead on the trail home. This all worked out well and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A

05.12.13

morning run:
Frijolita
Truman
Osita
Lily
Molly
Twiggy
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. We did the usual medium route, using the bag end crossing to get to the swimming hole. Everyone was really up for it and kept a good pace; I watched Twigs for signs she was having trouble but she was having so much fun screwing around in the water it's hard to say... if she's grouchy later today then that might be why. Murci left off the leash and stayed that way until we crossed the alt. land bridge on the way home; she was good about letting me put her on the hook and had fun swimming and running. Osita got a little skittish as we were going west to east along the southernmost charco on this route; I don't really know why but I noticed and went back to her, reassuring her the whole way, got her on the leash and then she was fine and came along. I let her off the leash on the palapa road and she didn't do it again. She's a strange one.
GRADE: A

04.12.13

afternoon swim:
Greta
Tori
(2)

This was an abortive attempt to get Greta out. It has been stormy and cold for a while now and it wasn't possible to get her out; it wasn't stormy today but the ocean is really stinky and cold, and it was shallow when we went out. Even if it hadn't been shallow it was just kind of a mess out there so we only did one lap, then kind of screwed around on the beach for a bit. Greta is stronger now and might be able to do a short walk, so we should try that because the gulf is not cooperating. Anyway, they were angels.
GRADE: A

03.12.13

morning run:
Lucy
Otto
Rita
George
Archie
Shirley
Rufus
Ernie
Maggie
(9)

Swampy southern loop: ~5k. I'm not totally sure about the distance on this one because there was a bit of dithering on my part. We went out by fording the land bridge and started south; I was thinking we'd cut across the charcos at the tar paper shack to get to the terreno federal trail and that would make a nice little loop to the intersection but the charcos there were much more flooded than I realized. I started off south again thinking we'd run around them but it was starting to get hot so I changed my mind; I decided to turn us around and head north on the main road, both to avoid xmul and underbrush (Maggie) and because this is a rare time when there is hardly any traffic. The intersection is flooded and there's nowhere to go so nobody goes that way right now. Everyone had a good time swimming everywhere and smelling all the cow poo strewn liberally on the road; there are also horse droppings so the monte is a fragrant paradise to a dog right now. We came home from the intersection via the cut-over, alt. land bridge and dirty road; the cut-over is pretty beaten down now since we've gone over it a lot lately but Maggie always insists on charging into the ice-plant or the weeds no matter how hard I try to keep her on the straight and narrow... I'm sure she has a lot of xmuls in her coat. She had a blast, at least, and kept up well, as did Lucy. This was a run of limpy, older, pudgy dogs so we kept the pace down and I gave everyone time to swim or catch up if they were behind. I had Shirley on the leash the whole time - she's just too crazed about hunting lizards to let her off; we're afraid she'll hurt her hips again and she's doing so well now. She didn't seem to mind and was really up for whatever we did. In general they were angelic and had a great time.
GRADE: A

01.12.13

morning run:
Posey
Eve
Godzilla
Reggie
Daisy
Amber
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. We went the full monty this time: east across the land bridge fording, south and east into the monte, from one end of the palapa road to the other and home via the swimming hole and the alt. land bridge. We left with nobody on the leash; it was an extremely high-energy group yet somehow they all really stayed close to me. Posey pushed the pace a little too much at times and dove into the brush north of the palapa road at one point, obviously in pursuit of some marmot. Nobody followed her and I put her on the hook when she emerged to calm things down a bit; I let her off quickly and she kept closer thereafter. Everything is so flooded that I think they swim more on these runs in the monte than on the beach this time of year; their hijinx at the swimming hole were hilarious, since you can't see where it's shallow ("road") vs where it's deep ("hole") easily... they were all running around like lunatics and disappearing into deep holes suddenly, only to emerge with a huge splash and do it over again. I put Amber on the hook in the water just east of the alt land bridge on the way home, since I still don't completely trust her to not bolt for home when we get close. Murci got put on the other end of the leash just before the dirty road and they were good that way until we got home. Everyone else was really angelic; Daisy, Hazel, Tori and Murci are super-buddies and Amber also likes playing with all of them so they were especially cute together the whole way. It was overcast and cool again and everyone made the most of it.
GRADE: A

30.11.13

morning run:
Alice
Ginger
Chester
Ernie
Frankie
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
Molly
(9)

To the swimming hole and home the short way: ~5k. This is a useful route when I have dogs that shouldn't go for a long one and like to swim. We left with nobody on the leash and it stayed that way until we were on our trail coming home, when I put Rufus on just because it was getting late and there are a lot of people around. Everyone was really good and stayed close to me the whole way. We used the alt. land bridge on the way out and the normal land bridge on the way back, both of which are still completely flooded. Chester was very brave about fording deep water in several places; he isn't crazy about swimming but he's also a dirty little dog and needed a few dips in fresh water so I'm glad he complied. Rufus was loud when we were leaving but he kept himself in check and was a good boy the whole way. We ran into the fellow with the garden in the monte right down on the trail that runs next to the shrimpery as we were heading out and he had a dog with him: a Molly-sized dog with a collar on who actually looked quite a bit like Molly to boot. There was some barking and shenanigans but no hostilities and my dogs separated easily from him and his as we took off north. The bugs were noticeable in places but not as bad as I would've expected given how flooded the monte is; we were slogging through salt, mud and water for at least half the way. At least it was cool and overcast so we didn't have brain-boiling heat to contend with.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Tito
Bette
Lucy
Monkey
Bosha
Linda
(8)

Roni took this crew out for a walk north towards the wooden shack. Bosha kind of threw herself into the mix as Roni was getting ready to go and she seemed okay with everyone so we let her go; she ended up being a good girl, having a good time and getting some hilarious pictures taken of herself... it's difficult to explain to someone who doesn't know her, she's just so strange. Miles did his usual dawdling routine but Roni preempted him on the way home by scooping him up near the base of our trail and carrying him the rest of the way - the bugs were starting to get bad and Miles will just... not... listen... Linda's coat was full of xmuls and Bosha's hovercraft was full of eels - everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A

28.11.13

morning run:
Gracie
Blue
Gowron
Elewah
Lily
Lex
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos (backwards): ~8k. I thought we might head north for a change but as we got past the swimming hole I reconsidered; we hadn't gone all the way to the Au Soleil Couchant road in a while so we hauled ass north, then east, then south down the palapa road. This was an even higher-energy group than the last one; we left with Murci on the leash and she was absolutely raring to go - I could not get any slack into the leash except when we were fording deep waters. I let her off before the swimming hole and she was great thereafter - she and Hazel stick to each other the whole way. We ran into a person early on the dirty road; the fellow who tends the garden on the dead goat trail was looking for some dead wood to chop up and Lily was an ass and barked at him. He took no offense and commented on how cute they are (and they were) but I was not happy with Lily. She continued to annoy me by not listening to the point where I put her on the leash on the palapa road, and left her on the whole way home. As we were heading towards the 5-way intersection near the southernmost charcos three dogs I've never seen before bolted off south towards the coconut plantation; they appeared to be over a year old and at least one of them was male. Tori, Elewah and Hazel took off after them and gave chase for ~100m; I was glad I had Lily on the leash by then because from what I'd seen earlier I'm sure she would've been all over that. As it was there was no barking or any sign of hostilities and the three that had chased came back. I wish I had brought a second leash because Tori needs to spend some time on it; her on the other end of Lily didn't sound like too much fun so I just reigned everyone in verbally and we took the serpentine home instead of the normal way, to give those dogs a wide berth. I put Murci on the other end with Lily before we got to the dirty road on the way home and they were a handful the whole way home. It was fast and fun but sometimes annoying; at least the conditions were pleasant: cool, a little blustery and overcast. Nice change from the surface of the sun.
GRADE: B

26.11.13

morning run:
Osita
Reggie
Tuesday
Molly
Daisy
Luna
Mega
Petey
Steve McQueen
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. This was a fast group. We left via the land "bridge" and came back via its equally-inundated cousin to the north. Tuesday was really up for it and the pace stayed high throughout; we left with her on the leash but I let her off for a long stretch from just east of the terreno federal road until the bag end crossing. I only put her back on because we were being barked at by an unseen dog in the monte; it sounded like it was in the direction of the swimming hole and everyone took off down the bag end crossing as we got there. They stopped for me about halfway across when I yelled for them and I put Tuesday back on the hook when I caught up to her; she was leading the charge so that helped get everyone back together. I had been planning on going to the swimming hole but instead we cut back south-west on what would normally be the road but which is currently under two feet of water in places. It was a hard slog and I think it helped tire a few of them out... even with four legs instead of two, sliding your way across 100m of that slippery mud in deep water is difficult. We saw one person working in the salt to the south and everyone was perfect; we were already past him before he even saw us. Everyone really had a good time in the soggy monte and the bugs were remarkably bearable.
GRADE: A

25.11.13

morning beach dash:
Shirley
Rufus
Jack
Tori
(4)

Up the beach to the tortuga sign and back: ~2k. Just a quickie with Rufus, who was off the leash the whole way and was really great about it; he calmed down before we even got to the soldiers and listened well. I took the black leash along as a spare and had Shirley on the regular leash the whole way. The beach was really high, there was some actual surf and it was almost all seashells and seaweed for a long stretch to the north of the HoJo - not easy going on the beach, we just charged through the surf and braced ourselves until we got past it. The recent storms have changed the beach a lot up near the tortuga sign; we ended up swimming in a huge tidal pool that's formed because of the high surf - it came up to my chest in places, which was rather unpexected (and fun for the dogs). On the way back I put Jack on the black leash because he's the least trustworthy of the four; I ended up putting Tori on the other end of Rufus' leash because she ran up to the HoJo on the way south to say hi to one of their dogs... she was okay about coming back to me but she needs to not go up there to begin with so she should be on a leash around there.
GRADE: A

23.11.13

morning run:
Lucy
George
Archie
Bosha
Stella
Twiggy
Monkey
Tori
Murci
(9)

To the swimming hole and back: ~5k. I wanted a shorty because Lucy and Archie were coming so we went south instead of north from the swimming hole, cut back across the charcos there and wound our way through the banks and berms of the salt-works directly to the south of the swimming hole, taking the alt. land bridge and dirty road in both directions. I had Stella on the leash until it was getting really soggy near the swimming hole but I put her back on soon after; Murci gave me a bit of trouble dancing away from me when I wanted to put her on the leash as we were heading home, so she stayed on the other leash until the very end. I also put Tori on the other end with Stella at the shirmpery because she made a charge at doce when she saw bikers pass through the intersection to the west; she wasn't very serious about it and didn't get very far up that road but I didn't like that she even thought about it. Archie is a little stiff now a few hours after the run; Lucy seems fine. There were lots of opportunities for swimming and horsing around and everyone took full advantage of them, even Bosha.
GRADE: A

20.11.13

morning run:
Rita
Frijolita
Gowron
Daisy
MoMo
Xmul
Linda
Hazel
Murci
(9)

Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. We took the same route as last Thursday; we left a bit late and I didn't want to be gone so long or go so far with Linda, who really wanted to go. I took two leashes this time to make it slightly easier on myself; we left with Xmul on one hook and the other unoccupied. I thought Rita went lame on me before we even got to the land bridge but it turned out to be a particularly nasty xmul stuck in her paw; it hurt when I pulled it out and it was obviously tender for a few hundred meters but she shook it off and did well the rest of the way. Xmul was off the leash for a while where the flooding is worst both to let her play in the water and to reduce the chances that she would drag me down in the slippery mud. This is probably Xmul's last run with us for a while as her Canadian moms are back in town... we'll miss her and I wanted her to have a good time today. She was an angel, let me get her back on the leash easily and had a great time playing with her pack-mates. I put Murci on the other leash when I heard machinery in the distance and it turned out to be a good idea. We didn't end up running into the salt workers who were running the machine but we did run into a couple of photographers on the berm we use to cross the middle charcos; I gathered us all and decided to give it a shot, since I had Murci on the leash. Our first attempt ended up with everyone except Linda making it across; she surprised me by going all shy and backing down the trail to the north instead of following us. Murci sort of freaked out at first but came along, albeit clumsily, and ran past the people once, but when it became obvious that we had to go back for Linda she balked and I carried her back by the photogs the second time. Mo for some reason also decided she didn't want to go back but she's good so I let her hang around on the other side of the berm while the rest of us went back; I collected Linda and carried her across and everyone else was good. By this time the two people had moved a bit so Murci wasn't quite so stubborn and once I put Linda down on the other side we all took off, caught up with Mo and continued home. Not picture-perfect but good practice for Murci on the leash with people around and she did make some progress. Everyone was good the rest of the way. Linda dragged half of the xmuls in the monte back in her coat; if Roni hadn't trimmed her face before we left she would've looked like some kind of crazy Cat O' Nine Tails.
GRADE: A

19.11.13

morning run:
Gracie
Eve
Posey
Truman
Chester
Tuesday
Elewah
Lily
Tori
(9)

Southern charcos (backwards): ~8k. We went to the swimming hole first; I thought we might head north from there but I didn't want to be gone so long so instead we took the bag-end crossing southeast to the palapa road and came home over the land bridge, which is if anything even more under water than the last time I was there. Heading out we took the alt. land bridge via the dirty road and it, too, was completely under water. Tuesday left on the leash but I let her off before the swimming hole and she stayed off all the way until the terreno federal track, where I put her on just to be safe. She's been better and better and I think maybe soon she'll just come home off the leash. Everyone was really great on this run. We kept a high pace (Tuesday kicks ass on or off the leash) and spent a lot of time charging through mud and water up to my knees. There were lots of flamingos and other waterfowl everywhere and they were all good about it.
GRADE: A

16.11.13

morning run:
Ginger
Rufus
Jack
Molly
Bosha
Lex
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)

Short swampy loop: ~4k. We started to go out via the land bridge but Bosha didn't want to ford it - she's not used to it and it is deep in places, so I turned us around and we crossed at the alt. land bridge instead. We just went to the intersection, which doubles as a nearer swimming hole than the one we usually go to, headed north to the tortuga crossroads and came home via the blue bag trail. As we got to the 4-way intersection with the tortuga road we ran into two cows, fairly young ones; they were in full flight running up the tortuga road to get away from us and Tori, Molly and Rufus were all delighted to chase them... I had to charge off and reel them all in, leaving the cows in the bushes a little freaked out but otherwise unharmed. What the hell is wrong with people around here that they just let livestock wander like that unattended... I've never seen anything like it anywhere else. Whatever: our dogs were good and are clearly smarter than the humans responsible for those creatures. I had Murci on the leash leaving, let her off for most of the run and put her back on before we got to the blue bag trail. She was really good throughout, listened well and had fun, as did everyone else, although I did have to go get Molly off the beach when we got home; my fault and she was reasonably good about it.
GRADE: A

14.11.13

morning run:
Godzilla
Gowron
Frankie
Ernie
Twiggy
Daisy
Tori
Murci
(8)

Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. Since I had Ernie and Twigs with me and we were leaving late to boot I decided a curtailed southern route would be in order; we took the middle road through the southern charcos heading north instead of heading east to the palapa road. I also don't want Murci going too far yet since she's still relatively little, although not to hear her tell it; she left and came home on the hook but I let her off for a long stretch of the run starting where it really gets flooded heading into the charcos. She was a good girl throughout and was good about going back on the leash. We went out over the main land bridge and came back via the cut over and the alt. land bridge, both of which were completely flooded. The hard rain yesterday knocked back some of the bugs because they weren't that noticeable in spite of the soggy state of the realm. Frankie lagged a lot but out of choice; she just doesn't like to let Daisy get behind her and she knows she can catch us whenever she wants, so I let her hang back as long as she listened and caught up when I asked her to. Everyone really behaved themselves and had a great time swimming and horsing around everywhere. I'm posting this many hours later and Ernie has had a limp all day since we went. He might just be getting old and get a little sore after a run but we'll watch him and see how he is tomorrow.
GRADE: A

12.11.13

morning run:
Gracie
Posey
Truman
Reggie
Luna
Xmul
Lex
Steve McQueen
(8)

Southern charcos: ~8k. Of course Xmul slipped her collar at the gate but it was easily dealt with and it went smoothly after that; I let her off to horse around at the swimming hole but kept her on otherwise because of all the waterfowl. This was a high-paced group but they listened really well; I did stay on Gracie verbally when we were on the palapa road, aka Gracie's Favorite Hunting Grounds... she put her ears back at me but listened and made no move to dart off on one of her old hunting trails so I left her off the leash. Everyone was generally enthusiastic and had a great time horsing around in the charcos, which were swollen to overflowing and blocking all of the roads. The dew was still heavy on all of the brush when we left and the morning light lit it up like a crazy fallen chandelier, with occasional dark clouds to the east turning the lights on and off as we ran through it. Somehow the bugs weren't bad... must've been taking a few hours off. I'm sure they'll be back in force soon: the dragonflies are all around us now so there are sure to be mosquitoes.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

It was stinky, cloudy, a little chilly and deep. Not perfect but she's a trooper and had fun.
GRADE: A

09.11.13

morning run:
Osita
Eve
Rufus
Lily
Jack
Amber
Mega
Petey
Tori
(9)

Short southern loop: ~5k. This one was mainly for Rufus; my foot is still not 100% so I also wanted to keep it short for that reason. The last time we went south it was nice so this time I decided to go south but cut back north on the "terreno federal" road instead of heading into the charcos and that worked out well. There was a lot of swimming and everyone really had a good time. I put Amber on the leash when we got to the tree at the end of the secret trail between charcos and she was a good girl.
GRADE: A

07.11.13

morning jog:
Alice
Rita
Frijolita
Ziggy
Molly
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(8)

Swampy loop: ~3k. Today is the first day I could consider doing anything after injuring my foot on Sunday; I didn't want to go fast or far but I did want to get Murci out since she's a bit of a nut and needs work on the leash. We took a leisurely route across the land "bridge", to the circular intersection via the main road, north along the road on the eastern side of the nearest charcos to the tortuga crossroads and home via the blue bag trail and the coco trail. Rita chose to swim across where it was deep at the land bridge; she was cute and the charcos are full of fresh water so it probably felt good on her sore spots as well. In general everyone swam a lot everywhere, especially Tori and Hazel. Murci was on the leash the whole way; I thought we might run into people near the wooden shack and was planning on using the opportunity to work with her but we saw nobody the entire way - only flamingos and other waterfowl. We kept a steady pace, not too fast and frequently breaking to walk so everyone could screw around and/or catch up from screwing around too much already (mostly Alice). Murci was really good on the leash and did whatever I did with relish: fording deep charcos, cutting through high grass, hauling ass on the blue bag trail, ... once she gets over her wildling stage she will be great, just like Hazel (who was perfect today).
GRADE: A

morning beach walk #1:
Frankie
Stella
(2)

Martina took these two out with Frankie off the leash and Stella on and everything went fine. They all had fun on a windy day.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk #2:
Ernie
(1)

Ernie is definitely a two-hands kind of dog: this time Martina had her hand on his collar as well as his leash wound around her arm and I handled the gate for her. Even so Ernie's enthusiasm can be surprising but now that she was prepared everything went fine. They had a nice time.
GRADE: A

05.11.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Bette
Lucy
Eve
Blue
Frijolita
Gowron
Monkey
(8)

Roni took this group out for a jaunt to the north not quite to the wooden shack. She only had to use the leash at the very end to round Monkey up on our road. The three sisters (Eve, Blue, Frijolita) had a blast running around together; Gracie's pups are always so good on walks and runs. The bugs were bad in spots but not as bad as they have been, even with the recent rain.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Ernie
Xmul
(2)

Martina took these two out for a walk on the beach. Once again Ernie pulled his usual chucklehead routine and slipped his collar at the gate to head east; he is oddly shaped and a regular collar sort of slides off of him if he thrashes around too much. I called him back and he ran by everyone down to the beach, where I caught up with him and put him back on his collar. He was just confused and perhaps a little bit whacko... Martina caught up with us eventually and they carried on. She said the chaquistes were bad on the beach but the dogs were good and had fun.
GRADE: A

04.11.13

morning beach walk:
Twiggy
Luna
MoMo
(3)

Martina took these three out for a walk on the beach with Twigs and Luna on leashes out of the gate; they were all good and had a great time.
GRADE: A

03.11.13

morning jaunt:
Lucy
Rita
Rufus
Bosha
Tori
(5)

To the tortuga sign via the monte and home on the beach: ~3k. The original idea was a normal beach dash but the dogs were all wound up and making it difficult, so instead of leaving by the beach I left on the road, went north past the wooden shack, through the charcos to the north and then to the beach at the tortuga sign. I was expecting there to be some beach-goers to the south but the beach was empty. We did a lot of swimming on the way south; Bosha kept lagging to roll in stuff and I had to take us all back to round her up at one point (I think her eyesight is not the best). Everyone was good the whole way until the very end; Rita charged up the road north of the beige house, apparently because she saw Stella snooping around there; I hurt my foot attempting to help deal with Stella and Rita as we were all coming and going at once, and in the process lost track of Bosha. She ended up sniffing around in the bushes near the house; Roni let her in an hour or so later. This is sort of inexcusable on my part... I got careless and distracted. Bosha is sensible and probably enjoyed herself but I am not happy about it anyway.
GRADE: F (for me... A for the dogs)

morning beach walk:
Shirley
Frankie
Stella
(3)

Martina took these three out for a walk on the beach just as I was arriving home from a run, on the beach for once. She left with Stella off the leash which is always a mistake; Stella took off to the north, probably to check out the garbage left by construction workers last week. I saw Frankie hit the beach just north of us and she was a good girl; she knew she was going on a walk with Martina and just waited there for her to catch up; Martina had been yelling for Stella - always an exercise in futility. Shirley was on the leash and her enthusiasm dragged Martina down to Frankie, by which point Rita and Stella had met, exchanged handshakes and gone on their separate ways. Martina said that Shirley was out of her mind when she let her off the leash to the north of the HoJo. She had a hell of a time running her down and getting her back on the leash... apparently those lizards don't chase themselves.
GRADE: B

late morning beach outing:
Linda
(1)

Martina took Linda out for some swimming in the rough seas. Linda is one of the littlest dogs but is fierce in the water and likes swimming in all weather. She had fun.
GRADE: A

02.11.13

morning beach walk:
Archie
Xmul
(2)

Martina took these two out on leashes up the beach. It was perfect until the very end when Xmul jerked away from Martina as she was let off the leash to take a victory lap around the block but she didn't do anything dumb (people around on a holiday weekend) and came back right away. Otherwise they were both good and had a good time swimming.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

The ocean was too rough for her but she toughed it out and made up in degree of difficulty what was lacking in number of laps; she was breathing heavily when we got out, anyway, and we had a good time fighting the swells together.
GRADE: A

01.11.13

morning run:
Gracie
Truman
Godzilla
Chester
Tuesday
Daisy
Lex
Tori
(8)

Southern charcos: ~8k. A great group and a fun, fast run through a flooded, muddy wilderness inhabited solely by waterfowl and marmots. Since there have been so many people working on the salt piles directly to the north and east of us I decided to head south today. The land "bridge" as we call it is completely under water after recent rains, but since we all know it so well we know where to step; an observer watching us run across might've come to the conclusion that we were running on top of the water. The way in to the southern charcos from the main road was flooded in many places, some up to my knees, and the combination of flooding and mud means there's no way any kind of vehicle can get in there. There were lots of flamingos in all of the charcos and everyone was good about leaving them alone. Tuesday was on the leash the whole way and was a good girl; I will let her off on the palapa road next time we're out there and see how she does. We took the bag-end crossing to the swimming hole just because everyone loves it so much but there were constant opportunities for swimming the whole way; the rains have left the charcos mostly full of fresh water so it isn't so horrible when the hairier dogs go for a dip like it is in March when they're almost dried out and stink. Tori listened well and had a blast horsing around with everyone. I brought us back all the way to the land bridge from the circular intersection via the main road, which was empty because there's nowhere to go - the "intersection" is completely flooded and impassable except on foot. I put Lex on the other end of the leash when we got over the land bridge coming home to keep him from bolting and we all arrived at the gate together.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk #1:
Otto
Frankie
Ernie
(3)

Martina took these three out for a nice walk on the beach. The wheels came off a little bit early on as Ernie slipped his collar and took off like he was going for a run; Frankie followed him but I caught them before they crossed doce and convinced them to turn around. There were a few shenanigans getting everyone back on their collars and leashes but in the end they all got pointed in the right direction and had a nice time.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk #2:
April
Twiggy
(2)

April likes Martina a lot so I thought she would enjoy a break from truck.dog duty to go on a beach outing instead; Twiggy is always reliable outside of the fence so this was a good pair. April had a great time and is busily picking xmuls out of her coat and Twiggy always likes the beach and really wanted to go with Martina today. The little fluffy white dog and the big black dog with the broken tail made a cute couple.
GRADE: A

31.10.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Lucy
Rita
Bette
Otto
Reggie
Gowron
(7)

Roni took this crew out for a walk in the monte. Reggie and Otto left on the leash to keep them from charging off too fast but they came off their leashes quickly and were good boys; on the way home Roni hooked them up again just to keep them honest near the road. Rita had a bit of a limp; we think her feet are really bothering her from her allergy treatments so she needs a bath today. It sounds like there were groups of salt workers in the same spots as there were yesterday (they are loud), so Roni avoided those places by taking the route around the cow pasture and the dirty road. Everyone was good and had a great time (PupG looked extremely pleased with herself).
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Shirley
Stella
(2)

Martina took these two out for a walk up the beach. All good.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

We finally managed to get Greta out after a difficult stretch. The ocean is unappealing right now: shallow, murky, the bottom is squishy with rotting vegetation and I saw at least one tiny jellyfish... not ideal conditions, but Greta persevered as usual and had a good time.
GRADE: A

30.10.13

morning run:
Posey
Blue
Molly
Xmul
Mega
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Murci
(8)

To the swimming hole: ~6k (+5k afterwards=11k for me). This run was nearly perfect until the end. We left with Xmul on the leash; I let her off at the swimming hole to play but put her back on by the time we got to the road. Murci was really great the whole way - played with her buddies, swam like a lunatic and stuck close to me. Unfortunately she is skittish around people, something I wasn't really aware of until it was too late. On our way out there was nobody in any of the charcos nearby; I took us home on the blue bag trail with the intention of putting Murci on the other end of the leash by the time we got to the coco trail, but was surprised to find a large group of salt workers around the wood shack. I didn't pay enough attention to Murci's reaction, which turned out to be to turn around and bolt for the woods. When I realized she wasn't with us I turned us all around and went back to find her but she was gone. I decided I should get the rest of them home and maybe I would run into Murci somewhere along the way... no dice, she wasn't there. I got everyone put away (ignoring the deliveryman who had arrived with our new stove, which was kind of dumb) and headed back out to find her. I thought she was probably in the woods between the wood shack and the next road over to the east so I headed out the dead goat trail only to find THAT road also blocked completely by an ambitious salt-loading operation - lots of noise, people, machines and bags of salt completely blocking the road, none of which had been there an hour earlier. Since I now realized that both roads home from where we had been had lots of noisy workers on them I thought maybe she had headed for the beach instead. I went home to make sure she wasn't there already and headed north on the beach all the way to the tortuga sign, cut into the monte and went back to the intersection with the tortuga road and the salt worker road where we had been earlier, looking for her tracks the whole way. I ended up circling all the way back to the intersection, calling her name the whole while, and then back around to the tortuga crossroads and back home through all those trails we had been on earlier. By the time I got home she had arrived, beating me by 15 minutes. She must've circled around in the monte kind of like I had but with a head start on me and through the brush instead of on a trail. I thought she must've been scared by all the people, machines and noise in the woods but Roni thought she would find her way home and she was right - Murci is smart and likes it here. If I hadn't had Xmul I would've had Murci on the leash so I should remember that. Murci also needs to get used to salt workers and vehicles in the monte.
GRADE: C (all my fault)

afternoon walk:
Twiggy
Luna
MoMo
(3)

Martina took these three chuckleheads out for an outing on the beach and they were all good.
GRADE: A

29.10.13

mid-day walk:
Frankie
Tori
(2)

Martina took these two out for a walk on the beach. There was a lot of swimming involved and everyone was good.
GRADE: A

28.10.13

morning jog:
Alice
Lucy
Ginger
George
Otto
Bosha
Daisy
Murci
(8)

Short northern loop: ~2k. We went north on the coco trail, up past the wood shack, looped around onto the blue bag trail, then went south all the way to the dirty road and came home that way. Murci was on the leash the entire way and was really good - she obviously gets it, both running and walking (smart as a whip, really). We didn't run very fast and I slowed us down to a walk at several points, both to make sure Lucy didn't hurt herself and to work with Murci on walking vs. running with the leash. Everyone really had a blast and behaved themselves.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Archie
Shirley
(2)

Martina took these two out on leashes for a walk on the beach. Everyone was good and had a good time.

27.10.13

morning run:
Eve
Osita
Frijolita
Elewah
Lily
Amber
Hazel
Tori
(8)

Southern charcos backwards: ~8k. This was a great group for the most part. We started out with nobody on the leash and got to the swimming hole quickly. I decided I wanted to avoid the beach and everyone was really up for running anyway; if I had left earlier I would've probably done the long and winding road but instead I took us in a loop to the palapa road and came home across the now-sunken land bridge. I put Amber on the leash just south of the palapa because she seemed to be getting skittish and strange; she calmed down but it isn't a bad idea for her to spend time on the leash and anyway I had planned on coming home with her that way so I just left her on. Elewah irritated me by charging into a charco full of flamingos as we were coming out of the southern charcos proper; she posed no danger to the birds but she was a jerk about it, and she also bluff-charged/barked at another bird that seemed hurt down on the road to the land bridge from the east. In spite of the fact that she didn't actually do anything she knows she's not supposed to be aggressive to the birds; I scooped her up and carried her home all the way from the land bridge and was fairly pissed about it. She's getting a collar when the new ones we've ordered finally arrive. Other than that everyone was really perfect and had a good time on a fast-paced run.
GRADE: B (Elewah)

morning beach dash:
Rufus
(1)

To the tortuga sign and back: ~2k. I took Rufus for some alone time, on the black leash straight up the beach; I let him off in front of the HoJo and put him back on there when we came south. We did as lot of swimming and he had a blast. What an angel.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Ernie
Stella
Linda
(3)

Martina took these three out for a walk up the beach; Rufus and I ran into them heading south as they were heading north and everyone was happy to see each other.
GRADE: A

26.10.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Bette
Lucy
Blue
Gowron
Monkey
Murci
(9)

Roni took this crew out with Murci on the leash for the first time. There was trouble right away: Tito was hurt and had to be carried. Since Murci was on the leash that was two hands in use and Roni also had her camera on her so the walk quickly turned into a bug-bitten juggling routine. There was a lot of rolling in stinky stuff strewn in the monte, which is always a morale-booster for them human in charge (well, that's what WE think). Wheels came off and had to be bodged back onto the cart the whole way; at one point near the end Monkey turned her ears off, presumably to go roll in filth, and only managed to catch up to Roni just as she was nearing the end of the trail at doce - not quite according to Hoyle. Henry also did not behave well - he basically went as far as the shrimpery on the way out and hung around there while Roni got everyone else to do the loop. Tito must've pulled something; he seems okay now but we're watching him. He and Ziggy both sometimes seem to manage to sprain or pull muscles just getting up and stretching. All in all an enervating and infuriating walk in the bugs and heat.
GRADE: C

morning beach walk:
Daisy
Tori
(2)

Martina took these two out for a jaunt and they were good girls.
GRADE: A

25.10.13

mid-day walk:
Twiggy
Luna
MoMo
(3)

Martina took the three sisters out for a walk up the beach. All good.
GRADE: A

24.10.13

walk #1:
Ernie
Stella
(2)

Martina took these two out; they were good and had a good time.
GRADE: A

walk #2:
Frankie
Ziggy
Tori
(3)

Martina took these three out a little while later; Ziggy got thrown in at the last minute because he's a good boy on walks.
GRADE: A

23.10.13

morning run:
Gracie
Frijolita*
Rita*
Lily*
Jack
Xmul
Lex*
Hazel
Tori*
(9)

Almost nowhere: ~2k. We left with all nine above but right away ran into trouble: Rita's foot or front left leg was bothering her by the time we crossed the road but she would not turn around. I had Xmul on the leash so carrying Rita would've been difficult/impossible and the rest of my charges were waiting at the shrimpery... what a great day to have a walkie-talkie on me this would've been, so naturally I forgot it. Instead I took us just around the cow pasture the short way with Rita limping a lot of the way, just to get us all pointed back in the right direction. My intention was to get us home, drop off Rita and take off again but I was foiled by basic doggie programming: everyone had run the leave/run/return program in their doggie heads and almost nobody wanted to go out again right then. I was starting to get frustrated so I just went back out with Gracie, Jack, Xmul and Hazel and we went around the cow pasture the long way, mainly to get Xmul out a bit. All in all a big fail but no big deal; these things happen.
GRADE: A (nobody's fault, everyone was good)

morning walk #1:
Twiggy
Luna
MoMo
(3)

Martina took these three out for a better walk than last evening.
GRADE: A

morning walk #2:
Shirley
Stella
(2)

These two went with Martina up the beach and had a blast. We're a bit concerned that Stella ate something on the beach we don't know about because she didn't want to eat dinner tonight... she's a sneaky one about things like that. They were both good behaviorally.
GRADE: A

22.10.13

morning run:
Truman
Posey
Chester
Reggie
Tuesday
Daisy
Mega
Petey
Steve McQueen
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. This was a really good group. I let Tuesday off the leash at the swimming hole and left her off until we were past the wooden shack heading home; that's the longest she's been off the leash in so long I can't remember. I was considering leaving her off the whole way home but she started giving me that strange look over her shoulder as we got closer and everyone had been so good I didn't want the wheels to come off in the last 300m; she was good about it and was a good girl throughout. Everyone else was likewise great. The pace was high and we all had a good time.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Lucy
Bette
Otto
Blue
Gowron
Monkey
(9)

Roni took this group out for a walk north towards the wooden shack via the coco trail. There is a pile of nasty rotting fish dumped by the side of said trail; I didn't see what it was when we were running home but a couple of my charges took a dip (Truman got a bath); on a walk it is harder to avoid and Monkey especially tarried there on their way north. On the way south Roni knew about it and kept them from jumping in but there is a bit of fishiness in the air around here right now... Otherwise this group was perfect, kept together and had a good time.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Frankie
Ernie
(2)

Martina took these two out for a walk north on the beach. She likes to find a shady spot and sit while her charges run around in the water and play and this suits everyone just fine.
GRADE: A

afternoon walk:
Twiggy
Luna
MoMo
(3)

Martina took these sisters out for a stroll, intending to head up the road to the beach at the maginot line; Luna and Twigs were on leashes, Mo was free since she's the best-behaved of the three. Unfortunately a group of dogs that hangs out to the north of the HoJo effectively blocked their way to the beach. It isn't clear if those dogs belong to the HoJo or are just wild up there (I'm guessing a bit of both); Martina wasn't sure of their reactions and Twigs and Luna were both quite adamant in wanting to go say "hi" so she wisely turned everyone around (Luna needed to be carried a bit). Even though it was an abortive attempt at a longer walk everyone did behave themselves well... sometimes this happens.
GRADE: A

21.10.13

afternoon beach walk:
Tori
(1)

Martina really wanted to go out with Tori, who was obviously quite happy to oblige. They both had a good time.
GRADE: A

20.10.13

morning run:
Alice
Ginger
George
Godzilla
Frankie
Molly
Twiggy
Luna
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. We've had a few rough days here for various reasons and dog outings had to be dialed down a bit while some other things got done. This group was raring to go but they behaved themselves the whole way. Alice lagged a bit at times but caught up and had fun. The bugs were starting to get pretty bad on the way home so instead of slogging through the charcos to the north of the wooden shack I took us around on the road and used the blue bag trail to at least avoid the hard-core bugosphere. Everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Tito
Bette
Lucy
Archie
Monkey
Linda
Murci
(9)

Roni and our freshly arrived HelpX'er, Martina, took this crew out into the monte for a walk as it was starting to heat up in earnest; the bugs were bad by then but everyone persevered and had a good time. Lucy came home early but we've both learned that she sometimes just wants/needs to bail so it wasn't a big deal. Everyone certainly looked happy when they arrived home. Murci is now sporting a collar and will need a little more discipline; she's starting to do that you-can't-get-me routine (wonder who showed her that? *cough*monkey*cough*) but she'll shape up quickly - she's a smart little thing.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

It was really shallow so it was a bit difficult for both of us this time; I dragged her out very far on each trip so we did fewer of them but she was breathing heavily at the end. What a good girl.
GRADE: A

beach walk:
Stella
MoMo
(2)

Martina took these two out for a walk up the beach. They were both angels.
GRADE: A

15.10.13

morning beach outing:
Archie*
Rufus
Linda*
Amber*
Hazel
Tori
Murci*
(7)

Up the beach (almost) to the tortuga sign and back: ~3k. This was a slow-rolling disaster for many reasons. The main impetus was to get Rufus out for a run that would not leave him limping; the secondary objective was to get Zoot to go on any kind of an outing at all but we ditched that idea after 30min of finagling... So fine, in the end I had these seven in the beach-side yard, hooked up Rufus and took off. I brought Murci because I thought it would be good for her to go on a shorty with a few of her super-buddies (Hazel, Tori, Linda, Amber); she needs to get with the program and is getting big enough to go on short runs. Sadly we were waylaid immediately at the soldiers' by two of the dogs that hang out there; the soldier on duty at their palapa did make an attempt to hold one of them back but the other one charged down to the beach and started barking at us. Generally this is not an issue; all of our dogs know to just stay with their human and keep moving... all except the newbie, Murci. She decided to turn around and bark back at them (the soldier lost hold of the other one) and they were not impressed by the pupling; they bluff-charged her and she realized she was out-manned as her buddies were 20m up the beach from her, so she turned tail and ran home. If only I had brought a walkie-talkie with me I could've just told Roni what was up but I didn't and I wasn't sure of her reactions; furthermore Amber, whose natural skittishness worked against us here, decided that she also would turn tail and then the wheels fell off. I turned us all around to make sure Roni at least knew what was happening and that Murci didn't freak out and head farther south, etc. I should've known that she knows exactly where we live and really, really likes it here; she just bolted for the gate. Amber ran around the north road to the other gate, Linda got caught up in the xmul but eventually found her way to the beach gate and Archie arrived back late and went into the yard. That left me with Rufus, Hazel and Tori, and since the whole point was Rufus and those three have proven themselves I went north again. This time it went much better: we just kept moving and the dogs at the soldiers' didn't really bug us, nor we them. We went almost to the tortuga sign with plenty of swimming for Rufus. On the way back I left Rufus off the leash and had both Tori and Hazel on either end of it. It was a frustrating morning and a lot of sound and fury to go almost nowhere but at least Rufus was happy and tired.
GRADE: B

14.10.13

morning run:
Rita
Eve
Osita
Reggie
Ernie
Elewah
Lily
Daisy
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. They were a little wound up getting out of the gate but nobody left on the leash and everyone settled down quickly. I had to put Daisy on the hook for a couple of stretches to discipline her after bluff-charging a couple of the other dogs (Lily, Osita). She doesn't like the leash so she cut it out by the time we got past the swimming hole. There was a small herd of cows on the beach just south of the tortuga sign; I saw them in the distance and put Ernie on the hook, which turned out to be the right move. He was vocal but under control by the time we got in range; Elewah and Lily ran over to them and barked a bit but it was nothing serious (they didn't budge) and they came to me quickly. We came home via the charcos to the north of the wooden shack for a change since I had nobody on the leash there. The bugs weren't terrible and the charco is still full of mostly fresh water and therefore not stinky or full of sludge. Elewah ran straight to the gate on the way home and everyone did well in general.
GRADE: A

13.10.13

morning swim:
Greta
Tori
(2)

I took Tori this time because she was really wound up and I don't think Greta minds her shenanigans once in a while; it is pretty comical. They both swam hard and had fun.
GRADE: A

11.10.13

morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Posey
Truman
Blue
Ziggy
Bosha
Xmul
Hazel
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. This was a good group. Xmul was on the leash out of the gate; I let her off before the swimming hole, put her right back on and let her off on the beach the whole way to the tortuga sign because there was nobody there. She was a good girl throughout and enjoyed swimming everywhere. Bosha did really well in spite of being such a weirdo; it really does look like she is rediscovering how to run every single time but what the hell, she kept up and had fun. We went all the way around to the blue bag trail on the way home. There were salt workers just before the turn off of the main road and everyone was perfect (of course with Xmul on the leash).
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Bette
Lucy
Otto
Monkey
Linda
(9)

Roni took this crew out for a walk around the cow pasture down to the charcos next to the enchanted pond. Miles can really be a jerk sometimes... he rolled in something awful and then refused to go around a deep mud puddle, forcing Roni to come back for him with Otto on the leash and her camera in-hand; she and her camera stayed dry but the pungent aroma of Miles' recently-applied cologne was indelibly stamped on the rest of the walk. Otto was on the leash because we're worried about his leg; he's been okay since the surgery and has gone on runs but recently he's been chewing at it again. He is a real spazz. It is entirely possible that he strained it somehow pulling some idiot maneuver in the yard or on an outing so he has to be watched a bit now... he doesn't have a limp at least. Everyone else was good and had a good time but it was really hot in the full sun.
GRADE: A

09.10.13

morning run:
Frijolita
Tuesday
Gowron
Twiggy
Amber
Lex
Mega
Petey
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. The last couple of days have sucked for one reason or another; we're both exhausted and everything is soggy from rain, battered from wind and bitten by bugs. This morning I thought I was being clever when several dogs trapped themselves in the launchpad; I figured I could quickly throw the rest of the group together and get everyone else put away without too much disturbance if I was quick enough and I guess I was sort of right but it didn't feel like it. A couple of them ran me around but in the end the ones in the launchpad were good and Roni told me when we got home that she didn't realize we had left - she heard me getting frustrated and thought I had thrown my hands up in disgust and gone to my computer, so the dogs who stayed home were obviously all very good. The ones who came with me were also very good. Tuesday slipped her collar at the gate but really that was my fault: I saw it was very loose and just forgot to adjust it in my rush to get out. I put her back on at the turn to the dirty road and she was fine; in fact I left her off the leash for an extended stretch from just before the swimming hole until we were almost to the tortuga sign on the beach and she was really good the whole time. I put Amber on the other end of the leash at the same time I grabbed Tuesday and they stayed that way all the way home (much to Tuesday's obvious disdain). Lex and Mega both stuck with us all the way home, which was gratifying - they both have a tendency to bolt home once we're close.
GRADE: A

05.10.13

morning run:
Ernie
Rufus
Elewah
Jack
Molly
Daisy
MoMo
Hazel
Tori
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. Another good group. Rufus was a good boy about getting out of the gate; he didn't need to be confined, Roni didn't have to do any extreme wrangling and he let me get the leash on him relatively easily. The land bridge is still completely under water and there were flamingos all around so I walked us across and made a little noise before we got close to give them all a chance to move away. Rufus came off of the leash relatively early and I didn't have to put anyone else on the rest of the way; I did scoop Elewah up close to home because she hadn't been listening as well as I would've liked and there have been too many strays hanging around nearby and too many vehicles on the road in the morning. Other than that I didn't have to do much but run and everyone else was glad to follow suit. Sadly as I'm writing this Rufus has a limp; this time it appears to be some stiffness in hips/read left leg when he gets up after lying down after the run. We think he's just going to have to get used to going on walks for a bit since this keeps happening. Otherwise it was all positive.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

It was shallow, muddy, stinky, squishy on the bottom and full of fish, but it was calm and Greta did well. Good girl.
GRADE: A

04.10.13

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

It was choppy and she didn't like it but she did it anyway and was a trooper. I didn't make her go as long as normal but the undertow and waves more than made up for it in degree of difficulty. Good girl.

02.10.13

morning run:
Frijolita
Rita
Eve
Truman
Reggie
Otto
Luna
Amber
Lex
(9)

Hidden trail: ~8k. What a great group. We left with nobody on the leash and it stayed that way until I put Amber on the hook on the beach just north of the tortuga sign; my habit of doing this was absolutely justified, as there was a truck with a few people from some environmental agency doing something there. She would surely have barked her head off but instead they were treated to the spectacle of Beardo and His Nine Silent Hounds - not so much as a sniffle in their direction (they found us very amusing). The monte is still plenty flooded and much of the way to the hidden trail, including the hidden trail itself were really overgrown - if you didn't know it was there you wouldn't even see it. The last bit between doce and the ocean was just barely visible from the last time we were there and I had to pick my way through a lot of spiny cactus to get to the beach. We went all the way around on the way back and took the blue bag trail to the wooden shack north of the dead goat trail; I put Lex on the other end of the leash around there to keep him from bolting home and everyone stayed together all the way to the gate. There were not that many flamingos on our route but there were clusters of them and everyone was good about not chasing and staying together.
GRADE: A

01.10.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Lucy
Bette
Tito
Archie
Monkey
Bosha
Murci
(9)

Roni's foot was good enough for a walk today, which is good news. Miles didn't want to go but the card was more than full anyway and it seemed like it would bode well for a pleasant walk. For most of the time it was, albeit an incredibly buggy one; Archie went because he's had a limp after runs recently and he's a good boy... sometimes. On the way back our "good boy" decided he wanted to dash home ahead of everyone else down the coco trail, while Bosha lagged behind and Zasu took her time dropping "packages" in every possible intersection; Archie ended up arriving home by himself a few mintues ahead of Henry and Murci, who he dragged with him - not good for many reasons (crossing the road, teaching the puppy bad habits, etc.). It is infuriating when a dog you've come to consider reliable decides to turn their ears off and do what they want. The fact is that Archie, like Jack and a couple others, frequently skates by on his "good boy" rep when maybe he should be on the leash a little more; he mostly goes on runs, which have a different dynamic, and even there I frequently have to ride him to make sure he sticks with the rest of us. Henry is also in this category: it isn't the first time he's done this to both of us, although at least he's sensible about the road. Bosha is a freak and gets strange when another dog on a walk or run is spoken to harshly, so that made the whole trip home even less pleasant; the bugs were really bad, especially down near the charcos where there are standing puddles. Roni managed to get some nice photos anyway but Archie kind of crapped on the walk. At least Lucy, Bette, Tito and Monkey listened well and Zasu, although irritating with her dawdling, is always all about Mom.
GRADE: C

30.09.13

morning run:
Alice
Ginger
George
Chester
Blue
Maggie
Twiggy
Hazel
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Maggie recently had a haircut (Roni kicks ass) and this energized her; it's so hot and muggy now that being a poodly, hairy, chubby, short dog must really suck. The xmul has been high and thick everywhere so I've been loathe to take the little hairy ones out into the monte but she was really up for it so what the hell - with short hair it's a bit easier for her and she really kept up today. Alice seemed a little slow to me at times but then caught up and was obviously having a good time; sometimes I think she has a limp but then I look again and there's no sign of it. Ginger had no limp and was quite speedy in stretches. Everyone else was really good and kept together. I had to put Tori on the leash at the shrimpery after she cut my legs out from under me roughhousing with Hazel but I let her off within 1km and she was fine after that. The ocean was warm, shallow and a little muddy but at least it didn't stink.
GRADE: A

29.09.13

morning security patrol:
Tori
Murci
(2)

Some time in the last three days someone attempted to destroy and/or remove one of the metal doors we just had installed at the shrimpery a week ago; I saw it on my way home from the run yesterday. Today I went down there with a couple helpers to look more closely at what happened and to take pictures of it. We're pretty pissed off about it. Tori and Murci were great anyway and had a good time.
GRADE: A

28.09.13

morning run:
Gracie
Osita
Posey
Gowron
Rufus
Lily
Xmul
Daisy
Tori
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. Roni suggested I take Rufus since he had been so disappointed the last time he didn't go; normally I leave with him on the leash but I had Xmul as well and normally SHE is on the leash. Instead of the usual routine we left the gate with nobody on the leash; this allowed me to haul ass with everyone instead of screwing around with whoever was on the hook. We arrived at the shrimpery more or less together and I put Xmul on there; Rufus was a little excited but he calmed down quickly enough and was a good boy for the rest of the run. The land "bridge" is completely under water now - if you didn't know it was there you'd think that road just dead-ends in a charco. We crossed there anyway, which everyone enjoyed, and took the usual southern route into the monte; all the major roads and trails in the monte are flooded in at least one place, most of them in several... there's no way to get anything but a moto in there from almost any direction now. There were a lot of flamingos in all the charcos so I kept Xmul on the leash for the most part but I did let her off a little to horse around in the water with everyone. Lily and Daisy were in each others' faces a little early but I was verbally harsh with them for a little bit and they settled down. Everyone did well and had a good time, although I'm sad to report that Rufus has a limp now after the run (front right).
GRADE: A

26.09.13

mid-day swim:
Greta
(1)

What an angel.
GRADE: A

25.09.13

morning run:
Godzilla
Rita
Tuesday
Frankie
Linda
Mega
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. I threw Rita in as #9 because she really put herself forward; she's suffering so much from her allergy treatments that any little bit of fun or distraction from that must be welcome and she does like to run and swim. The charcos are also not so salty right now - there's been a lot of rain and the monte doesn't stink so much, nor does the water. Tuesday slipped her collar at the gate but was a good girl and let me put her back on near the shrimpery. We went out the alt. land bridge, which is at least half under water right now, and came home via the charcos to the north of the dead goat trail - I heard a salt loader running up on the road and wanted to avoid it. I put Amber on the other end of the leash just before we got to the tortuga sign on the beach heading south; Amber was fine with it but Tuesday made it clear she would rather not have that little ruffian connected to her by a rope (or anything else). Still, we persevered and everyone kept together and slogged it out through those charcos; the bugs were pretty bad in spots so we just kept moving. The beach was not quite as nasty today as it was yesterday - some of the churned up gunk must've settled because you could see through the water a little now. Linda distinguished herself as a trooper and was in front quite a lot of the run in spite of being little; she hung around with Amber a lot. The humidity was oppressive; it was overcast and the air felt thick to the point where it almost seemed hard to breathe sometimes, especially on the last leg home. All in all a good run.
GRADE: A

24.09.13

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

It was muddy and the bottom was full of gas pockets - not exactly inviting but at least it didn't stink. Greta swam a lot. Good girl.
GRADE: A

23.09.13

morning run:
Alice
Ginger
George
Otto
Ernie
Molly
Ziggy
Twiggy
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the monte: ~6k. We skipped the swimming hole today - Alice was lagging quite a bit in stretches and the humidity was obviously affecting everyone else as well. The ocean was really churned up but Tori, Twiggy and Ziggy were always game to go in and Alice did a bit of swimming as well. Everyone behaved themselves really well and had a good time.
GRADE: A

22.09.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Bette
Archie
Monkey
Bosha
(9)

Roni has been laid up with a foot injury and we have both been exhausted on top of that; today the weather didn't seem as bad in the morning so I took the usual walking crew out with a few additions. I carried Miles across doce both ways, the first time to keep him honest and the second time to fish him out of the high weeds and get us away from the bugs. Archie had a blast on a walk; he's had limps after runs recently so we thought a walk would be better. He ran ahead and around in general quite a bit so we'll see if a limp results. Bosha did well; she had no aggressive/paranoid outbursts at all, even in the yard getting ready to go when she usually freaks out at least once. Once on the walk she really had fun and seemed to pal around with Tito. The bugs definitely chased us home but everyone had a nice time.
GRADE: A

20.09.13

morning run
Gracie
Posey
Truman
Frijolita
Eve
Elewah
Molly
MoMo
Tori
(9)

Hidden trail: ~8k. I thought we might run the northern charcos but there were so many flamingos to the east when we got to the turn for the hidden trail that I decided to head west to the beach instead. I had Tori on the leash in the beginning, from the shrimpery to the alt. land bridge; she just has to be reminded that the leash exists and she seems to listen a little better. Otherwise everyone was off and had a great time. It was a bit overcast and not so awfully hot. The bugs were starting to get more noticeable by the end. We went around the charcos north of the dead goat trail and used the road and the little path down to the wooden shack - everyone has grown to expect that we go that way and likes the little bit of hilly terrain.
GRADE: A

19.09.13

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

Angel.

18.09.13

morning beach dash:
Rita
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Daisy
Linda
Amber
Tori
(8)

Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back: ~4k. We left with Rufus on the leash and kept a crazed pace almost the whole way to the tortuga sign; I gave them lots of chances to swim from there up to Au Soleil Couchant and back. Once we were south of the tortuga sign heading home Jack got a bug up his ass about Amber for some reason; she has been behaving a little strangely lately so maybe it wasn't all his fault but he definitely turned his ears off and chased her a little too seriously for her liking. She ended up freaking out and bolting towards home much too fast for any of us to catch her; she arrived several minutes before the rest of us. Jack eventually returned to me and I put him on the leash... however strange Amber's behavior he still should've listened to me. Tori was also a little willful on the way home and insisted on running up to the soldiers' dogs and saying hi, when I told her not to - she got put on the other end of the leash for that and I'll need to be mindful of that when I have her out. All the misbehavior was a little crappy but otherwise everyone had fun and ran their asses off on a windy, rainy day. The sky spit on us for most of the run but nobody seemed to mind much.
GRADE: B

17.09.13

morning run:
Osita
Chester
Reggie
Twiggy
Luna
Xmul
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Injuries, weather and ornery circumstances have precluded outings for a couple of days; nonetheless it was not that difficult to get everyone together, sorted and calmed down. It was a fast group. I let Xmul off the leash right at the swimming hole (after I was sure there was nothing for her to chase) and put her back on before we got to the road; she was also off on the beach for a stretch but I don't like her attitude sometimes when we're leaving the beach so I put her back on the leash early. The bugs were bad in spots but not as bad as they have been. Everyone listened, although Osita is still a little paranoid and hangs back for stretches until I reassure her to come and catch up. She's allowed to be weird and is a good girl regardless. Steve was extremely happy to go running with Reggie, who was really funny in spots. Maybe I can trick Zoot into a similar group soon.
GRADE: A

14.09.13

mid-day security patrol:
Alice
Lucy
Tori
(3)

There were strangers at the shrimpery yesterday; the owner showed up unexpectedly with a gaggle of "engineers" that were considering restarting the shrimp farm sometime in the nebulous future. I went down there while they were around but I had to get back so I asked Adan (owner) to lock the gate; I was not sure that he had done it so I went down on a bike with these three troopers to make sure nothing was out of place. We ended up doing a loop around the cow pasture the short way just because they were all being so good and thought chasing me around on the bike was fun; the bugs were absolutely awful starting on the dirty road and they followed us all the way home.
GRADE: A

13.09.13

morning run:
Blue
Gowron
Ernie
Ziggy
Stella
Linda
Lex
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Otto*
Shirley*
Truman*
Twiggy*
(13)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. I left with the first nine; Stella was on the leash until the swimming hole and everyone else was really good. I let Stella off the leash around the swimming hole and left her off until we got to the tortuga sign, where we were greeted by Otto. I knew that something must be up but I saw no other dogs down the beach; I now know that there were some dogs down there but they were probably up in the bushes or otherwise not visible to me there. After running into Otto I really wanted to get home fast so we cut across the charcos to the north of the wooden shack instead of going around; while in those charcos we picked up Truman, Twiggy and Shirley. I had been making more noise than usual to attract any other dogs of ours in the monte since it seemed likely if Otto was out there were others. Keeping 13 of them on track and focused on getting home was a challenge but we managed, with Stella on the hook and Lex on the other end of the leash. The nine I left with were good the whole way and the four we picked up on the way home were also good coming home with us, whatever else their crimes were.
GRADE: A (if only because we were clueless)

morning dogmageddon:
Daisy
Murci
Luna
MoMo
Xmul
Lily
Amber
Rufus*
Jack*
Frijolita*
Molly**
(11)

After I left Roni opened the beach side of the porch; the gate onto the beach must have not been shut completely and we didn't notice because she saw a large group of them rush out. She went out onto the beach to round them up and got many to come in with her or soon after; in the process she really smashed her toe on a concrete block in the yard. Many of our dogs were angels and didn't even try to go out; most of the ones who did came back on their own in a couple of minutes. By the time I got home Roni had recovered everyone but the ones with stars after their names. After I got my swollen group back in the yard I went out on the beach to the north and rounded up Rufus, Frijolita and Jack, so effectively I ran 7+2=9k with a total of 17 dogs - must be some kind of record. Roni dealt with the majority of the chaos quickly in spite of being injured... kind of funny to note that Murci did bolt out but then wanted no part of the larger world and came back quickly on her own. Molly was the last one; we were still taking census and trying to assure ourselves that we had everyone when she came up to the road-side gate. Although the whole debacle should not have happened I should note that yesterday there was a stray bitch in heat dragging a large group of males (some of them all the way from town - I recognized them) all around our house; I know it still smells of her around here because my group this morning told me so quite plainly. Our dogs were really great in spite of the insane and deeply disturbing noise and spectacle all around us but they have definitely been on edge, so it isn't surprising they were a bit loony today. It's been a long time since something like this has happened and now we're both pretty drained.

12.09.13

morning run:
Ginger
Posey
Tuesday
Frankie
Molly
Boscha
Daisy
Luna
Tori
(9)

To swimming hole and home via the monte: ~6k. Ginger had a bit of a limp by the time we go to the swimming hole (looked like front right shoulder) so I cut it short and came home via the monte; she hasn't had a limp in a couple of runs but she is getting older and running on the beach is harder if you're hurting. I really wanted to get Boscha out so I sneaked her onto this outing; she and Ginger definitely don't like the higher pace that the rest of the dogs would've normally kept so I was at pains to keep everyone together. It was overcast and slightly cooler and everyone was glad of it. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A

09.09.13

morning run:
Eve
Rita
Gowron
Rufus
Lily
Jack
Lex
Petey
(8)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Exactly the same route as yesterday. This group was great on the road but it was hell getting out of the gate. Rufus busted through the eastern "wall" of the screened porch when Roni released him from the cage prior to take-off: he was insanely wound up and I really had to work to get him on the leash and calmed down enough to open the gate. The fact that Lily and Gowron were both barking their heads off while we tried to manage this whole process did not help and it was several minutes before I finally had my charges under control and silent enough to leave; as it was I had to hold Rufus by the collar while everyone else left because I didn't want him pulling any stupid shenanigans while I closed the gate. Once we were finally going everyone calmed down quickly and the rest of the run was good. Rita is really suffering from her allergy treatments but she was still up for a run and more or less begged me to throw her into the mix; at least her spirits are up and she enjoys herself on outings. I put Lex on the hook once we were on the trail home to the north (just past the wooden shack) because he frequently bolts once we get on the coco trail and I wanted everyone to stay together. The bugs were bad in spots but not hideous as they have been at times recently. We kept a fast pace and everyone enjoyed themselves.
GRADE: A

08.09.13

morning run:
Osita
Chester
Ernie
Elewah
Daisy
Twiggy
Mega
Hazel
Tori
(9)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. We've both been feeling worn out recently; August was miserable and the hideously humid, still weather has coasted into September, which doesn't help at all. Today was the first day in the last three I felt good enough in the morning to go for a run so there were a lot of crazed pups raring to go. I threw Chester in at the last minute because he was really wound up and is always good; moreover he's a good influence on younger dogs. It was wet and slippery on a lot of the roads but we still kept a fast pace. I put Tori on the leash at the shrimpery on the way out just to get her attention and slow her down a little at the start. I had Mega and Hazel on either end of the leash coming home on the coco trail. Elewah was a good girl the whole way and came home with all of us straight to the gate.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

Good girl.
GRADE: A