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morning run:
Posey
Rufus
Jack
Lily
Daisy
Twiggy
Luna
Hazel
Tori
(9)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. This was a near-perfect run until we were crossing doce coming home from the tortuga sign. Tori saw a couple of strays on the road before anyone else and absolutely turned her ears off to chase them, hauling Rufus, Jack and Luna with her. They finally came back to me with Jack limping a bit (front left, probably twisted it being an idiot on the road). I was extremely unhappy with all of them to say the least; Tori was on the hook with Hazel on the other end of the leash shortly thereafter for not listening as well. Tori needs to spend more time on the leash and get her way a little less; I've sort of been soft with her in some ways and it has to stop because she can't turn her ears off like that. Other than that everyone was really good, the pace was extremely high and everyone played and swam a lot.
GRADE: B
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
An angel.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Eve
Tuesday
Frankie
Mega
Lex
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
Tori
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. Once again Zoot spooked out and refused to come out; he's a really strange one. Tuesday can really run when she wants to and today she wanted to; I did my best to keep the pace high enough for there to be slack in the leash most of the run but it was difficult. I kind of threw Frankie in at the last minute because she was already out and in the mix, hasn't gone in a while and I didn't feel like going through the exercise of getting her back inside... she's a good girl on runs and walks although this one was a bit faster than she likes. We cut across at the bag-end land bridge because there were a lot of flamingos all around and on the berm just to the north. I wanted to get Amber on the other end of the leash near the end of the dirty road and had it all arranged but Lex crapped on my plans; just as I was getting my hands on her collar he pulled a spazz-attack, tangled himself in the leash and started whining and thrashing to get out. This spooked Amber who immediately went into bolt-for-home mode... exactly what I was trying to avoid. Oh, well. Amber was at the gate a heartbeat after we got there so she must've gone around the northern way but no harm done. Other than that they were all perfect and had a good time.
GRADE: B (Amber has to stop doing that)
mid-day swim:
Greta
Tori
(2)
It's been a while since the last installment of the Greta and Tori show... this episode went off without a hitch. I managed Tori in the water a bit but she's also getting better about not rough-housing with Greta. Tori's insistence in catching a ride with me has reached a sort of ritualistic/formal stage: she'll swim around a bit but won't let me get more than a couple of meters away from the shore before she has to latch on to my right arm and ride. Greta did well and they were both breathing heavily when we came back in.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Posey
Truman
Godzilla
Reggie
Xmul
Amber
Mega
Hazel
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We went the full length of the palapa road and circled back to the swimming hole this time; the pace was high and I wanted all of these dogs to be as tired out as possible. I had a hold of Reggie at the gate when I opened it to keep him in check but somehow once I had it open and I let go of his collar he just ran over Xmul, which get her worked up and she slipped her collar; was not happy with them or myself especially since it was so dumb and avoidable. They just ran to the shrimpery and I caught up to them quickly. There were bird-trappers further down the coco trail and Xmul ran down to investigate but she came back to me quickly and amazingly I heard no barking. She angered me a bit by running around and making me trap her to get her collar back on - she should be well over that by now and she isn't so she stayed on the leash for the rest of the run. Everyone else was perfect and stayed with me. Mega had to be reminded a little about the pace and there's something about his attitude that bothers waterfowl even though he doesn't generally give chase or act aggressive... strange. I put Amber on the other end of the leash as we were getting to the end of the dirty road and everyone stayed with me to the gate.
GRADE: A
afternoon security patrol:
Alice
(1)
Alice went with me as I took the trike to the shrimpery to retrieve our bag of square glass bottles. She was a good girl and likes running next to the trike.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Henry
Lucy
Bette
Blue
Monkey
Linda
Murci
(8)
Roni took this crew into the bugosphere on patrol around the cow pasture and environs. The bugs were ridiculous, probably the worst they've been all year. It was Murci's first walk and she did well but definitely wanted to make sure she was near Roni at all times (she's no dummy). The last 200m from the shrimpery home were brutal and they jogged/ran to keep the bugs at bay but they were hounded all the way to the screen porch. Everyone did well anyway and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning beach dash:
Otto
Gowron
Shirley
Rufus
Jack
Boscha
Tori
(7)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back: ~4k. Shirley was on the leash and Rufus was loose when we left; he was a good boy and I only put him on the other end of the leash coming home at the HoJo to keep him honest. We kept a pretty decent pace but I dialed it down for Shirley's sake and everyone was good about it. There was a lot of swimming and horsing around with nasty dead fish on the beach.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Frijolita
Chester
Molly
Daisy
Amber
Tori
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. This was a good group until the very end when Frijolita gave chase to a couple of strays from the shrimpery intersection up to doce as we were coming home on the coco trail. I saw one of the strays before everyone else and held us up and made some noise to give it a chance to get away; it took off towards doce from the shrimpery and I thought myself clever for having managed it so well. Hah. I already had Amber on the leash at that point so I thought we were good but not 20m from the intersection another stray that had been screwing around farther to the east went bolting towards doce to catch up with its companion and Frijolita took off, dragging Tori and Molly with her. Molly came back first but Tori and Frijolita ran south down doce a few meters and picked their way back to us at the shrimpery via one of the overgrown "roads" that connect the two. I was not pleased with them and put Tori on the other end of the leash; I was a bit surprised she took off with Frijolita and want to nip that in the bud. There was no harm done at least; I think those two strays hang out with or near the soldiers although I'm pretty sure I've seen one nearer to the house. Everyone else stayed with me and was good and in general everyone was really good the whole way.
GRADE: B
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It seemed to me like the fish in the shallows didn't want us there. We have noticed here that it seems like the fish want to chase you out of the water sometimes and it felt like that today; they were very active and with every trip out they seemed to poke at my ankles more insistently. Freaky. Greta did well anyway and the water was nice.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Eve
Ernie
Lily
Stella
Twiggy
Lex
Hazel
Tori
(9)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. I didn't want to go for a long one with Twigs and Ernie and they both like this route. Rita and Eve both wanted to go so badly that I couldn't say no and Stella was really overdue. I had Stella on the leash until just before the swimming hole, where I let her off for the first time in months. She was off until we got to the beach and was a good girl. There were two fishing boats pulled up on the beach just south of where we come out of the monte and everyone was good about listening to me as the fishermen looked on bemusedly; Stella wanted to get into one of their boats (they were having breakfast, she thought it looked good) so I put her back on the leash there and left her on the rest of the way. We came home via the charcos to the north of the dead goat trail for the first time since Truman was injured around there somewhere. I think it is okay to go that way coming home when they're tired because I can easily keep them all with me... it's when we're heading out and everyone is fired up (Truman) that they charge blindly into those charcos when they're too far ahead of me so we'll stop doing that. Everyone did well and listened the whole way.
GRADE: A
morning beach dash:
Alice
Lucy
George
Archie
Rufus
Jack
Bosha
Linda
Tori
(9)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back: ~4k. Archie has had a persistent limp in his front right leg for a couple of months now; it clears up but then he re-injures it or does something to aggravate it and it comes back. He hadn't been out for a while as a result of this so I let him come on a short one with lots of swimming. He did have a limp within 30min of coming home so we are definitely taking him to the vet next trip... still he enjoyed it immensely and at least he swam a lot. Everyone else also had a great time and behaved themselves. Rufus left on the leash but I let him off just past the HoJo and put him on around there coming home. Everyone was really enthusiastic, had a good time, played and swam the whole way up and down the beach and didn't give chase to the strays that barked at us on the way home.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Puppy.liebschen deserves a medal for becoming such a good swimmer. It really isn't her favorite activity but she's come to accept that she has to do it and is pretty good at it now compared to when she started.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Osita
Gowron
Frankie
Elewah
Ziggy
MoMo
Xmul
Tori
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We took the same route we've taken the last two times: palapa road to swimming hole. Xmul was on the leash the whole way but she was a good girl about it and I kept the pace high enough for stretches to let her really run with some slack in the leash. Osita got into some nice cow-poo (she was very proud) but I washed the evidence off at the swimming hole. Ziggy did well and will hopefully be a little tired out today since this was a relatively long one for him. Elewah was a good girl and came home to the gate again although she pretended like she was going to bolt to the ocean at the end. Everyone was really good.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Godzilla
Posey
Truman
Tuesday
Molly
Daisy
Hazel
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. Same route as yesterday. Tuesday was on the leash the whole way and was good about it; she was starting to get a little paranoid/hangdog at the swimming hole on the way home but it was no big deal. We saw no people in the monte but there plenty of flamingos. Everyone really had a good time and did well.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Reggie
Lily
Luna
Mega
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
Tori
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We left with nobody on the leash and it stayed that way for a while; this was an enthusiastic group but they were also all very together and harmonious. We crossed the land bridge heading east because there were no flamingos nearby and more or less hauled ass until we were heading east into the charcos. I put Lily on the leash briefly because she was too far ahead but otherwise everyone was good and listened. There were a lot of waterfowl including many flamingos in all of the charcos we passed and everyone was good about keeping their distance. We crossed the alt. land bridge coming home and I heard the voices of salt workers to the north so we took the southern way on the dead goat trail coming home; I put Amber on the hook at the dead goat trail intersection and Mega on the other end of the leash on the coco trail and everyone else was good about staying together coming home.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl Greta.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Bette
Blue
Monkey
(7)
Roni ventured out into the monte with this crew as it was starting to get hot; by the time they got home it was no longer starting it was just plain hot in earnest. Zasu looks like she got into some nice mud (let's call it "mud" anyway). Tito dominated the "walk" with his crazy behavior, and insisted on dashing ahead like a lunatic with brief stops to catch his wind on the way home; Roni tried to catch him but he was infuriatingly ahead and she had to run full-out to get him. Maybe the bugs finally drove him insane, maybe he's in training for the semi-annual Marmots of the Monte Invitational Track Meet, maybe he just got The Fear. Otherwise everyone was good.
GRADE: A- (Tito)
morning beach dash:
Alice
Lucy
George
Otto
Shirley
Maggie
Ziggy
Bosha
Linda
Tori
(10)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back the same way: ~4k. I forgot to get Shirley on the leash before we left so she was off until I caught her at the soldiers' pier; she was a good girl and I watched her carefully the rest of the way and had her on the leash... there don't seem to be any ill effects now a couple of hours later. Everyone really behaved themselves on this one. We ran into two strays just north of the HoJo; one of them was the girl-pup that I got out of one of the large storage tanks at the shrimpery, the other looks like a sibling of hers. The two strays split up when they saw us, one jumping into the water and the other heading into the bushes; our dogs were perfectly civil, and by the time we had all passed heading north the two strays realized there was no need for their caution and went back to what they were doing (heading south, mostly). Everyone did a lot of swimming and horsing around, listened well and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Chester
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
Daisy
Hazel
Tori
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We didn't go the full route but crossed at the bag-end land bridge from the palapa road to the swimming hole instead; I didn't want Twiggy to go but so far and it was already hot and humid. Rufus was a good boy getting out and I let him off just as we were heading east into the monte from the main road. Hazel went a bit too close to some flamingos for my taste so I put her on the leash to remind her; they didn't seem bothered and didn't take off or anything but I don't like the dogs getting too close. Rita really wanted to go so I threw her in with Chester even though she's been miserable with allergies and her treatment for them; I have to give her a bath today anyway and she had a good time despite her problems. We saw no people in the monte anywhere.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Eve
Osita
Godzilla
Gowron
Elewah
Luna
Xmul
Tori
(9)
Southern charcos backwards: ~8k. We headed north to the swimming hole first; I wasn't sure if I would go to the long and winding road or circle back around for a slightly shorter one on the palapa road at first but decided for the latter because it seemed like it would take too long to go north. Xmul was on the leash the whole way except around the swimming hole - we saw no people at all but I don't trust her around flamingos when they're that close and there are a lot of marmots in the monte right now. This was truly a harmonious group: they listened well, kept up the pace and had a blast horsing around and running. I took the alt. land bridge and dirty road both ways to avoid the razor-wire and amazingly the bugs were not awful.
GRADE: A
morning beach dash:
Alice
Lucy
George
Gowron
Ziggy
Maggie
Linda
Amber
Tori
(9)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back: ~4k. Just a quickie with the shorties and the slow-pokes for the most part. We left with nobody on the leash and I only put Amber on from the HoJo south on the way home to keep her honest. There was a lot of swimming and horsing around and everyone was good.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It was getting a bit choppy but she's a trooper. Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rufus
Ernie
Frankie
Jack
Lily
Molly
Daisy
Twiggy
(8)
Southern charcos: ~8k. After what happened to Truman on the last run I didn't feel like going north on the coco trail so instead we headed out east across the land bridge; I snuck up on it carefully to make sure there wasn't a group of flamingos too close to it, and everyone was good about it but Lily and Ernie(!) bolted across the land bridge to chase some marmot on the other side so I had to scold them early. Rufus was on the leash until we were off the main road and heading east into the charcos; he was a good boy the whole way and didn't give me any trouble getting him on the leash compared to how he's been sometimes. I had both Jack and Lily on the leash for stretches because they were too fired up and didn't listen well enough to suit me; Lily is just too fast and needs to be reminded with the leash every once in a while. We saw no people anywhere in the monte but plenty of flamingos and other waterfowl; coming home across the alt. land bridge nine large flamingos flew right past us at head level not 20m away, heading south to land in the charco north of the land bridge - we all just stopped and watched in amazement. The bugs were starting to get bad by the time we were coming home; it was overcast and extremely muggy... I looked like I'd been swimming when we got home. Ernie did well and everyone had a good time and stayed together.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Godzilla
Frijolita
Truman
Posey
Luna
Tori
(8)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. I was thinking of going 10k today because this group was really up for it and we didn't leave too late. Instead I had quite a shock as we were leaving the swimming hole: Truman had two large gashes on his left side, one on his knee and one on his belly. They were both flesh wounds but the one on his belly was large and crescent-shaped; they were both ugly and obviously needed stitches. Truman didn't seem to notice and they weren't bleeding; I suspect submerged old razor wire in one of the charcos north of the coco trail but I'm not sure exactly when or where it happened. Once I realized I had a hurt dog I took us home the most direct way and kept an eye on him. Luna didn't want to leave the beach at the tortuga sign so I put her on the leash and she was good from then on. Everyone was really great. Truman's injury definitely changed the shape of the day, however, as I ended up taking him and the newbie to Dra. Sandra to get checked over and stitched up as the case may be; it turns out she has a broken toe in her front left paw so she'll be fine once she gets over it. Truman is stitched up now and we're all home after a fairly awful day on the road. What good dogs Roni and I have.
GRADE: A
mid-day beach dash:
Rita
Eve
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Bosha
Linda
Tori
(8)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back again: ~4k. It was hot as blazes but at least on the beach there was a bit of a breeze; there was only one old man "fishing" at the "pier" in front of the soldiers' and everyone was really good. I had Rufus on the leash until we were past the fishing man. We didn't go that fast or that far but everyone jumped in the water a lot and the tabanos weren't too bad as long as we kept moving.
GRADE: A
mid-day swim:
Greta
(1)
It was choppy but she's a trooper and soldiered on. Good girl.
GRADE: A
