Monday, April 29, 2013

29.04.13

morning walk:
Alice
Lucy
Otto
Ernie
Ziggy
Maggie
Bosha
Tory
(8)

Kaya and I took this crew out for a quick walk between the land bridges from north to south. Tory was on the leash the whole way to keep her from tearing around in the brush; her stitches are looking excellent but we don't want to give her a chance to screw them up. She's a good girl on the leash and Kaya had her almost the whole time while I dealt with the other lunatics (Ernie, who needed to be on the leash for a little bit to calm him down). There are a lot of salt workers in the nearby charcos but our route from the alt land bridge to the land bridge via the ridge was clear. Everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A

morning swims:
Greta
Linda*
(2)

It is oddly shallow for a few meters until it drops off suddenly right now so that was fun with Greta; of course since she is puppy.liebling she managed and did well. Linda came out with us at first but turned her ears off immediately and went much too far north for my taste so I put her back in. Roni came out around then and was able to take some pictures and hang out with us while Greta swam without the dogs at the house making it impossible.
GRADE: A

evening delivery:
Zasu
Henry
Xmul*
(3)

Roni took Xmul down to Marie and Nicole's house where Guy has returned for the summer. He and Xmul were very happy to see each other and we're very happy to have helped. Zasu and Henry had a great time.
GRADE: A

Saturday, April 27, 2013

27.04.13

morning run:
Posey
Eve
Godzilla
Chester
Daisy
Luna
Xmul
Amber
(8)

Long and winding road backwards: ~10k. I dislocated the smallest toe on my right foot straight out of the gate - in fact I caught it on the damned gate and bent it in an unnatural direction. I thought about it for a hot second, did my best zen field medic routine and set it standing ~10m from the gate; Xmul was on the leash and was good about it. It looked okay to me so I decided to keep going and turn back if it was obvious that I couldn't make it. A couple of kilometers deadened it a bit and the fact is I was thinking I would take this group 10k before we left. They all had a good time and behaved themselves. I let Xmul off the leash twice for perhaps 1km each time but I always had her on the leash whenever we were getting near the zones where there are a lot of workers. We ran into vehicles several times and everyone did well. On the way back instead of going all the way east via that dangerous rocky crossing I thought we'd try the odd little road that runs south-east instead; it turns out not to be very easy to cross the large charcos between there and the main road but it is shallow so we just found a narrow point and crossed. Amber was an angel and off the leash the whole way. It was beautiful and deserted far to the north - eerily silent.
GRADE: A

Friday, April 26, 2013

26.04.13

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
Monkey
Linda
(6)

Roni took this group and Kaya over to the shrimpery to oil the locks, look around and point stuff out to Kaya so she knows what we're talking about. It was hot but nobody seemed to mind.
GRADE: A

Thursday, April 25, 2013

25.04.13

morning walk #1:
Lucy
Rita
Ernie
Stela
Maggie
Bosha
Hazel
Tory
(8)

Our recently-arrived HelpX'ers, Kaya and Olle, hitchhiked here ~800km from Tuxtla, Chiapas with a dog they rescued there who they have been calling "Tory". She is perhaps a little younger than a year old, looks like a chocolate lab mix and is extremely sweet. She had lived almost all of her life on the roof of the building where the people who had her kept her, with very little human contact or anything else for that matter. Today was her first walk with us here. Kaya went with me and I showed her the loop between the land bridges across the ridge. Tory was on the leash most of the way with Kaya until she was used to the whole going-on-a-walk concept but she was off for a bit and was good. I had Stella on the leash the whole way and Hazel on the other end of it for about half of the walk. Everyone was really good and Tory did well. She's going in today to get spayed. Rita is also going in today to be there for her allergy tests early tomorrow morning.
GRADE: A

morning walk #2:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Bette
Blue
Tito
Monkey
Linda
(8)

Roni took this crew out for a walk in the monte; since I took Lucy earlier Monkey got the call. Henry was a jerk about the road coming home and has done that consistently for a few walks now: he runs ahead on the way home and goes into the road well before Roni. He never used to do this and he has to stop doing it - it is irritating. Other than that everyone obviously had a blast.
GRADE: A

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

24.04.13

morning run:
Tuesday
Ziggy
Lily
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Petey
Steve McQueen
(8)

Northern charcos: ~9k. Amber sat this one out for some reason; we tried to get her to come out but she didn't want to, so Lily jumped in instead. Tuesday was on the leash the whole time and was good. Ziggy had a really hard time past the ~6k mark; I ended up carrying him the better part of 500m total in a couple stages. I don't know if the humidity was really affecting him, if he needs a haircut worse than we think or if he isn't feeling well but in the past he has gone the distance on 10k runs without a whimper and today he was really gassed. Maybe he's just getting old - he should probably get a blood test. Ziggy's troubles made this outing take far longer than it would've normally - the rest of this group is blazing fast. Still they were all really good, stayed with me, did not bark at people or chase motos and at least didn't make a difficult situation any worse by bad behavior.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

23.04.13

morning run:
Ginger
Frijolita
Posey
Truman
George
Twiggy
MoMo
Xmul
(8)

Hidden trail: ~8k. We took a tortuous path to avoid large groups of salt workers close by; it isn't that this group is bad (Xmul was on the leash) it is rather the salt workers and their... environmental footprint that irritates me (especially with Mo around). We started out going down the dead goat trail but then doubled back to the alt. land bridge, took the cut over to the intersection, crossed the next group of charcos east via the jeep berm and ended up on the road just east of the swimming hole. When we got to the junction with the Au Soleil Couchant road everyone seemed like they could use a dip in the ocean, especially George and Ginger; I had a feeling it would be deserted again and I've been pretty accurate lately so what the hell: we took the dog leg north to the beginning of the hidden trail and ran the beach south all the way to the tortuga sign. Xmul was off the leash on the beach and I don't think I'll be doing that again; she ran ahead like a lunatic to the tortuga sign and then refused to let me put her back on the leash. I had to trick her and it took the better part of 15 minutes; although this does not speak very well of me it also means that I will not be trusting her off the leash for a very long time if ever again. There wasn't anyone around but if there had been I'm sure she would've been a real jackass. Everyone else was exemplary; we ended up running past the large group of salt workers just to the north of the dead goat trail on the way home and they were all shouting and hooting at us, had left their food in the middle of the road and who knows what besides and everyone just followed me and paid no attention to them at all. Good job on an incredibly humid morning.
GRADE: A

morning swims:
Greta
Bette
(2)

I didn't really have time to take them out but they both really need it and they are such angels.
GRADE: A

Sunday, April 21, 2013

21.04.13

morning run:
Rita
Eve
Archie
Reggie
Gowron
Rufus
Frankie
Luna
(8)

Hidden trail: ~8k. I had a feeling the beach would be deserted up north and PupG got into some nasty filth in the nearby charcos right off the bat so I took a chance and headed for the hidden trail. It turned out that I was right and there was nobody in sight. We ran on the beach all the way south to the tortuga sign. Rufus was fairly crazed in the launch pad and Reggie and PupG were also very loud but they all settled down quickly. I let Rufus off at the tortuga crossroads on the way out and he was good. I put Archie on the leash just after we crossed doce coming east from the tortuga sign because he lagged too long rolling in some filth by the side of the trail; he skates by too easily on his good boy reputation so I left him on for the rest of the run (he was good) and put Rufus on the other end at the shrimpery. It was insanely humid and the ocean was churned up but there was very little breeze.
GRADE: A

Friday, April 19, 2013

19.03.13

morning run:
Gracie
Frijolita
Blue
Elewah
Lily
Molly
Daisy
Hazel
(8)

Northern charcos: ~9k. I left Ginger today because of the way she came up lame last time; she isn't limping now but she can have a rest anyway. We left with nobody on the leash, but Hazel's enthusiasm for the big-bag-o-death dumped near the shrimpery landed her on the hook right there; I had her off the leash for a lot of the run but reeled her in when there was a higher chance that there was something disgusting for her to get into. She behaved herself when off the leash and gave me no problems. There were salt workers everywhere along our route, including vehicles, clusters of dudes hooting and whistling, etc.; the dogs were really good. It was also incredibly humid and I am not feeling quite at my best; it has been so hot and humid lately that Roni and I have had a hard time sleeping properly at night. I put Molly on the other end of the leash with Hazel on the coco trail coming home because I don't trust her not to bolt for the beach - she was good about it. I also scooped Elewah up at the shrimpery so I was quite a sight crossing the road (which, naturally, nobody saw). All in all a good group and a good run.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Monkey
Xmul
Linda
(8)

Roni took this crew out for a walk around the cow pasture. It was damned hot and humid already and she had Xmul on the leash the whole way. Linda ran ahead enough to be annoying and Miles dawdled as usual. Henry also screwed around a little too much, not listening near the road. Still in the end the dogs all looked pretty pleased with themselves when they got home... we have GOT to go bury that bag-o-death at the shrimpery.
GRADE: A-

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

I skipped Bette today because she barely moved a muscle yesterday after her swim and we want don't want to push it; she's getting diet food and losing weight and the swims do help. Greta is also losing weight but she has a lot farther to go; still I can't fault her behavior and she really was my cute little puppy.liebschen / water angel today.
GRADE: A

Thursday, April 18, 2013

18.04.13

mid-day swims:
Greta
Bette
(2)

My little water.angels were great. It was a bit choppy and Greta wasn't too keen but the water wasn't chilly and she put her back into it. Bette was a joy as always. How lucky we are to know them both.
GRADE: A

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

17.04.13

morning beach sprint:
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
Xmul
Linda
(6)

To the tortuga sign on the beach and home via the monte: ~3k. We appear to be under an astrological shadow or something the last couple of days here; yesterday the wheels came off almost immediately on what should've been a quick haul-ass/milk-run and today we were again beset by problems right out of the gate. Xmul cannot leave the house off the leash and certainly should not be on the beach down here where there are houses off the leash; it would've been a better idea to leave with Rufus off and Xmul on. Roni and I did our best to make sure the beach was clear before I shot out of the gate like some clown at a rodeo but we couldn't see that little black and white stray who just had pups up the beach about 100m. I saw her once we got to the water and reigned mine as she hauled ass north to give her time to get back to her little safety zone; this worked for about 30 seconds but Jack and Xmul couldn't resist and ended up running ahead of the rest of us while I picked up the pace to get us past the soldiers' quickly. Jack listened but Xmul charged up there and came with me only after I repeatedly yelled her name and we were all almost past. This was not such a big deal but then not 20m farther to the north whoever takes care of the HoJo decided to release their dog onto the beach just as we were passing by - what are the odds? He's a Jack-sized white dog that looks vaguely like Zoot - not neutered of course. He charged down to the beach only to discover he was severely outnumbered; Xmul was a bit of a jackass but everyone else was really good and in the end we just flew right past and he barked at us a little; he probably would've come with us on the run if I had encouraged him, he seemed playful. I finally grabbed Xmul and put her on the leash from there on. I thought we might be okay for a quick blast up the beach with her off the leash but I don't think I'll ever try that again... just because nothing bad happened this time doesn't mean it couldn't next time. Everyone else was really exemplary - no barking, no chasing, stuck with me, listened, had a good time.
GRADE: B

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

16.04.13

morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Posey
Truman
Tuesday
Archie
Elewah
Daisy
(8)

Short loop in the monte: ~2k. This was an abortive attempt at a short run. I was going to go to Au Soleil Couchant via the beach at the tortuga sign and home via the monte just to get a short one in with a fast group before I went to the city. Unfortunately Ginger game up lame almost immediately; she was limping severely by the time we got to the shrimpery intersection. This group was way too wound up and fast to just turn around right there and I wanted to give Ginger a chance to shake it off, since she has done that on a couple occasions. I just took us slowly out the coco trail and down the dead goat trail watching Ginger intently the whole way. By the time we got to Tuesday's crossing it was clear to me that we had to go back; Ginger was limping a little less but it was noticeable. She probably stepped on a thorn or something because she sure seemed fine just before we left. I just took us across Tuesday's crossing and around to the cut-over and brought us home over the ridge and the land bridge. When we got to the other side of the land bridge we encountered a salt worker that I happen to know, coming to work; Tuesday freaked out a little at the strange man on a bicycle and when I went to reel her in she slipped her collar and headed for home with that crazy, paranoid look on her face. I politely left my interlocutor and gave chase with everyone else but since Ginger couldn't really run very well and we were so close to home I just let Tuesday win. She ended up in the bushes along our northern fence, pleading with Roni to come save her. I'll skip Ginger the next run and we'll watch her. Except for Tuesday's nuttiness everyone else was really good in an unusual situation.
GRADE: B

Monday, April 15, 2013

15.04.13

morning beach sprint:
Frankie
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
Xmul
(5)

To the tortuga sign on the beach and back via the monte: ~3k. This has been working out reasonably well and Roni and I were both tired from a day of hard labor yesterday; a shorty on the beach to shut Rufus up and tire the rest of them out a bit seemed like a good idea. We left with Rufus on the leash but I also brought the black leash along for Xmul; I put her on at the tortuga sign because I thought there would be some salt workers nearby but as it turns out we were alone in the monte. I put Rufus back on at the shrimpery just out of habit. Twiggy screwed around a little at the end because she wanted to check out the garbage left by beach goers to the south... no harm, no foul. Everyone had a good time, did some swimming and ran their asses off.
GRADE: A

morning swims:
Bette
Greta
(2)

They both really wanted to go out and they both had a good time.
GRADE: A

Sunday, April 14, 2013

14.04.13

morning run:
Chester
Xmul
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)

Northern charcos: ~9k. Xmul was off the leash when we were way out there to the north but otherwise I left her on. The monte was almost devoid of people early but I don't trust Xmul that much with people; she was good both on and off and gave me no problems. Amber was off the leash for the whole run for the first time in many months and was really good. I put Mega on the other end of the leash on the coco trail on the way home to keep them all honest but I let Amber have her head and she rewarded me by sticking with me.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Bette
Blue
Frijolita
(8)

Roni took this crew out for a walk in the monte. Zasu screwed around at first (wanted to be nebby with the neighbors to the north) but she ended up getting her act together and going with Roni. Bette has a little limp now but was a good girl and REALLY wanted to go, as did Frijolita.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

Angel.
GRADE: A

Saturday, April 13, 2013

13.04.13

morning walk:
Lucy
Rita
Osita
Reggie
Shirley
Ernie
Bosha
Hazel
(8)

I took these out for a walk in the monte, with a bit of jogging thrown in to keep everyone together. Shirley was never off the leash and seemed fine running a little bit to catch up with Ernie and Reggie, who were setting the pace and paling around. We went across the land bridge and north on the ridge as normal but everyone was so energetic and up for it that we got to the alt. land bridge almost immediately so I decided to keep going. We continued north on the cut-over to the road that runs on the other side of the charcos from us to the tortuga crossroads, cut across the northern tip of those same charcos and headed south. We ran into a large salt truck on the way south and Hazel got freaked out a little; she ran all the way north to the crossing of the charco and then circled around south on the other side of the charco from us to get back. It is shallow so she just forded it when she got near enough. I put her on the other end of the leash from that point on and she was glad of it. We saw various salt workers and other people in the monte and everyone was good.
GRADE: A

morning beach reuinification walk:
Alice
Twiggy
Xmul*
(3)

Today was the final walk in Operation Xmul: Re-entry. Guy is leaving for Montreal with the rest of the french canadians tomorrow, but he will be back in a couple of weeks and Xmul will have him all to herself then; we're quite happy about this and also glad to get to see Xmul for a couple of weeks. Roni and I decided I should take Alice along as well because we thought bringing Xmul back into the yard with Alice fronting her would promote harmony. We were right. By the time we got back from this walk Xmul was over her dramatics with Twiggy and since Alice was with me instead of in the yard it was a good deal quieter than it might've been. The other dogs were reintroduced to Xmul in the yard gradually and now everyone seems peaceful and happy. Apparently we do know what we're doing. Yay Xmul!
GRADE: A

Friday, April 12, 2013

12.04.13

morning run:
Alice
Godzilla
George
Maggie
Ziggy
Molly
Monkey
Lex
(8)

To the swimming hole the medium way: ~7k. Roni and I got up obscenely early only to be smacked in the face by daylight savings time, which we now officially hate. In spite of it still being almost dark the humidity was already at sick levels by the time I got this group on the road. Maggie lagged badly for the last half of the run; I gave her water at every opportunity - we basically killed the water on this run by the time we got back to the Au Soleil Couchant road. Lex, Monkey, Molly and Ziggy were always in the lead and although everyone had a good time the humidity really stuck it to us all. I looked like I had been swimming when we got home. It's only April and the climate is already pretty harsh. I put Molly and Lex on either side of the leash on the coco trail to keep everyone honest; in general everyone's behavior was excellent. A tough run in spite of the relatively short distance.
GRADE: A

Thursday, April 11, 2013

11.04.13

morning beach sprint:
Rufus
Frankie
Jack
Bosha
Linda
(5)

To the tortuga sign and home via the monte: ~3k. It worked out so well last time and we got up late today so what the hell: another sprint up the beach and home in the monte with Rufus. Bosha is funny to watch when she runs but she does manage to keep up and obviously had fun... maybe she'll be a little less noisy today.
GRADE: A

morning beach/monte walk:
Gowron
Twiggy
Lucy
(3)

I took these three out to meet Xmul and Guy on the beach. We all ended up taking exactly the same route I took with Rufus and gang earlier. When we got just past the tortuga sign we saw one of the french canadian fellows (Jacques I believe) who lives near Marie and Nicole with his dog heading south. Guy told me his dog doesn't like other dogs too much so I suggested we all duck into the monte at the tortuga sign and head home that way; it's a nice change if you always walk on the beach like Guy has been doing. Xmul was her usual dramatic self when she first saw Twigs but she got over it quickly and we let them both off on the beach for a spell just past the soldiers'. Everyone had a great time.
GRADE: A

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

10.04.13

morning run:
Otto
Blue
Rita
Truman
Reggie
Lily
Luna
Hazel
(8)

Northern charcos: ~8k. We took the slightly shorter route on the way home via the swimming hole; I made the mistake of letting Hazel off the leash near there and she rewarded me by diving into the brush and fishing for bush-plums. Disgusting. She was on the leash from there until we got home and I gave her a rather stern talking to. Other than that everyone was really good and Hazel was also generally good; no barking at people or vehicles and she only turned her ears off that once. Otto was lagging a bit for half the run; he might have a limp or he might've just been gassed from the humidity so we'll have to see. He should probably just go on walks for a while.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Lucy
Tito
Osita*
Frijolita
Monkey
(8)

Roni took this group out for a walk in the monte. I thought Osita was perhaps over her bizarre behavioral pattern of ditching her human and running home if any other dog gets disciplined on a walk or run but I Was wrong; Roni spoke sternly to them to stop rolling on a bag full of death that someone dumped near the shrimpery and Osita turned tail and ran home. We're just going to have to keep working with her on that. Roni knew what had happened and just carried on with everyone else, who had a great time.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

09.04.13

morning sprint:
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Linda
(4)

To the tortuga sign and home via the monte: ~3k. Roni suggested that I take Rufus for a run up the beach because he was so crazed; he's had a limp occasionally after longer runs recently so we thought maybe a shorter one would be good to get some energy out. I threw PupG and Linda in because they love the ocean and Jack because he loves Rufus. We took off up the beach with Rufus on the leash and pretty much sprinted all the way to the tortuga sign. I let Rufus off the hook and we all ran home in the monte at a similar pace. Everyone had a blast and listened well.
GRADE: A

morning swims:
Greta
Bette
(2)

These two angels really wanted to swim and it isn't stormy or cold today. They both did their usual and had a great time.
GRADE: A

morning reunification walk:
Twiggy
(1)

We met Xmul and Guy on the beach with Twiggy on the leash, obviously. This was the pair that we were both worried about. Xmul and Twiggy are lifelong frienemies and you never know what's going to happen when they see each other for the first time after a long absence. Xmul was loud at first but calmed down quickly and they both ended up having a really good time together, on and off the leash. They swam together and checked stuff out on the beach and hardly clashed at all once they were past the introductions. At one point Twiggy pushed Xmul's buttons by making eyes at Guy and being extra friendly with him; naturally Xmul got jealous and we put them both on the leash for a while but they quickly got over it. A surprisingly harmonious outing.
GRADE: A

Monday, April 8, 2013

08.04.13

morning run:
Ginger
Gracie
Posey
Eve
Archie
Elewah
Molly
Daisy
(8)

Northern charcos: ~9k. We took the scenic route and were quick about it but I didn't want to be gone too long so we stopped short of the long and winding road. It was pretty and even a tiny bit chilly; we left early to avoid most of the heat but the humidity was already pretty bad. I stopped Elewah from chasing a moto that passed by us just by telling her not to do it; I knew it was coming and got myself into position to block her if necessary but still I'm happy she listened. We saw a lot of salt workers and vehicles and everyone was great.
GRADE: A

Sunday, April 7, 2013

07.04.13

morning reunification walk/run:
Bosha
Linda
MoMo
(3)

I went out with these three to meet Xmul and Guy on the beach. I had Bosha and Mo on the leash as we left just to avoid shenanigans but I quickly let Bosha off. Linda was off throughout and was a good girl. Mo and Xmul got along well enough on the beach; they were off the leash together for a spell and bumped chests a little but they were good-natured. Xmul did okay with Bosha and Linda as well; it is good to get them reacquainted this way. We left Xmul and Guy at the tortuga sign and ran home via the monte; all three of my charges thought this was an excellent idea and had a good time.
GRADE: A

Saturday, April 6, 2013

06.04.13

morning run:
Frijolita
Lily
Mega
Lex
Zoot
Petey
Amber
Steve McQueen
(8)

Long and winding road: ~10k. This group was so good and so fast over the first ~3km that I figured we might as well go the whole way this time. We left with Amber on the hook but she's been really good lately so I made a point of letting her off earlier than normal and she stayed off until we got to the swimming hole on the way back. There were a lot of salt workers and some vehicles and she was really good about it as was everyone else. The pace was high the whole way. It was a little chilly and overcast and it energized everyone.
GRADE: A

dusk security patrol:
Zasu
Miles
(2)

Roni took these two out for an extended security patrol during doggie.dinner. She didn't intend to go farther than the shrimpery but Miles would hear none of it and charged down the coco trail. Zasu got sick of it and wanted to get some dinner and gave Roni a good run for her money on the way back.
GRADE: A

Friday, April 5, 2013

05.05.13

morning walk:
Lucy
Rita
Osita
Shirley
Frankie
Ernie
Maggie
Bosha
(8)

I took this group for a walk in the monte. We extended our now-usual between-the-land-bridges-across-the-ridge route a little by heading further north in a loop around the charco directly to the east of the alt. land bridge. Everyone was so up for it that it seemed like the thing to do. Everyone was good and had a great time.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk #1:
Zasu
Henry
Linda
(3)

Roni took these three out on the beach up towards the soldiers to gather seaweed for fertilizer. The ran into Nicole coming south with her terriers and everyone was good.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk #2:
Stella
Ziggy
(2)

I took Stella out on the leash as a part of Operation Gradual Xmul Reunification; Ziggy got thrown in because he's a bit disgusting right now and needed an extended dip in the ocean. He was reasonably good off the leash but more excited than I would've liked. The ocean is churned up because of a storm right now but this did not stop Ziggy from swimming and covering himself in seaweed. Stella was good and tolerated Xmul's advanced early on. I didn't let Stella off the leash at all but Xmul was off here and there. Guy and I occasionally had to call Xmul and Ziggy back because they kept wanting to roam too far ahead but by the time we were on the way back they had calmed down a bit.
GRADE: A

Thursday, April 4, 2013

04.04.13

morning run:
Alice
Godzilla
George
Otto
Archie
Monkey
Twiggy
Hazel
(8)

To the swimming hole the long way: ~7k (perhaps close to 8k). We ran into three bird-trappers at the shrimpery on the way out; they had not broken in and were just standing around but we've had a couple people pull the fence up or cut it to get in so I made sure to get a good look at them. The dogs didn't bark at them or pay them any attention. I decided to take us out over the land bridge to get a look at their bikes, which they had left down the road that way a bit. We turned north and took the ridge to the cut-over to the intersection to the swimming hole. The humidity was already unreal and it was starting to get hot so I gave out a lot of water on the way. We came home via the Au Soleil Couchant road the normal way. There were large groups of salt workers along the way and everyone was really good about it. I put Hazel on the leash just east of the intersection to keep her from going back for sloppy seconds in the trash left by some of those salt workers but I let her off quickly. She was on again near the end as well and was an angel on and off the leash - no barking at people, listened reasonably well. Alice and George kept up and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

03.04.13

morning walk #1
Lucy
Shirley
Ernie
Ziggy
Maggie
Lily
Bosha
Linda
(8)

I took this group out for a walk between the land bridges across the ridge. Lucy was really up for it and ran ahead and around generally like a lunatic for the first half of the walk; she was almost down to the land bridge when I finally got to the shrimpery intersection. She listened but was obviously feeling energetic. Shirley was on the leash the whole way and was also high-energy. We ran into people in a couple spots and everyone was perfect.
GRADE: A

morning walk #2:
Zasu
Miles
Henry
Tito
(4)

Roni took this group out for a shorty down the coco trail before it got too hot. Everyone had a good time and behaved themselves.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Luna
(1)

I took Luna out on the leash to walk with Xmul and Guy. We ended up going nearly to the palm tree and it took almost the whole way north for Xmul to finally stop mouthing off so much; I didn't let Luna off the leash because of this and Xmul also was on the leash the whole way. Still this was good because by the time we were getting back Xmul was much more relaxed and Luna was ignoring her bizarre noises and not getting her hackles up.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

02.04.13

morning run:
Blue
Eve
Truman
Chester
Reggie
Rufus
Elewah
Jack
(8)

Northern route: ~8k. I took the slightly truncated northern route today with the Good Boy's Club, or most of them; Archie had a little limp recently so he sat out and Lex just went and sat out to make room for Elewah, who made me regret it a little by chasing a moto. Rufus and Jack valiantly tried to run her down for me but they are nowhere near fast enough to actually catch her; I thought she would skip it and didn't make a point of grabbing her and that was a mistake I won't make again. Other than that they were really good.
GRADE: A

morning beach walk:
Bette
(1)

Roni took Bette out on the beach to meet up with Xmul and Guy, one of Nicole and Marie's friends who has been walking Xmul recently. We're trying this way of getting Xmul's scent back into the mix before she comes back to the pack on the 15th. Bette shouldn't go very far and Roni turned around with her before the tortuga sign but she obviously had a great time and Xmul was also good.
GRADE: A

morning swim:
Greta
(1)

I took Greta out shortly after Roni got back with Bette. She was her usual angelic self.
GRADE: A

afternoon security patrol:
Alice
(1)

I took Alice with me while I rode the bike down to the beta site to patrol the perimeter. All good.
GRADE: A

Monday, April 1, 2013

01.04.13

afternoon security patrol:
Alice
(1)

Alice accompanied me down to the beta site just before dusk; I rode the bike and she likes to run beside me. Someone pulled up the fence a bit on the road side so I spent 30min fixing the fence while alice patrolled the grounds. All good.
GRADE: A