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morning run:
Godzilla
Elewah
Monkey
Daisy
Luna
Steve McQueen
Mega
Hazel
(8)
Hidden trail: ~8k. I intended to get Amber out as well but she freaked out on me in the launchpad and insisted on bolting for the porch; it wasn't worth the fight so I left with eight... I'll just have to grab her by herself one day and get her out on a leash. Mega had not been out for a long time; I had to trap him in a crate and carry it into the launchpad but once out on the road he was an angel. He was carried along by the momentum of the group until we were just across doce and then he realized it was okay and was his old self again: he stayed on point for most of the run but listened well and came back to me to drink from the bottle every time I called him. Steve has gotten to go three times in a row due to the chub factor which also is what landed Monkey in the mix. I thought maybe we'd do the usual Northern Charcos route but Monkey was breathing pretty hard when we got to the head of the hidden trail so I decided a dip in the ocean would do her some good; I was also keen to see it since it had been a while and it has been dry enough for long enough now that the spiny plants are manageable. The actual hidden part of the trail across doce was really overgrown - clearly nobody but us ever goes there. Mega did a good job on point of finding the place where the trail darts off to the North - I was having a hard time finding it after so long and he picked it right out. Once on the beach everyone took a series of long dips and Monkey seemed rejuvenated by the time we got to Au Soleil Couchant. We came home via the main land bridge to avoid Angel's pups, which probably brought the distance up a tad. It took us a while, largely due to off-roading, but it was a nice run and everyone did well. The kitties were wrangled into a crate before I left so there were no worries coming home; everyone was good anyway and nobody barked at them, wide-eyed as eight dogs piled up at the gate.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
Tori
(2)
Tori really wanted to go out and do something and Greta is so patient with her so what the hell. There was nobody around; I took a leash out just in case Tori needed it but it was fine. Tori did her standard cannonball entrance at the start of each lap, I dragged them both out as far as I could manage (more than 100lbs of dog) and we all swam back to shore. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Greta did well and even Tori was breathing hard by the time we were done.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
Linda
Tori
Murci
(7)
Up the beach and back via the monte at Au Soleil Couchant: ~6k. I had Rufus on the leash at the gate and put Tori on the other leash in the first 20m up the beach. We were only lightly barked at - the strays must be off-duty and anyway we were hauling ass by that point. I let everyone off their leashes just past the HoJo and they were angels from there on. Everyone did a lot of swimming - the ocean was clear for once and not too chilly. Linda really held her own and had a great time. We ran north almost to the palm tree before we turned around and headed for Au Soleil Couchant. The turtle conservation people recently put distance markers on the beach every 500m; if they are right then I have perhaps underestimated the distance of some of our beach runs. According to their markers we ran at least 3km on the beach and it is quite a bit farther to come home in the monte than on the beach, so 6km is really the minimum. It was getting hot and we killed most of the water by the time we turned south in the monte. The wild/dumped cat we've been calling "Mama Kitty" and her four kittens are currently camping out in a very stylish pad Roni has arranged for them in our trike parked on the other side of the gate. This means we have to take some care about them when we come and go until everyone gets used to each other. I was extra-careful coming home: I made sure I had Jack, Rufus, Tori and Twiggy on all ends of my two leashes before we were past the shrimpery and kept everyone else in check verbally on the final trail. They were all perfect and did exactly as we hoped; Roni came out and put the kittens in the little crate we have out there a few minutes before I got home just to make sure there were no surprises.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Conditions were good and she was an angel.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Eve
Posey
Truman
Chester
Xmul
Luna
Steve McQueen
Tori
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. Xmul was off the leash around the swimming hole again but on everywhere else; too many people on motos in the monte right now (we ran into a couple). Steve came again because he threw himself out there and he's chubby and needed the run; he is really good out there and has a good time. We got barked at by the two(?) pups at Angel's terreno in the monte at the end of the dead goat trail; it's about 50m north of where we cross at the alt. land bridge and they must've seen us. I made a point of taking us home via the main road to the land bridge to avoid them coming back. We left late and it was hot out for most of the run; they had pretty much killed the water by the time we got to the intersection coming home. This was a pretty fast group and except for stopping for water a few times there was a minimum of screwing around. I put Tori on the other end of the leash coming home so there were no surprises and everyone was good to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Godzilla
Stella
Daisy
MoMo
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. Stella was on the leash within 2km of home; I let her off out past the swimming hole and put her back on shortly before we went by there again on the way home. She's actually a fast dog when she wants to be; she prefers to lag back with Daisy most of the time when she's off the leash and I just made it my mission to not lose sight of her the whole time she was off. I rode her fairly hard verbally as well to keep her with the group and she did well; she was even running ahead with the lead dogs in spots and obviously was happy to be off the leash so much. Otherwise everyone was really good. We took a slightly longer route today and nobody minded. Everything has really dried up out there now but there are still spots where the water is deep enough to horse around in, like the swimming hole. The southern charcos are officially full of salt workers now; I saw many vehicles to the south and all the piles of salt are getting higher and higher down there. There's still nobody to the north so we stuck to the back roads and small trails out there. It was so humid I looked like I had been swimming when we got home but it wasn't hideously hot and the bugs haven't started yet. A nice, fast run.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Our little mermaid did well in chilly, deep water with a bit of current tugging at us.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Bette
Otto
George
Archie
Ernie
Molly
Maggie
(9)
I took this crew out for a walk from the land bridge to the blue bag trail via the shortcut (as before for Ernie). Molly left on the leash but came off soon and everyone was really great. Nobody lagged and everyone really had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning beach dash:
Rufus
Bosha
Twiggy
Lex
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(8)
Up the beach and home via the monte at Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. I ended up with Tori and Rufus on leashes by the time we got to the soldiers but the stray dogs there were already on top of us before we got that far and were very noisy; everyone except for Hazel and Bosha made it by without problems. Hazel backpedaled a little so I sagged back and kept calling to her to come, which she finally did. Bosha took longer; she just stopped moving and let them bark themselves out a bit then crept forward in the surf without looking at them too much. She also did a fair bit of screwing around so maybe she just wasn't that concerned with them and wanted to sniff a dead fish. Either way it was aggravating how long it took her to finally make her way past that point; everyone else at least stayed with me and horsed around in the shallows to the north. Once I finally got everyone together again we picked up some steam and everyone came off their leashes. We ran fairly hard most of the way to the palm tree then back south a stretch to Au Soleil Couchant where we took the standard route home; as usual our pace picked up once on a hard surface - even Bosha was really moving in spots. I had Hazel and Tori on leashes by the time we got to the shrimpery and everyone behaved themselves the whole way to the gate.
GRADE: A
afternoon visit:
Bosha
Linda
(2)
Kikis came by today for an unexpected visit; she was Bosha and Linda's original human when she used to live on the beach to the south of us. Kikis left for health reasons and other complications but looks like she's doing well now; she wanted to see Bosha and Linda again and it was really nice. Bosha immediately recognized her and went ballistic; she emitted a happy little yelp and danced around Kikis constantly the whole visit. Linda was much younger when she came to us and was either not remembering or not having it - she ran back to the gate and didn't want to come but I reassured her and carried her onto the beach, where we all walked south a little to see how Kikis old place looks from the water. Linda ended up behaving herself but I had her on the leash to make sure she didn't bolt for home. Kikis saw that Bosha is doing well with us and was really overjoyed to visit her old friend.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Truman
Osita
Frijolita
Reggie
Tuesday
Gowron
Elewah
Lily
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. This was a very fast group; Tuesday was in fine fettle and everyone else was in a mood to run, even Osita who did very little lagging for a change. Tuesday was on the leash the whole way and was perfect; she didn't get paranoid or dig her heels in anywhere and she ran like blazes. It was eerily calm and beautiful in the monte today. Everything has dried out so much that the shorelines of the charcos are giving up their secrets much to the delight of the dogs. Gracie and Elewah were really up for this; it was cute that they both had their offspring with them and horsed around together so much. Elewah made a point of letting me know she didn't need to be reminded to go to the gate as we were nearing home; she stayed ahead of me but kept giving me her "it's okay" look over her shoulder and did go straight to the gate. Everyone else was perfect and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It was too cold, too rough and too deep but we did a few laps anyway and Greta was a trooper. The current upped the degree of difficulty for her and she did well.
GRADE: A
morning run:
George
Chester
MoMo
Xmul
Daisy
Bosha
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Northern loop: ~7k. Our idea today was to get as many out as possible; we've both been various degrees of tired, hurt, under the weather, etc. recently. Today Roni's back is sore but I feel relatively fine and the weather is a little stormy and cool; it has been hot enough to try an egg on the bare sand by 9am every day for the last few weeks so this feels nice. I didn't want to be gone too long on the first outing so I took fast dogs that like to run on an abbreviated loop to the north; we hit the swimming hole, looped around the big charco directly to the east of it and took the bag.end land bridge back to the swimming hole and home. I let Xmul off the leash around the swimming hole but there were a fair number of salt workers visible to the south so I had her on the leash most of the time; I put Hazel on the other end with her on the dirty road as usual. The goats, their watcher and a big brown dog I hadn't seen before were in the pond area at the shrimpery to the south of our trail as we were coming home; I had everyone hooked up by then and they were all good about it like last time.
GRADE: A
walk #1:
Alice
Ginger
Bette
Archie
Ernie
Molly
Ziggy
Maggie
Roxy
(9)
After the run we immediately turned it around and I got the slow-pokes and dogs who should not go on long walks or runs out plus Roxy; she was really good and came home with us, more or less (I scooped her up about 10m from the gate because she was thinking of screwing around a little more). We went out across the land bridge, headed north to the cut-over but then took a short-cut across the charco to get to the blue-bag trail without going the whole way around. I did this to keep the distance down (mainly for Ernie) while still letting them have fun smelling stuff in a place we haven't been in a while. I had Molly on the leash leaving and coming home and Ernie on the other end before we got near the shrimpery; the goats were there when we left but the goatherder actually seemed to be paying attention (shocking) and had moved the flock by the time we were coming home. Everyone was perfect.
GRADE: A
walk #2:
Henry
Otto
Rita
Blue
Shirley
Frankie
Stella
Monkey
Linda
(9)
This group didn't have as many constraints as the last one so I took us all the way to the tortuga crossroads heading north and came home via the blue bag trail as before. Shirley and Otto were out of their minds and had a blast running around sniffing stuff. Henry kept up well and had a great time; he's got to be at least 10 years old but he's still plenty feisty and has a jump in his step... what a guy. Nice group.
GRADE: :A
walk #3:
Zasu
Miles
Tito
Gowron
(4)
Roni took this group out for a walk to the land bridge and everyone else was really good about it. Miles did his usual dawdling but since it wasn't so horribly hot and there were no bugs it was not so annoying. Gowron swam in the charco next to the land bridge and looked mighty pleased with herself.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Our little mermaid did well and was breathing hard by the time we were done.
GRADE: A
morning dash:
Gowron
Rufus
Twiggy
Linda
Monkey
Tori
(6)
Up the beach past Au Soleil Couchant and home via the monte: ~5k. It was time for another beach dash with Rufus and the Rough Riders; this time we ran well north of Au Soleil Couchant before turning around and heading into the monte there. Everyone was happy and together and swam a lot; Monkey spent more time on the beach looking for sushi than swimming but even she got into the act a bit. Once we went into the monte everyone picked up the pace and had a good time. We took the blue bag trail home and everyone had fun goofing around in the charco next to the wooden shack, which is nearly dry and honestly pretty disgusting... I rinsed all of the hairier dogs off when we got home. I had Tori on the leash on the coco trail to keep the pace down. As we got to the shrimpery I saw a herd of goats off to the south so I quickly grabbed Rufus and put him on the other leash; I was glad I already had Tori on because she obviously smelled the goats and was ready to lead the charge. With those two hooked up nobody else was interested in taking off and we turned onto our trail without saying hi to the goats; to my amazement there was actually a human watching over them who even managed to notice us in the distance. Nice to see. Everyone was good to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Posey
Daisy
Xmul
Luna
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. McQueen threw himself into the mix of his own accord for the first time in a while; I was very happy to see it and made sure he didn't get aced out due to shenanigans before we left, which were many. Roni had to get the gate behind me and we really were moving at the beginning; they held up for me on the trail and stayed with me in general the whole way. We ran into two bird trappers on the dirty road on the way out; I didn't have the presence of mind to take their pictures but I did give them a stern reminder that it is illegal. We kept a high pace in stretches but there was a bit of screwing around and it wasn't our fastest run. Xmul was on the leash the whole way and everyone else was good loose. Steve McQueen had a good time running with Truman, whom he worships; Truman tolerated his adulation stoically. We hit the swimming hole in both directions; it is still deep enough in a couple of spots to at least horse around in and everyone enjoyed it. I put Hazel on the other end of the leash with Xmul on the dirty road coming home and made sure everyone stayed in line behind me on the final trail home.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
It was still calm at mid-day and the ocean didn't stink... I sure did after the run and some much-needed yard duty. I rinsed off and Greta swam like a little mermaid. Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Otto
Bette
George
Godzilla
Archie
Molly
Stella
(9)
I took this crew out for a walk to the north; we avoided the land bridge (lots of people) and instead took the alt. land bridge to the cut-over, headed all the way north to the tortuga crossroads from the intersection and came home via the blue bag trail. Stella was on the leash the whole way; she hasn't been getting out much in recent months so I thought I'd start throwing her in on walks like this. Everybody else was older or has hip problems and shouldn't run too much so we only jogged a little here and there. Nobody minded and they all had a blast in the charcos and smelling stuff in the woods the whole way.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
Good girl.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Eve
Chester
Reggie
Frankie
Bosha
Xmul
Tori
Murci
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. This group was really wound up in the launchpad before we left. I had to restrain Murci under my arm to get Xmul hooked up; when i finally did open the gate we left like a shot - I lost my hat in the first 10m and just left it because I wanted to keep the momentum going. Everyone calmed down quickly and was together and listening to me by the time we were passing the shrimpery. Xmul stayed on the hook for the duration and was a good girl. She has definitely lost some of her puppy craziness, although none of her enthusiasm. This gives me hope for Murci who is similarly crazed; she's young and already listens better than Xmul did at that age. Murci was good off the leash the whole way as was everyone else. We swam a lot where we could; the swimming hole is still deep enough from the last rain to give them a little relief from the heat and they horsed around a lot in the water. Bosha has really improved; she no longer becomes aggressive at the gate before we leave and is maybe getting a little better at the act of running, odd as that might sound. She didn't seem so ungainly this time and really had fun with everyone. She'll also be tired today which is certainly welcome. Reggie is such an adorable little angel it almost seems unfair he's so large; he really had a great time. I had Tori on the other end of the leash by the time we got to the end of the dirty road and everyone followed me like ducklings down the last trail home, crossed the road together and went straight to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Tuesday
Elewah
Jack
Twiggy
MoMo
Petey
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Murci
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. This was a fast group with a lot of energy and yet were really obedient. Tuesday was on the leash the whole way, obviously; we decided to ditch the harness because it just chafes at her and she's always been good just with her collar. Everyone else waited for us just across doce and in general stayed close to me the whole way and listened. I had to trap Petey in a crate and carry the whole crate out to the launchpad but once out he was really good and obviously had a great time; the same strategy will work with Mega so that's what I'm going to do now until they get over their bizarre phobia. The swimming hole is almost worthy of the name again; we hit it in both directions and everyone really enjoyed horsing around. Tuesday suffered the indignity of having Hazel on the other end of the leash with her from the dirty road until we got home; this brought the pace down and everyone was excellent on the last trail home. We arrived at the gate together and under control. Petey had a bit of a limp an hour afterwards so I gave him a pain pill; he needs to get out so we'll just have to watch him.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Rita
Gowron
Rufus
Lily
Stella
Tori
(6)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and home in the monte: ~4k. This was mainly to get Rufus out. The sea was stormy so I took dogs that like to swim in rough water. I took Stella because she was due and what the hell; she was on the leash the whole way and was fairly good about it. We ran north past Au Soleil Couchant on the beach, turned around and went south to the tortuga sign before we headed into the monte where we went the long way around to the blue bag trail and came home via the coco trail. I took two shorter leashes this time for some reason, so I put Tori on the other leash on the coco trail and everyone was good to the gate. Rita is feeling a bit better right now and had a good time the whole way.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Posey
Frijolita
Truman
Eve
Daisy
Xmul
Tori
Murci
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. It was overcast this morning; it rained a lot last night but the bugs have not yet woken up; the monte felt strange after having dried out so far already. We left the gate with nobody on the leash which was a mistake; Xmul didn't punish me for it and came to me when I called her just across doce, where I put her on the hook for the duration. She was a good girl and seems to really be maturing or maybe just calming down from the height of her craziness. This was a high-paced group. The monte smelled odd after the rain, even to me; to them it was obviously overpowering because they were constantly rolling in stuff everywhere. We saw no people anywhere but avoided the places where they have been working recently. I put Tori on the other end with Xmul at the very end and everyone behaved themselves to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Tito
Henry
Bette
Molly
Monkey
Linda
(8)
Roni took this crew out for a walk all the way around the cow pasture; with Miles along this becomes an exercise in patience but at least there were no bugs. Molly left on the leash but was let off quickly; she's been getting meds for pain as per the vet and it obviously helped her yesterday because she doesn't have a limp and ran around like a nut in stretches. Miles' dawdling is truly something - he simply will not be moved from his idea of what he wants to do. He avoided the water but nobody else did and they all came home looking quite pleased with themselves. It was cloudy earlier but most of it burned off quickly and it was hot as blazes most of the way. Roni carried Tito a little, both because his leg bothers him and because His Imperial Majesty needs to overlook his domain sometimes; she also had to carry Henry on the trail nearest to our house to avoid the worst of the xmul, which is still pretty bad in places. Everyone obviously had a blast and behaved well.
GRADE: A
morning swim:
Greta
(1)
A little strange because the undertow was strong but the surface was relatively calm; it was deep as well so it must've looked like we were flailing around for no reason in calm waters when we were in fact fighting the current tugging at our feet. She was breathing hard when we were done. It was overcast (rained last night, damn!) so at least it wasn't so hot. She's an angel.
GRADE: A
