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morning run:
Godzilla
Frijolita
Chester
Reggie
Daisy
Mega
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. It hasn't been great fun on the stretch of road southeast of the land bridge to the turn into the monte the last few times we went there but I'm tired of the same old northern routes; this time we headed north to the beginning (end?) of the palapa road, ran it all the way south but then took the serpentine north at the southern crossroads and ended up back at the intersection and the cut-over. Nobody is working in the charcos yet (still too wet) and there were no waterfowl either: just us and the bugs, who only made themselves felt in a few spots. We left with Daisy on the leash but she came off quickly and was a good girl the whole way. Mega keeps throwing himself out there and he's one dog that really needs it all the time so he came again and was a joy to have along. Frijolita has developed some kind of complex about the alt. land bridge; I don't know why but she just does not want to cross it going west. Fine, whatever: we ran the ridge going both ways, which made her happy (and everyone else likes that way as well). I had Tori and Murci on the long leash and Reggie on the short one at the shirmpery coming home and everyone was good to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Ginger
Bette
Linda
Amber
Zoot
(5)
Roni took this group out for a walk to the ridge and back, effectively the same as between the land bridges. The humidity and glare was awful but the bugs were worse, especially for this time of year (they're usually gone by now). Nonetheless everyone had a grand time. Ginger kept jacking up the pace and had to be put on the leash for a little while to get everyone together... she was the oldest one on the walk and yet as mischievous as she has ever been. Linda needed a bath after repeatedly dipping herself in the increasingly-salty (and just plain nasty) charcos. Amber and Zoot were just jazzed to be on the show and did their usual immitation of an electron cloud.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Posey
Chester
Rufus
Mega
Lex
Petey
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Murci
(9)
No-man's land: ~8k. Once again I wrangled Petey in a crate out to the launchpad; he was a little more reticent to come out until he saw his brothers and Rufus and then he decided it was a fine idea. We left with Rufus on the leash; he came off across the land bridge and was great the rest of the way. No-man's land was beautiful and quiet. We approached from the north via the swimming hole and looped back around to the south via the palapa road, took the jeep berm west and came home via the alt. land bridge. Everyone acquitted themselves well. I had Rufus and Hazel on either ends of the long leash and Murci on the short one before we got to the end of the dirty road and everyone was good to the gate.
GRADE: A
arrival:
Cookie
(1)
A small black puppy (eyes still blue) was wandering around the main vegetable market when I happened to walk in. The people were all pointing at it and laughing but, as usual, were doing nothing. I scooped her up and walked around the area looking for her mom or a person who recognized her but it was futile - who knows where she came from. She hasn't been properly weaned yet and was full of fleas and tiny ticks, a touch of sarna on her face... no big whoop compared to a lot we've seen. I called Roni to tell her we had incoming and now she's here. Roni was going to bake cookies when I got home but the pup put the kibosh on that so "Cookie" seemed like a good choice... maybe when her personality starts to assert itself we'll reconsider.
morning run:
Otto
Osita
Shirley
Frankie
Monkey
Luna
MoMo
Tori
Roxy
(9)
Swimming hole: ~6k. We've both been really tired the last few days and got a late start today. I didn't want to be gone too long and I did promise Shirley just yesterday so a shortie seemed in order. We left with Tori on the leash but I let her off at the shrimpery and put Roxy on just past the land bridge heading out; I let her off just before the swimming hole, where she had a great time. The pace was moderate to high for most of the way but Shirley, as usual, punched herself out by the time we got to the blue.bag trail so we had to bring it down a bit for the last kilometer. I had Roxy on the leash well before then coming home and she was good as usual; hard to remember she was a wild/stray dog dying of heartworm and ehrlichiosis a year ago. The charcos are still full enough for aquatic tomfoolery and everyone made the most of it and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Blue
Eve
Truman
Godzilla
Frijolita
Rita
Tuesday
Gowron
Mega
Petey
(10)
Northern charcos: ~8k. I didn't fully realize how many of Gracie's pups I had with me until we were on the road; only Posey and Osita were missing. I saw we had ten out before I let them into the launchpad but Roni pointed out that Blue and Eve should only count as one because they're both so good. The main point of this run was Petey. He hasn't been out in a while mainly owing to his continuing ear issues and generally skittish attitude; we think these two are related and decided that getting him out on a run was worth trying... in any event I like taking him on runs and have missed him so regardless this was good. I had to crate him and carry the crate out to the gate before I wrangled anyone else but once everyone was together he was perfectly fine and behaved well the whole way. He drank from the bottle, never shied away from me and interacted with me a lot the whole way. I'm going to make an effort to get him out a lot more in the next few days. Tuesday was on the leash the whole way as always and was perfect, as was everyone else. Rita had a problem with the pace in spots and we took a while to get home mainly because we had to wait to let her catch up a few times; some of it might've been her allergies but she also likes to lag and screw around a lot. Mega was perfect on point the whole way; he's gone a lot recently but I thought Petey would be happier with one of his kin along and they did pal around a bit. I didn't bother with leashes the whole way other than Tuesday and everyone was perfect to the gate. Nice run on a chilly, clear morning.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
George
Archie
Ernie
Maggie
Ziggy
Molly
Bosha
Roxy
(10)
I took this group for a walk between the land bridges. It was a little chilly (for here) and this invigorated everyone. I left with Molly on the leash but it should've been Ernie - he's out of his furry little mind in the first 200m. I switched the leash to him at the shrimpery and kept him on until we crossed the land bridge just to keep him honest (good luck with that, beardo); he was a good boy the rest of the way but his usual pain pill afterwards, as did Archie. I put Roxy on the long leash when I let Ernie off the short one and that worked out well. Ginger and Alice did their usual quota of screwing around and were highly pleasd with themselves. Everyone had a good time and listened well.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Posey
Chester
Daisy
Twiggy
Mega
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Murci
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. Between having a banged-up foot and having to go to Merida a lot the last few days haven't been great for doggie runs. Mega and Steve just went but it has been a few days and I'm still just happy they are throwing themselves out there and not being strange about it, especially Mega. Daisy left on the leash to keep her honest in the first kilometer; once she came off she was good for the rest of the run. Everyone else ran around me in a little cloud, periodically pushing ahead a few meters and then circling around to stay with me - quite a spectacle. We took the land bridge and the ridge out, hit the swimming hole and headed north. Mega was on point most of the way but listened well. Posey suggested continuing north to the long and winding road but I reeled her in and we turned south instead. We took the jeep berm to the swimming hole again heading home. I had Hazel and Murci on leashes by the shrimpery and everyone was perfect to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Osita*
Rufus
Jack
Amber
Tori
(5)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. This was a quickie with Rufus and a few of his peeps. Osita tried to sneak on at the end after we had speed-wrangled everyone so I let her leave with us despite misgivings. she didn't really want to go and I saw her turn around at the shrimpery and head home. I knew that Roni would be watching in case Amber came home so I didn't worry about it and pressed on. Rufus left on the leash as usual but I let him off before we crossed the alt. land bridge heading out and he was a good boy from there on. I managed to get Amber on the hook very shortly therefter just to keep her with us; she doesn't mind the leash and was great the rest of the way. We more or less ran flat out to Au Soleil Couchant. There were fishermen with nets south in front of the tortuga sign so I just made sure I had everyone under control and we ran around them without difficulty. Everyone enjoyed swimming and horsing around on the beach. We came home via the blue.bag trail and everyone was really perfect. I had Rufus on the black leash on the last trail just to keep everyone honest. Nice short run on a pretty morning.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Archie
Maggie
Ziggy
Monkey
Molly
Bosha
Linda
Roxy
(10)
I took this group for a walk from the land bridge to the tortuga crossroads and home via the blue.bag trail. I got Roxy on the leash just across the land bridge and she was good on the leash the rest of the way. Everyone else was happy and enthusiastic and they all listened well and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Bette
Amber
Zoot
(3)
Roni took this crew for a walk between the land bridges and then some. The Electron Twins have been dying to go and Bette's foot is better now. She's substantial enough that the Amer/Zoot Particle/Wave probability cloud cannot sweep her up. Roni also took two large bags to gather herbs and plants with and came home with an impressive haul. This was a good group for foraging, both because they let Roni do what she wants without getting too far away and because they enjoy this kind of walk and tire themselves out a bit.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Truman
Archie
Lex
Mega
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Tori
Murci
Roxy
(9)
To the swimming hole: ~6k. This group came together in the launchpad all of a sudden. It was my hope that I could get Petey to throw himself in there with his brothers but it wasn't in the cards. Instead Roxy ended up getting herself into the mix, which was also something I wanted to happen; she needs to go on short runs more now that she's better and has so much energy. We left with Tori on the leash just to reign in the madness a bit in the first 250m; she came off quickly and was good the rest of the way. Roxy screwed me over a bit early but I should've seen it coming: she's sort of programmed to cross back over at the alt. land bridge since that's what she almost always ends up doing when we go on a walk. This time she charged across it and was heading towards Angel's corner while everyone else was with me at the base of the cut-over. I had to run across, catch her, hook her up and bring her across to the rest of the group, but at least everyone else was perfect and seemed to get what was going on: nobody ran ahead, they all just idled and screwed around in the brush while I dealt with Roxy. Once on the hook Roxy was perfect the rest of the way. She had a good time at the swimming hole with everyone and ran enthusiastically. Sadly I scraped the bottom of my foot right at the very start of the run (crossing the road, no less); it was just enough to cut me, which made all of the saltier bits of the run hurt like hell until enough salty mud got jammed in there to sort of cauterize it. This made the swimming hole a little less fun for me but everyone else had such a good time it made me forget. We came home via the blue.bag trail, mainly to throw a different look at Roxy so she starts to get the difference between walks and runs. I ended up with Murci on the black leash and Tori on the other end with Roxy by the time we got to the shrimpery so that there were no surprises coming home. Everyone was perfect to the gate.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Blue
Osita
Chester
Reggie
Gowron
Luna
Mega
Steve McQueen
(9)
Northern charcos: ~8k. I didn't use the leash at all until the very end and I only took one: that's how good this group was. Everyone left loose and was angelic the entire run. We took the blue.bag trail out and the alt. land bridge to the coco trail coming home. I thought perhaps the hidden trail but the ocean has been churned up and muddy the last few days; not very much fun to swim in. The recent rains, on the other hand, left the swimming hole in a state worthy of its name and everyone enjoyed it on the way north. I hadn't thought of taking Mega and Steve beforehand but they both threw themselves out there (hurray for passion flower); they also both worship Reggie and were thrilled to run with him. We kept a reasonably high pace throughout. It was sunny but not overly hot and nobody had any trouble. I had Reggie on the leash at the shrimpery more or less as a formality but I should've chosen Luna instead; she darted down to the beach at the very end as I was getting everyone else in the gate and I had to go fish her out of the drink... she just wanted a dip and I couldn't be mad at her for it but I'll have to remember that next time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Greta
(3)
Roni took these three out for a meandering walk down to the land bridge with the dual purpose of gathering various herbs she's been learning about. This place is amazing that way: we live in a giant, out-door pharmacy / vegetable stand and very few seem to realize it. It was a bit hot for Greta but the walk was good for her morale and she does need to get in better shape; she had to rest at the intersection near the land bridge coming home but since Roni wanted to poke around in the bushes that worked out well. All of her charges were angels and some pretty cool stuff was foraged as well.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Ginger
Archie
Ernie
Molly
Ziggy
Maggie
Stella
Monkey
Bosha
Roxy
(10)
I took this group for a walk across the land bridge. I thought we might do our usual route from one land bridge to the other but they were too wound up and that was obviously going to be too short a distance. Instead we continued on the cut-over to the intersection, then turned back heading south on the main road and looped around to the land bridge again to come home: slightly longer but hopefully not too long for Ernie (he certainly didn't mind). I did my usual leash.trick with Stella and Roxy just across the land bridge because Roxy was totally crazed and needed to be reigned in a bit. She was great on the leash the rest of the way and Stella also cooperated a bit more than she usually does. There are now several places where local comedians have dumped piles of nasty, stinking filth (decaying fish, rotting crab shells), much to the delight of my charges; Monkey, Molly and Ginger insisted on an extended stay at the hyper-minimalist sushi bar just on our side of the land bridge coming home... Ginger was hoping to bring home some take-out but I had had enough by that point and made her leave it. Other than the stench it was a nice walk with an energetic and happy bunch of dogs.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Otto
Gracie
Blue
Posey
Chester
Shirley
Rufus
Frankie
MoMo
Tori
(10)
To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant via the swimming hole: ~7k. Blue got thrown in as tenth dog at the end; she's always good and was just dying to go. Rufus also sort of talked his way onto this one by following the new protocol perfectly and without prompting: he quietly put himself out in the front yard and ran into one of the crates near the casita, which is where we've been putting him before he goes out. He always needs it and he's generally an angel - an incredibly excited, energetic angel. He left on the leash, everyone else was loose. I decided on the blue.bag trail heading out; we had some rain last night / early morning so I didn't think anyone would be working out there early and I was right. We took the long way to the swimming hole heading out and got there in record time. The rain was hard enough to fill all the potholes and crevices with water and top off the swimming hole, much to everyone's delight. Once there I thought everyone would like the beach; I didn't want to go too far with Shirley so we skipped the hidden trail and ran straight to the ocean via the Au Soleil Couchant access road. I had Rufus and Tori on leashes before we got to the shore just in case we came out on top of Xmul and the gang; I don't think there would've been trouble but they're all too excitable and Xmul would surely have been loose. It turns out my spidey-sense was firing on all cylinders today: Nicole, Mel, Rudolph and Xmul were just south down the beach in front of the tortuga sign, far enough away that nobody wanted to charge down there but close enough that we would've caught them if we ran straight down. Instead I took us north a bit to give them time to get farther south, then we ran home via the tortuga sign and the blue.bag trail again. Everyone was really perfect and had a great time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Eve
Rita
Truman
Godzilla
Elewah
Lily
Jack
Daisy
Murci
(9)
No-man's land: ~8k. Daisy left on the leash and stayed on until I was satisfied that she would behave herself and not take runs at any of the others in the group; I stayed on top of her verbally throughout but once she came off the leash at the swimming hole she was good the rest of the way... our disciplining her at home for outbursts has obviously had a good effect. This group was upbeat and enthusiastic in general. We hit the swimming hole on the way out and arrived at the northern end of no-man's land in record time. The run south was pretty and the monte has dried out so much that it wasn't a hard slog, unlike last time. We came home via the jeep berm and the alt. land bridge, but took the coco trail instead of the dirty road. Elewah was great the whole way and made a point of showing me how good she was being as we were getting close to home. I put Truman on the hook and Murci on the other end of the leash past the alt. land bridge because they are the ones most likely to charge off in the final kilometer but there was probably no need. Everyone arrived at the gate together. Nice, fast run.
GRADE: A
