29.03.16

morning run:
Posey
Rita
Blue
Jack
Daisy
Luna
Hazel
Roxy
Tupo
(9)

Au Soleil Couchant: ~6k. We hit ASC via the monte and came home via the beach the usual way. Everyone was great.
GRADE: A

26.03.16

morning walk:
Amber
Zoot
Zoila
Monkey
Linda
(5)

Roni took this crew out for a walk.
GRADE: A

23.03.16

morning run:
Chester
Otto
Shirley
Frankie
Lex
Hazel
Murci
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Southern loop: ~7k. We took a shorter route with Shirley along but we still kept the pace up and everyone had a great time.
GRADE: A

21.03.16

morning run:
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
MoMo
Luna
Cookie
Roxy
(7)

Au Soleil Couchant via the monte: ~6k. This was another fast run. Shirley was originally in the mix but her energy was too much at the gate so she got bumped. The remaining dogs settled down once we were underway but they all really wanted to run so we kept the pace up. We took the blue.bag trail heading out; it no longer has even the vestiges of a blue bag to mark it but that's how I think of it. Rufus came off of the leash when we empted out onto the road. I had Roxy on from shrimpery to the beach, where I let her off for a while... the wind was intense and directly in our faces the whole way north and Roxy ran ahead too much for my liking so I hooked her up again when we got to A.S.C. and she stayed on for the duration. In fairness to her she probably couldn't hear me yelling for her over the wind but whatever - she's still a bit of a wildcard and needs to be under control. Everyone was really good the whole way home and they all had a great time.
GRADE: A

walk #1:
Monkey
Linda
Coco
(3)

Roni took these three out for a walk as storm clouds gathered, taking advantage of the slightly cooler temperature. Coco left off the leash and this turned out to be a mistake - she's wickedly smart and hyper-sensitive about the leash, to the point where she ran off and refused to come home with Roni and the other two. We've seen this enough now that we didn't panic, since we knew she was nearby. Roni also saw a stray pup on our trail coming home, so when she went out to look for Nico she took some food and water, in case she saw it again (she didn't). Roni didn't find Coco the first trip out, so I went out on the bike and did a larger circle, all the way down to Angel's corner and then back to the land bridge. I enountered her at the land bridge and could see she was still really wound up but otherwise okay. I tried to convince her to come to me but she would have none of it, so I made reassuring noises and biked home slowly. Finally, as Roni was in the launchpad preparing to go out for her a third time she sheepishly came creeping up to the gate. She managed to scrape the pad on one of her paws somehow but was otherwise fine. We'll obviously work with her more on the leash but at least it was lazy, cloudy Sunday with no traffic or people around.

walk #2:
Miles
(1)

After all the hubub with Coco Roni took Miles out for a meander in the nearby monte. He was a bit annoying, as is his wont; he is stubborn and opinionated, so he's obviously in the right place.

20.03.16

morning walk:
Bette
Nico
(2)

Roni took Nico out for some special walk-with-Mom time; Bette is the perfect companion for this and was a great influence. Nico doesn't like the leash but Roni worked with her and she managed to come home on the last trail on the leash without problem. She's so goofy and sweet and she loves Roni so much; Roni got some great shots and video of her being such an adorable nut. Bette is such a good walking companion it's hard not to have a nice time.
GRADE: A

18.03.16

morning run:
Eve
Truman
Posey
Luna
Steve
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. This was a fast group - we only stopped briefly for water a handful of times. June and Tupo left on leashes; June stayed on for the duration but I let Tupo off for a long stretch in the middle of the run. He was great both ways, gave me no problem getting him back on the leash and even drank from the bottle like a pro. This was his first real big-boy run and he had a blast. He's definitely more of a monte dog than a beach dog; he doesn't mind going around or through small puddles but he doesn't like to be near any water that feels deeper to him. Everyone was obedient and upbeat, listened well and had a great time.
GRADE: A

17.03.16

morning walk:
Ginger
Reggie
Otto
Monkey
Linda
Amber
Zoot
(7)

Roni took this group out for a brisk walk. Everyone was good.
GRADE: A

15.03.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Gracie
Rita
Blue
Ernie
Molly
Maggie
Ziggy
Linda
(10)

Once again I'm catching up on posts days after the fact. I don't recall much about this wal kbut I think Gracie and Ernie left on leashes, came off quickly and everyone was generally good.
GRADE: A

10.03.16

morning run (aborted):
Godzilla*
Gowron
Twiggy
MoMo
Hazel
Lex
Cookie
Zoila
Tupo
(9)

What an awful day. I am writing about it now four days later. I left with Zoila and Tupo on leashes and everything seemed to be going well except I noticed when I got to the shrimpery that Godzilla was not behind me. I called for her and she finally appeared, but as we continued on towards the land bridge she was more and more reticent to go. She also looked strange to me. She had been up for the run beforehand but now her tail was down and her lips seemed to be an odd color so I turned us all around and went home, after only 1km. Zilla got some meds and went into a crate to be observed. I foolishly decided to try and take the remaining eight back out but a couple of them were already less enthusiastic, since it had been kind of weird. I insisted PupG and Lex get back into the launchpad and then we left again. This time things did not go so well. Lex, Cookie and Mo led by PupG all immediately ran down to the beach to the south of us which led to me forcing them out of the water and injuring myself in the process. At this point I finally realized how dumb this was and that we weren't going anywhere today, so I rounded everyone back up who was still loose (some had already gone home). When things calmed down I went to check on Godzilla in her crate and she was dead. We've seen something like this before, where a dog had a long-running, undiagnosed case of ehrlichiosis, went running and got very sick and died. Godzilla had not given us any indication that she might be sick or under the weather. We could find no bite marks on her. Her appetite was good, she had no issues going to the bathroom and her attitude seemed playful if anything. I would've had to drive her body all the way to Merida to possibly have someone analyze it and tell us what happened and we've never had good luck getting these kinds of answers before, so we just buried her. It sucks to not know why your friends die. Godzilla was a wonderful dog and a member of the first family group that we took in (Gracie's pups). She and her litter were born in the bushes at the army camp up the road but their eyes weren't even open when the soldiers asked us to come get them. Gracie, George, Chester and their little crew of pups helped us turn into the pack we are. We went through so many things with her and with all of them, and she grew up to be such a good girl she didn't even wear a collar - it mussed her pretty coat too much and she didn't really need it. We're both sickened by her loss and by the fact that we don't know why.

09.03.16

morning walk:
Bette
Tuesday
Gowron
Monkey
Linda
Amber
Zoot
(7)

Roni took this group out for a walk around the charcos. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A

06.06.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
George
Ernie
Molly
Maggie
Ziggy
Stella
Tupo
(9)

I took this group for a walk across the land bridge and to the south, with Tupo and Stella on leashes to begin with. Everyone else (Ernie, Molly) was good early on and listened well. We ran across a bird-trapper at the shrimpery, camped out on top of the concrete tanks with his little dog by his side. Our dogs were exemplary: Ernie and Molly were slightly interested but listened and came to me immediately and everyone else followed suit. We didn't rush but were were still by him and his dog in a flash with only two or three barks from anyone. Tupo was especially good on the leash: he didn't like the moto-trike the guy had left parked in the road but he wasn't too upset by it, and he didn't freak out about a strange person or dog. Tupo was off the leash a little past that point and was good about coming back to me and listening the whole way. On the trip home I had him back on the leash before we got to the shrimpery; the guy and his dog were still there and everyone was good about it again. Nice walk on an eerie, foggy morning. Lots of noises all around us in the mist.
GRADE: A

04.03.16

morning run:
Rufus
Jack
Shirley
Daisy
Twiggy
Roxy
(6)

Southern monte loop: ~6k. Rufus really wanted to get out and was really fired up. I started with a group of eight in the launchpad but it was too much energy and I kicked 'Zilla and Otto out to take it down to six so we could get out without too much mayhem... We ran across the land bridge, ducked south at the tar paper shack and onto the "terreno federal" road, which we took into the month to the south, caught the nearest serpentine and took the shortcut ("hidden" trail) back south to the tar paper shack again. It's not our normal route and this helped keep everyone engaged and together. Rufus came off the leash at the tar paper shack heading out, but Roxy was on from the shrimpery for the rest of the run. Everyone was really great once we were running. Daisy lagged a little but this is more her kind of group and pace: fast in spots but not all the time and with bigger dogs. I hooked Rufus up as we were coming home and they were all good to the gate.
GRADE: A

03.03.16

morning run:
Posey
Eve
Truman
Chester
Mega
Steve McQueen
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. We ran the length of the palapa road, and quickly. Roni's back from a week-long trip and we were both wiped out after for a few days, so everyone was raring to go. Chester was amazing, as usual, schooling dogs one fifth his age the whole way. We cut through a lot of strange little places with and took a slightly different route to keep everyone interested and having fun, leaving and coming home via the land bridge. Fun, fast run.
GRADE: A