Monday, May 30, 2016

30.05.16

morning walk:
Ginger
Blue
Bette
Monkey
Linda
Stella
Amber
Zoot
(8)

Roni took this crew out for a walk in the monte to the east. Everyone was perfect and had a great time.
GRADE: A

morning beach run:
Rufus
Jack
Gowron
Shirley
Daisy
(5)

Au Soleil Couchant: ~4k. A quickie up the beach. We got cut off coming home by the dogs near the soldiers but I got everyone up onto the maginot line and we were fine coming home.
GRADE: A

Friday, May 27, 2016

27.05.16

morning run:
Posey
Eve
Truman
Xmul
Mega
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Past Au Soleil Couchant: ~7k. A fairly long run up the beach. We left via the tortuga sign but ran into a lot of salt workers heading out, so I decided to come home via the maginot line. Everyone was really good.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

24.05.16

beach run:
Rita
Osita
George
Tuesday
Frankie
Molly
Twiggy
Roxy
Tupo
(9)

Au Soleil Couchant: ~5k. We took the maginot line both ways. Tuesday got a little "paranoid" with me towards the end on the beach but once we turned east onto the maginot line she improved her behavior. Everyone was really good otherwise.
GRADE: A

Sunday, May 22, 2016

22.05.16

beach run:
Rufus
Jack
Otto
Shirley
MoMo
Daisy
(6)

Up the beach and back: ~4k. Just a quick one to get some energy out. Everyone was perfect.
GRADE: A

Saturday, May 21, 2016

21.05.16

morning run:
Luna
Xmul
Hazel
Lex
Steve McQueen
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Au Soleil Couchant: ~6k. We took the tortuga sign both ways. This was a fast one and everyone had a great time.
GRADE: A

Friday, May 20, 2016

20.05.16

morning walk:
Ginger
Bette
Blue
Monkey
Linda
Stella
Amber
Zoot
(8)

Roni took this group for a fast walk to the east. Everyone was good and had a good time.
GRADE: A

Thursday, May 19, 2016

19.05.16

vet trip:
Tito
Nico
(2)

This was kind of a sad trip. Tito was long overdue for a checkup and Nico has this continuing skin problem that we want to find an answer to, but the motivation for going today was a dog that was operated on at the last clinic. The owners neglected to tell us that she had not been eating before the clinic - if they had we would not have allowed her to be operated on. She didn't do well afterwards and today was the first day I could take her. To my deep sadness she was dead by the time we arrived at Dra. Sandra's. Next clinic we will be doing more screening and asking questions before dogs go under the knife. A female cat that managed to rip its stitches out also came along and was fine - she got patched up and is okay now. You're always going to have some bad with the good but this was a tough day. Tito turns out to have a slightly enlarged heart (but no heartworm) and is on medication now - he claims it's all nonsense and he can kick our asses if he wants to. We're still waiting for the lab results from Nico's biopsy. Both of them were angels on the trip. It was hot as hell in Merida and on the road.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

17.05.16

morning run:
Posey
Frijolita
Gowron
Shirley
Steve McQueen
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Coco
(9)

Up the beach past Au Soleil Couchant: ~6k. This was challenging because it was Coco's first real run and she's still not great on the leash, although she was much better coming home than she was heading out. It would've been easier if I hadn't had June on the leash as well on the way to the beach, but I still don't trust her around motos and people and there has been a lot of salt-worker activity in the nearby charcos recently. Coco must've dived behind my back to trip me up 50 times before we got to the beach, but once I let June off it got easier. Coco forgot about the leash for long stretches when we picked up the pace - she's definitely a running dog and, like her brother Tupo, is NOT a water dog. She didn't want any part of the ocean. I picked her up and carried her in once just to help her cool off and to see how she did; she swam back to shore acceptably well but wasn't interested in going in again. PupG was a weirdo coming home and got "the fear" as we were approaching the blue bag trail - I don't know why, she's never done that before. I knew she would just go home or maybe go swimming on the beach if she beat us there, and she has no problems with people or vehicles so I tried to keep her in sight and didn't worry about it. It turned out fine, she just ran to the gate and beat us by a couple of minutes. Everyone else listened and stayed with me. A fun run on a very humid morning.
GRADE: A

Sunday, May 15, 2016

15.05.16

clinic day:
everyone

We put on our fourth free clinic today in Celestun, the second large one open to females and males and the third one under the CADA banner. All told, 36 animals were sterilized, including Solitaria, the mother of Tupo, Coco and Nico. Her beau, Ringo, was also done. There are still donated materials left in the kitty and Dra. Sandra will be doing a few more sterilizations post-clinic in the coming weeks, as we had to turn many people away. One poor street dog needed to be put down due to terminal and aggressive cancer; it's sad but it was also good that we were able to do something instead of just letting nature take its awful, painful course. The community response was gratifying to see and the vets all had a good time and were very productive. It was a lot of work for Roni, Jackie and me but it was worth it.
GRADE: A

Saturday, May 14, 2016

14.05.16

morning run:
Truman
Rita
Chester
Twiggy
Lex
Hazel
Roxy
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Beach run: ~8k. This was almost the same as the last run, except we took the tortuga access road both ways to the beach. Everyone did really well and had a great time.
GRADE: A

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

11.05.16

morning run:
Eve
Posey
Elewah
Xmul
MoMo
Murci
Cookie
Zoila
Tupo
(9)

Beach run: ~8k. We took the long way to the beach via the monte, headed north until Playa Maya was clearly visible in the distance, turned around and came home via the tortuga sign access road. We ran into an uncooperative/clueless person on the beach who complicated things a little but the dogs are thankfully not clueless and did well. Zoila didn't come off the leash but she had a great time - she loves to swim. Everyone else had a great time as well.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

10.05.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Rita
George
Archie
Ernie
Molly
Maggie
Ziggy
Stella
(10)

I took this group for a reasonably long walk in the monte to the east. Archie had no limp afterwards, thankfully. Everyone did really well and had a good time.
GRADE: A

Monday, May 9, 2016

09.05.16

morning walk:
Miles
(1)

Roni took Miles for a saunter to the salt ponds and back; she also foraged a big bag of pasiflora. Miles' dawdling is perfect for this. He had a good time.
GRADE: A

incoming:
*Ruby
(1)

The firemen found the second pup they had told us about and brought her by. We're calling her Ruby, to go along with Pe(a)rl, her sister.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

08.05.16

morning run:
Rufus
Daisy
Shirley
(3)

Beach run: 4k. I took these three up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back. Along the way we discovered a large dead sea turtle up on the beach. It looked like it was run over by a boat, hard to say exactly, but it had not been dead long. Very sad. I reported it to Pronatura. The dogs were really good.
GRADE: A

morning run #2:
Otto
Twiggy
Luna
Frankie
April
(5)

Tortuga duty: 4k. Since I did not have my phone on me on the first run (I usually don't), I felt it necessary to go back a second time and take pictures and document the dead turtle for Pronatura. This time I took these five, since they needed to get out and I know they would be good. April was on the leash the whole way just because she's had a tendency to run off like a maniac on the beach in the past. Everyone was stellar.
GRADE: A

evening stroll:
April
Ziggy
(2)

These two went out with me for a brief stroll the freshen the water we leave out for the strays. Everyone was good.
GRADE: A

Friday, May 6, 2016

06.05.16

morning run:
Truman
Posey
Lily
Mega
Steve McQueen
Hazel
Cookie
Roxy
Junebug
Tupo
(10)

Au Soleil Couchant: 8k. Today was the first day in a few that my ankle felt like it could take a run, so everyone was really raring to go. I don't like taking groups this large but there was no obvious choice to kick out and there were only a couple dogs that really needed managing, so what the hell this once. We went to the beach in the monte via A.S.C. both ways, with June on the leash and Roxy off. We ran into a few people and I had to do a little bit of wrangling to get everyone together at times. Tupo does still get spooked by people (but not always); he has to be watched a bit, but June even moreso. I had to pick her up and carry her past one person on a moto, but at least she doesn't try to claw her way out of my arms anymore. Everyone else was perfect and listened well the whole way. We ran far to the north on the beach and kept the pace up throughout.
GRADE: A

evening outing:
April
(1)

April accompanied me again to fill the watering dish, this time off the leash completely. She was an angel.
GRADE: A

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

04.05.16

morning walk:
Bette
Blue
Gowron
Monkey
Linda
Amber
Zoot
Nico
(8)

Roni took this crew out for a fast, long walk in the monte to the east. For the fourth time in a row Amber was off the leash almost the whole way, including at the end all the way to the gate. This is real progress. Roni leaves with her on the leash just to hold her up a bit at the beginning, but her "paranoia" seems to be gone or at least a lot less intense. Zoot also has calmed down a bit and was good about staying with her. Nico loves Roni so much it is wonderful to watch - it doesn't occur to her to do anything but stay with Roni, except when she has to spazz out a bit with her playmates. Monkey and PupG had to be rinsed when they got home, they were disgusting from the charcos but quite pleased with themselves.
GRADE: A

beach run:
Otto
Rufus
Jack
Daisy
Tupo
(5)

Au Soleil Couchant: 4k. I took these five for a fast one up and down the beach. Tupo ran his ass off on the edge of the bluff for the first 300m, obviously wanting nothing to do with the splashy shenanigans of his runningmates but by all means keeping up with the program. Rufus and Daisy had a lot of fun swimming and everyone had a good time hauling ass in general.
GRADE: A

afternoon walk:
Tito
(1)

Tito took Roni out to forage some pasiflora while he oversaw some shady deals in the monte.
GRADE: A

evening outing:
April
(1)

April accompanied me to go top off the watering dish for strays. Good girl.
GRADE: A

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

03.05.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Gracie
George
Archie
Ernie
Molly
Maggie
Ziggy
Twiggy
Stella
(11)

I took this extended group for a reasonably long walk in the monte around the tar paper shack to the east and environs. Stella was on the leash the whole way, Gracie only between the shrimpery and home (keeps her honest). Archie did well and wasn't too bad off afterwards; maybe he had some injury that was making his hips feel worse for a while, because he didn't seem to suffer any ill effects. Even though it was a large group they all listened really well; there were people working in the salt and everyone stayed with me and did as they should.
GRADE: A