The state of this blog

I stopped posting on this blog after the death of Reggie, one of our closest, dearest friends. I still can't think about it without crying. I normally would've written an obituary and keep on plugging but after losing Tori almost two years earlier something in me broke and then when Reggie died there was nothing left to spring back.

It's been almost 2 years since Reggie. I've continued to keep a log in my notes of everything we do with the dogs outside the yard, but the old way I had of externalizing it in this blog is just dead in me. I've tried to resurrect it and have failed multiple times. I'm posting this belatedly for some kind of completion.

I have planned many times to resurrect this blog on our own server, using some very simple blogging software I wrote. I have yet to do so, and I'm honestly not sure there is a point. I don't think too many people ever looked here, but for the few that did: I'll post something here if there's a new URL to visit.

Roni's blog at dogsofcelestun.blogspot.com is still active. Reggie's death hit her hardest. Please, anyone who reads this who cares at all about what we do, give her some love, and not just because of Reggie; give her some love because she gives a shit. That should be enough.

31.10.16

morning run:
Posey
Truman
Elewah
Luna
Mega
Murci
Cookie
Zoila
Tupo
(9)

Southern charcos: ~6k. This was Zoila's first run since she started presenting a limp a couple months ago. We think it might've just been an injury and that she's over it now because she had no limp after her last walk, which was pretty energetic. This group could've been a little calmer at the gate - they were really wound up and Roni had to help with everyone getting out smoothly. Once we got going they calmed down quickly and Zoila did well. She is part tank, part horse, part dog; when she lowers her head and really digs in you had better be ready. She isn't completely nuts, though, and does listen; she just needs to go hard for a big stretch at the beginning and then she feels better. We took the super-sloggy route to the inner serpentine today, which was much to her liking. The water had a very visible current in it and had quite a bit of fresh rainwater so it wasn't so disgusting or muddy. At one point we had to ford a charco/streamlet 30m wide or so that was deep enough a few of the dogs had to swim. Zoila loved this and we were almost across when I realized Tupo had not joined us. Instead he was putting on the cutest, most pathetic display I have seen in a while on the shore behind us. I had thought he might just be carried across by everyone else's enthusiasm but no dice, so we went back across and I scooped him up and carried him across. He curled into a comma and tucked his head under my beard the whole way - ridiculous, he was one of the tallest dogs on this run! We continued north on the serpentine all the way to the circular intersection, headed north a spell again and took the tortuga road to the blue.bag trail. I hooked Tupo up at the shrimpery because he needs some time on the leash now and then. Elewah stayed close to me the whole way down the final trail home so I decided to scoop her up instead of letting her run down to the beach - I just didn't feel like it today, this was a fast run and I was tired to begin with. Things almost ended in disaster 10m from the gate as Tupo literally wound me up in the leash like a freaking lunatic while I had both hands full (leashes and Elewah). It would've made a funny 10second short. All in all a crazy fast run with some very nice dogs.
GRADE: A

30.10.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Bette
Gracie
Archie
Molly
Stella
Maggie
April
Monkey
Perl
Ruby
(12)

I took this crew for a walk in the monte to the east and south, our now-usual route. Stella was on the hook for the duration. Bette started out on the second leash just until the shrimpery, to keep her from running like a lunatic; the pace came down there, I let her off and she was fine the rest of the way. I hooked Ruby up coming home at the shrimpery just to keep her honest but it probably wasn't necessary. Maggie looked excellent with her new hair cut (yay Roni). They all had a great time and behaved themselves perfectly.
GRADE: A

28.10.16

morning run:
Chester
Rita
Shirley
Rufus
Steve
Roxy
Junebug
(7)

Southern charcos: ~6k. This was a nice group. I didn't take as many dogs because this new thing with Rufus is still a work in progress but it's going much better. With June on the hook leaving we were really moving when Rufus caught up at the corner and he was caught up in the fun of running for the most part. We made it to the shrimpery with only a little barking and some stern words. I didn't even bother putting him on the leash for a bit like I usually do, he seemed to calm down fast and was good the whole way. My idea was to do the same inner-serpentine route we did last time because it was probably still flooded and everyone likes that a lot. We did that for the most part, but at the end I thought I would be clever and take the "hidden" road back to the tar paper shack from the north. June had been good the whole way mostly off the leash and I hadn't seen or heard anyone when we were heading out, but it turns out there was a truck and some people loading bags of salt about halfway to the shack. June wasn't happy about it and was off the leash but she didn't completely flip out or panic. I turned us around without making a big deal about it and she came with. I put her on the leash within 50m just to make sure we were all together and then we ran north back to the road that leads to the intersection and came home via the land bridge again. Everyone was really great, including Roxy who was also mostly off the leash.
GRADE: A

27.10.16

morning walk:
Blue
Otto
Amber
Zoot
Zoila
(5)

Roni took this crew on a ridiculously energetic walk/run in the monte. They almost made it to the beach but Otto and Blue ran ahead with Zoot and got the dogs at the HoJo barking and Roni had had enough by that point. Zoila is a little horse, or maybe a cyborg horse/tank combo. Even on a harness it can be challenging, to put it mildly. We've been keeping her off runs and only doing infrequent walks because of the limp she kept having after outings, but now we're starting to think it was just an injury and nothing chronic: she had no limp after this walk and it would surely have given her one if she had an issue. She should still go to Dra. Sandra to get pictures taken so we can be sure what's going on but she does seem to be doing a little better. Being on the other end of the leash with her is quite something and then Zoot takes it up a notch with his high-paced orbits. It wasn't more than Roni could handle but it was a good idea to go with not too many other dogs. Amber darted down to the ocean at the end and Roni had to go get her off the north fence but otherwise they behaved reasonably well. Otto shouldn't go with Zoot because they pump each other up a bit. They both do listen (Otto better than Zoot) but if you have other things occupying your attention it can be annoying. At least everyone had a great time and Zoila was okay afterwards. An advanced walk.
GRADE: B

incoming:
Dulce*
(1)

This little thing had been camping out under our Jeep for a week. Unfortunately we came to the conclusion that she is probably pregnant. She's little and seems too young but it can happen sometimes; judging from her teeth and behavior we think she's 6 months old at the outside, probably a good bit younger. We already wormed her, gave her ivermectina and frontline before she came in; she has adjusted extremely well and immediately made friends (Frida, Perl, Ruby). She's obviously going to the vet at first opportunity: if she isn't pregnant then there's something else going on.

25.10.16

morning run:
Frankie
Lily
Jack
Mega
Steve McQueen
Murci
Cookie
Roxy
Junebug
Tupo
(10)

Southern charcos: ~7k. We passed a group of salt workers on the way out at the land bridge, obviously setting up to run a salt loading machine. Everyone stayed with me and ran right by them except Mega, who went over to sniff the remains of their foodstuffs; I yelled for him and he came immediately. For the rest of the run we took a weird route, doubling back a bit at one point to get back to the 4-way intersection in the southern charcos from halfway up the middle serpentine. I kept hearing motos and other vehicular noises everywhere but never saw anything making them. It was cloudy, windy and a tiny bit foggy out and everything sounded strange. June kept getting paranoid from the noises, so I had her on and off the leash repeatedly for the whole run and she was good about it. At one point we crested a small hill and I saw a little black dog about 150m ahead hauling ass to get away from us; I was the only one tall enough to see them, so I called everyone back, hooked June up (already paranoid from a moto noise) and took the turn to the southwest that goes back to the intersection. We haven't been over there in a long time; some of these dogs are young enough they may never have been there. It's strange and beautiful, full of large trees and silence. Nobody minded the crazy route, it was fun everywhere. We ended up on the innermost serpentine heading north. I could hear the salt loader running to the south as we made it to the circular intersection on the main road (June already back on the leash again), so I tried to take us home via the blue bag trail by running north a bit and catching the tortuga sign road. We ended up cutting through east-to-west about 50m north of the blue bag trail because Angel's dogs were barking their heads off close to the south. We couldn't see them so I couldn't be sure if they were barking at us or salt workers, but I was ready to be home at this point and I had never noticed there's a clear way through from the road to the charcos to the west - it's overgrown a bit but still quite doable. The rest of the way home was uneventful and everyone was perfect about the stray under the Jeep when we got home. Nice run.
GRADE: A

23.10.16

morning run:
Eve
Frijolita
Luna
Xmul
Lex
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Northern charcos: ~9k. With Frijolita along there is only one direction: North. We almost did the full 10k route but it seemed excessive to me when we got to the turn. The pace to that point had already been so high I would've been dead for the rest of the day if we had gone for it. Even so this ended up being a pretty hard run, albeit a fun one. June was great again; she and Xmul were off the leash for the vast majority of the run and everyone else was good throughout. Crazy pace with some crazy dogs.
GRADE: A

22.10.16

morning walk:
Blue
Bette
Reggie
Gowron
Monkey
Amber
Zoot
(7)

Roni took this crew for a walk in the monte and to the beach. Tuesday didn't go because the energy was too much at the gate - sometimes you have to edit on the fly. Bette had a limp afterwards and probably won't go with the Amber/Zoot complex again - it isn't the distance, it's the high pace that bothers her. Other than that a perfect walk.
GRADE: A

afternoon swim:
Linda
(1)

Linda got some one-on-one time with Roni on the beach to the south. She is a little angel and a lot of fun.
GRADE: A

20.10.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Gracie
Archie
Molly
Stella
Maggie
April
Ziggy
Perl
Ruby
(11)

I took this group for a walk to the east and south for a change, avoiding the beach and extending the distance in the monte. Everyone thought this a capital idea and had a blast.
GRADE: A

19.10.16

vet trip:
Coco
Mali*
(2)

Today I took Coco back for Sandra to try and get the demons out of her. We suspect strongly that some tiny piece of something got left behind during her surgery because she appears to go into some kind of fake "heat" sometimes. It's very distressing and we're not sure what it is but there's unfortunately only one way to find out. Mali is one of Jackie's dogs that is long overdue being sterilized, so she came too. They were both angels on the trip and at the vet.
GRADE: A

18.10.16

morning run:
Truman
Posey
Elewah
Xmul
Lex
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Southern charcos: ~8k. Another fast run with this group up the palapa road to the swimming hole. Murci, Cookie, June and Tupo have ridiculous amounts of energy - they are playing and screwing around the whole way, even when we're hauling ass. June continues her streak of good behavior. I'm starting to trust her more, but I'm still not sure what she'll do with a vehicle and people very close by. I'm sure we'll have an opportunity to find out soon. Really good run.
GRADE: A

15.10.16

morning run:
Shirley
Steve
Rufus
Jack
Twiggy
Luna
Momo
Daisy
Hazel
(9)

Southern charcos: 6k. We took the inner serpentine this time instead of going the long way around the southernmost charcos. The route was surprisingly flooded - maybe the tide coming in again? It's all connected somehow and I didn't hear a pump running (they do that sometime), so maybe. Whatever the reason it was a slog for about 300m and nobody minded. Rufus had a great time in the monte for a change and everyone was good.
GRADE: A

12.10.16

morning walk:
Blue
Bette
Reggie
Tuesday
Gowron
Monkey
Amber
Zoot
Nico
(9)

Roni took this crew out for a walk in the monte, the now-usual cloverleaf. This was a really good group. Nico was on the leash the whole way and both behaved herself and had a great time. She looks to be finally over her horrible skin affliction and was happy to go. Tuesday and Amber behaved themseles off the leash and everyone had a great time.
GRADE: A

11.10.16

morning run:
Chester
Lily
Jack
Mega
Murci
Cookie
Roxy
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Southern charcos: 8k. June was great on this run: she was off the leash a lot and listened when she was. We saw two dogs on the berm that runs from the palapa road to the swimming hole (very far out there). June was off the leash when I saw them, still 200m away. I called her back and she came perfectly, along with everyone else. I hooked her up and took us across the bag-end land bridge instead while the other dogs continued on their way. Everyone else was really good and had a great time on a high-paced run.
GRADE: A

10.10.16

morning walk:
Henry
Tito
Ernie
Linda
April
Maggie
Ziggy
(7)

I took this group for a meandering walk to the land bridge and back. Ernie was on the leash the whole way to keep him from hurting himself with his ridiculous enthusiasm and it worked: he didn't have a limp afterwards. Everyone else behaved perfectly and had a great time.
GRADE: A

08.10.16

morning walk:
Alice
Ginger
Gracie
Otto
Archie
Molly
Stella
Frankie
Maggie
Ziggy
Perl
Ruby
(12)

I took this crew for a walk down to the beach at the maginot line. Frankie invited herself along without my noticing (!), so I'll have to be a bit more careful in the launchpad. She was a good girl and likes this sort of thing but we can't start having that happen. We went north past the last house a bit and everyone swam like dogs, which is to say with great enthusiasm and a lot of splashing... except for Perl and Ruby, who are like little sharks or something. Despite the size of the group this was a very orderly outing. Stella was on the leash the whole way and I didn't use the other leash too much. I put Ruby on coming home because she gets ideas but everyone was ready to come in after the heat.
GRADE: A

06.10.16

morning run:
Posey
Truman
Xmul
Luna
Lex
Murci
Cookie
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

No-man's land: 9k. This was a sloggy, hard run through the wilderness with nine little lunatics. We really took the pace up on the way to no-man's land, running the full monty all the way south and then north on the serpentine. I did not think it would be this sloggy once we got through the serpentine; the tide must've been coming in because it was up to mid-calf for stretches, very slippery and - the dogs tell me - a huge amount of fun. Didn't see too many flamingos; the bugs were also not bad.
GRADE: A

Meta-note: second day with no Internet.

05.10.16

Blue
Bette
Tuesday
Gowron
Monkey
Amber
Zoot
Zoila
(8)

Roni took these eight for a brisk, long walk despite fighting off the tail end of a cold. She thought it might sweat the sick out of her, and it may have, but it was also quite a slog in high heat and humidity. Zoila is a small horse in terms of power and energy and the Electron Twins (Zoot and Amber) always jack the pace up high. The did the "cloverleaf" into the monte to the south and east and ending up on the beach at the maginot line. Everyone had a blast. Roni came home as she left, with eight dogs and her feet under her.
GRADE: A

02.10.16

morning run:
Frijolita
Otto
Frankie
Hazel
Murci
Cookie
Roxy
Junebug
Tupo
(9)

Tortuga sign: 5k. Just a quick one to get some energy out. Roxy was great off the leash almost the entire way: I just put her on at the end for the last stretch, but it probably wasn't necessary. Everyone had fun on the beach and ran fast.
GRADE: A

30.09.16

morning run:
Rufus
Shirley
Jack
Twiggy
Luna
MoMo
(6)

To the beach at Au Soleil Couchant: ~6k. Getting out was much easier this time thanks to Roni releasing Rufus a little after the rest of us left. He caught up in a flash and was much less wound up. We took the monte to the beach, ran south to the tortuga sign and came home the usual way.
GRADE: A

incoming:
Frida*
(1)

A couple people told me about a poor dog that had been hit by a car at the gasoline station. Yesterday I went by and found her hanging out in a boat, which is crazy: she had to drag herself across the hot pavement, the road full of rocks and the quay and then somehow up onto the boat pitching on the water. She apparently does this a lot. Freddy, the fisherman who first told me about her, showed up and I told him we'd figure out something if he could watch her for one more day. Today I went back and got her: roni posted about it. She's very sweet considering she's half starved and only has two legs. We cleaned out a little pen that was full of weeds and spruced it up for her a little.