Work it, baby!

Had some great runs this morning at Ft. Custer. And yes, thank you, I did remember to un-jack the truck! It was the second morning in a row that we ran over there....so it's the official start to the 09/10 season! We had a semi-start two weekends ago where I took the teams 2 miles each two days in a row, but we didn't follow it up because of the heat. After that, I took the girls and the puppies in the woods on the short 1 mile trail a few times a week just to calm them down....but now we're talkin' 'bout the real thang! I don't know what I just said.
Trotter is still out of commission with a split pad that he limps on like a baby. Yesterday I took only his two brothers and the girls. We just ran that one 5dog team 3 miles. They were cookin' right along. Today, I took both teams and two of the cutest babies ever. I ran the sibes first because I didn't want it to get any hotter. I had Roary and Oak in lead, June and Brother in the middle, and Kuz with May in wheel. Mr. Daddy isn't feeling too well as of late and is running like a punk. Maybe he's just upset that his brother beat him to retirement. Oh poor Rebbie....livin' the life of a yard dog. Annnyway, the sibe team was incredible. I've never had a "pre season" run as great as this morning. I even had a passenger. Even though Kuz was setting a terrible example, his babies didn't follow his direction; they were running like pros. Oak was killing it in lead. Roary was solid, but not taking directions very well. Man, did I mention the babies? They were unstoppable. Well, okay, we stopped twice, but you get the picture. We did end up taking a shortcut, so we probably went somewhere around 2 miles and not the full 3. I've been running that team for 8 seasons and they still impress me! (and don't forget about the babies..)
The hounds were pretty near uncontrollable on Saturday. We had to navigate a downed tree within the first 100yards of our run, so there were a few tense minutes in the beginning! Once we got moving, they were all power. Fox is the brains, Keytone is the idiot speed, Freddie is steady, but excitable, Brewer is a retarded powerhouse, and Sosa is a cute black dog with little white feet. He's actually quite an asset! Like I said, Saturday was a little hectic, and we stopped quite a few times, but they behaved so well once they calmed down. They boys are already a thousand times better than they were last season. Today was a little more calm...I made them do the trail backwards so that we wouldn't hit the tree until the very end. We stopped 4 times and I bet two of them were overkill. Oh, Freddie showed her remarkable skill in Useless Shit 101 when, while leading with Fox, she jumped and caught a falling leaf in mid air without missing a step. And yes, I'm pretty sure she ate it. If Fox could have said anything to her at that moment, I'm sure she would have ruthlessly mocked Freddie's family tree. (and THAT, my friends, is a joke! you see, Fox is Freddie's aunt...) Beyond being a little rusty on commands today, the hound team was on fire. Oh, and I demoted Keytone (putting Freddie in lead), so she couldn't be a big idiot. She was a small, cute idiot instead. Once I teach her to line out, there will be world peace, all armies will commence a cease fire, and the hungry will be no more. Seriously, she CAN be THAT obnoxious....as she turns around for the tenth time.
Ahhhh and what else? Hmmmmm I think I'll be putting new straw in everyone's houses tomorrow. They're all lovin' the National Xtra Performance. I'm worried about Kuzin because he seems sick, but I think I've mentioned that already. Oh! I let Brew loose today out of the truck and he ran straight to the kennel. Props to me. I took Trotter for a walk around the field tonight. He we naked- that's right- no leash. Props to my daddy for that. May was in the house for the majority of the day (after her Big Sled Dog Adventure) chewing on her stuffed gorilla.
My next plan to run is Tuesday. Please, dear Mother Nature, please let the weather be crisp and 40....or less.