"Boys ain't they somethin'......"

Training has never been better. These hounds are something else! My dogs never fail to amaze me. Whether it be the pups showing off their confidence or the pointers hitting 18.5mph, they all continue to shock me. We ran at Belding last Saturday and didn't run Sunday or Monday because we've been running pretty hard.
The best run of the season was on Tuesday October 20th. They were flawless. I ran Freddie, Fox, Keytone and Brewer. We did 3.2 miles. I stopped once for Brewer and once because there was a car in our way (!) but they were truckin' the whole way. However, once we reached the truck, I realized they were hot, hot, hot. Too hot. It was a bad judgment call on my part, not realizing how warm it really was. I began unhooking and my attention was drawn to Freddie. She was beginning to overheat. I poured water on her stomach and wiped some on her tongue. I did the same to Keytone and Fox. Fox had absolutely no problem; was warm, but not at unsafe levels. Keytone was on the verge, but was stilling milling about. Brewer wasn't even hot enough to relax...he continued to bark. Freddie was the main problem. I concentrated on her. After about 6 minutes, Freddie was walking around and responding, though weak. After an hour, she was totally normal, bouncing and barking. Whew! I didn't run the second team after that. Never thought the best run so far this season would end like that! I'm just glad that Fred was fine in the end and I'm kicking myself for not checking the temp.
On that same note, it's a point of interest to understand that I've run that exact same trail for 10 years with sibes (and tons of other trails) and have never even had a dog come close to overheating. Though the temp was warm, it wasn't HOT by any means. The difference? It's purely the drive of the dog. These pointers are so incredibly honest and intense. The sibes are hardworking, but they know their limits and lose a lot of motivation in the heat whereas the hounds are comfortable to hangout in warmer temps without LOOKING uncomfortable, so it's easy, as I did, to assume they could handle RUNNING in it. Once I stopped to think about it, it really shocked me: the hounds are physically more comfortable in warmer temps, but they work 4times as harder, so they almost need even cooler temps than the sibes do to preform at their best.
Currently, I have 52 miles on the main team and I wont be running again until Friday. I want Freddie to have plenty of time off, and it's supposed to be hot anyway. I've had Petunia for a week now and haven't been able to use her! Everyone is going a little nuts because they haven't been out since Saturday, but we're off to such a good start that I don't feel any need to rush it.
In other news, the second Lost Lake rig session is coming up. I vow NOT to run at night and I'm looking for a Halloween costume for Elsie or someone. Maybe I'll dress my team up as bird dogs....oh, wait....