Divvying up the adventures

Ketchum and Cassidy waiting for me to get the ATV started 

I have no idea how people can have half a dozen kids! I have (nearly) half a dozen dogs, and finding one-on-one time for each of them can be a challenge! I'm sure everyone handles their own multi-dog households differently, and it always astonishes me when I meet someone with a whole pack of well-behaved dogs, because I know that that doesn't happen by accident!

Here in Arizona we have the luxury of no snow days, and I'm rural which means I can cheat and take all of my dogs out simultaneously without worrying about leashing the whole lot. It gets hot here in the summer, which does sometimes constrain our out-and-about options to half an hour or so in the morning and maybe a repeat in the evening, but usually there are few days when the dogs don't get a run in.

In the morning I lock up Dice and Cody so that I can let the chickens out. I sit with the chickens while they eat free food for an hour. I try to let them out several times a day, but if it's hot, and we get no afternoon cloud cover, then they'll have to make do with an hour.

The chickens come first because they are locked up, and they're happier if they're let out for some period. Because of predation I sit with them until they are put away.

After the chickens I take all of the dogs out with the ATV. If it is cool we can go for 4-5 miles; if it's getting hot then they may have to make do with a mile or two. Dogs trot at 7 mph, and so Kate and Cassidy trot along at that speed. Ketchum and Cody can sprint along at upwards of 25 mph (any faster and I chicken out!) so sometimes, especially on the flats and when we return home, I let them race the ATV, for a couple of tenths to a quarter mile at a time. Then we stop and wait for Dice who is younger than Cassidy and Kate, but has no intrinsic need to race the gals, and Cassidy and Kate to catch up.

There are usually some lizard and squirrel chases to liven up the morning run, and Cassidy will try to hang with the younguns before she slips off the back. Kate has lost all desire in her elderstateslady capacity to act like the foolish kids and trots along contentedly at 7 mph.

Dice loves the runs, but has no desire to chase Ketchum or Cody. He wants to sniff and pee on things and that is about it. He trots and canters along, but I don't think he has ever felt the need to drop the hammer and sprint all-out.

After our run, everyone returns home and if it's warm out they take turns laying in the pool. I usually spend some time outside if its not stupid hot, either weeding or doing poultry-related chores, and the dogs lounge in the shadows.

Later on, when I go back down to the coop, Cody and Dice go into the kennel, and Ketchum comes down and hangs out with me. This is her one-on-one time. There is no training involved, she's eight and knows everything she cares to know. She sits by my chair and gets petted while she keeps an eye on the poultry and looks for coyotes. Sometimes she wanders off to sample some chicken droppings or to enquire on the whereabouts of a particularly irksome lizard, but usually she just lounges and accepts belly rubs.

Kate has been the Official Camp Dog at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo Mountain Bike Race for nearly a decade

Cassidy finds indoor life dull and prefers to be outside keeping an eye on the vulture situation. Because she is an elderstateslady she spends much of her day sprawled out in various shady spots. Her nights are spent on patrol for interlopers. She follows Ketchum partway to the coop with me and then lies down in the driveway and keeps an eye out for criminal activity. Cassidy is somewhat aloof and wants attention on her terms, so I make an effort at least once a day to carve out time just for her (usually brushing because being a German Shepherd she is somehow capable of shedding out her entire hair coat weekly and never going bald).

Kate lives inside and gets attention at every turn. She has recently gone deaf, and that coupled with her overall fearful worldview has lead to an increased effort to include her on dog-related adventures outside with the pack. For reasons known only to her she sometimes goes into hiding and effort is required to bring her outside with the other pups.

Cody hiking on Mount Lemmon

She wonders why we're so slow!

Cody spends much of her days indoors because she is incapable of relaxing outside, there is just too much to do. So she spends her day following me from room to room. Usually at some point she gets 15 minutes of training. She goes to training for half an hour on Thursdays (agility). She is also in the adventure rotation pool.

Dice likes to keep a watch on the yard from the front porch. He cannot seem to relax inside, so for him, one-on-one time is more important than for Cody who gets it all the time. He comes in at least once a day for 15 minutes of training and goes to dog training class (manners and just getting out in the world) on Wednesdays. He is also in rotation in the adventure pool.

Dice waiting for us on a run

It was warm, he chose to wait in the shade

The adventure pool includes the two younger dogs, though Kate gets to go on longer adventures out of town, and Ketchum sometimes goes on runs with me, though she is not in the official rotation. The official rotation is between Cody and Dice - both young dogs requiring additional socializing and exercise. I run with friends usually one evening a week, go to dog training twice a week, and run with my running partner on longer (8+ mile) runs or bike rides on weekends.

Any of these adventures that are dog-safe and in a dog-legal area can involve either Cody or Dice. They get to go out, meet new people and explore new places, while they get to run along for 4 or more miles. On longer runs I bring water and a bowl for the dogs and on a 12 miler I brought snacks.

I feel that the hardest part of owning a pack of dogs is providing for everyone's needs including that much coveted one-on-one time with me. Some dogs require more of it while others need less. If Cassidy thinks a quick swoop by for petting on her way to other adventures is good enough for her, then it is certainly good enough for me.