July 20, 2008

Sometimes I feel like Mookie is staying alive for us; because our existence depends on her, and to a degree it does. And I get the feeling she knows it, too, and taker her role very seriously.  

I took Mookie to Gleisdreieck Park (a large and unique urban park; part train depot, part war ruin, part nature) which I will explain at a later time) this morning.  Whenever I take her their I feel like she is resisting, but once she gets there she seems to be happy.  She barked at a couple of dogs on the way there, but played with one of them once they were offleash at the park.  

Up until a few weeks ago, I would have no misgivings about taking her to a park and letting her run around.  Then, at this same park, she had a fainting episode.  I don't know if she remembers this or associates this park with the episode, but I do.  I am unsure if her running around is good for her health or not; it certainly is not good in heat, which has been rare this summer in Berlin.

Mookie and I met a couple, or maybe two single people each walking their dogs; one had a black mixed breed larger than Mookie's and almost as old at fourteen.  She had similar white markings.  Mookie was very civil to her.

Today I became more conscious of walking and stopping wherever Mookie decided to stop . When I started to do this, she kept about 50 feet ahead of me throughout the rest of the walk.  Mookie has always been a run ahead dog.

July 19, 2008

Today is Saturday.  I took Mookie for her usual around the block (they have big blocks here) walk.  As is not usual recently, it looked like it was going to be a beautiful, sunny day early in the morning, but by the time we made it out, it was becoming overcast.  She did her usually sniffing and pooping.  She sniffed a little dog a the corner of Grossbaronstrasse for a couple seconds, and then lost interest, actually acting scared.  Sometimes she pulls on her leash, sometimes she pants; today was not too bad for either.

Took her usual allotment of pills and powders, pestered me for the leftover crumbs of granola and yogurt from my breakfast cereal, and is now lying on her couch by the window overlooking Möckernstrasse.

In the time we've lived in Berlin, things are not that different for her here than in Brooklyn during the week, aside from the fact our apartment is a third the size here, and Mookie has about a third of the number of places to hang out in.  She does probably miss weekends upstate, where she could go in and out at will and graze in the sun.   Those days are probably gone forever.

On the plus side, she gets to spend more time with Marianne, who, instead of spending 12 hours at work each day, works from home.