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.