Saturday, January 23, 2010

This is the Way I Need to Wake

It has been seven months since the accident, and I had my first nightmare last night. Maybe it's because of this chronicle and me doing more reflecting on our relationship than normal. Maybe it's because seven months ago I never thought I'd get to run with him again.

We live in an apartment just large enough to be a kennel for Goliath, so he's been visiting the off-leash dog park as early as he could and for as often as we could get him there. I wanted to socialize him as early as possible, and get him exercise simultaneously. On our first trip, we learned something very quick. People in Overland Park don't really want their dogs to act like dogs. Some lady grouched at Goliath because he was playing "too rough." The same day, I overhead a couple grumbling because their pooch wanted to play in the mud.

I didn't adopt a dog to treat it like a human. For us, the dog park is where Goliath can be a dog. I expect him to listen to me, which he does very well, but I don't expect him to avoid the puddles just because I would. Case in point:




On days like today, Goliath is a lonesome pup and I'm the only owner in golashes. The mud was thick, and the cloud were spitting rain. When there is no one for him to play with, I get the privilege and honestly I love it. On nice spring days, dozens of dogs swarm each other. Each sniffing the other's rear until Goliath breaks the pack and takes off running. They follow. He'll throw back his head as if the momentum from his front legs was too much for his neck, and zoom to the end of the park . He'll zip back and forth even if his new friends get bored. It's on those days I smugly stand with the other owners, secretly wishing I was out there chasing him. But it's on days like this one, where I lap the park with him. I run along side him, dredging up mud.

It's on days like this, where unlike other dog owners complaining about the mud of their pup's paws. I'm just incredibly thankful that my dog is here, with me, getting muddy. I'm just incredibly thankful that it's been seven months since the accident, seven months since he was mowed over by a suburban.


Today's Mileage: 2 miles
Time: Not timed

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post, beautiful pictures.

Awesome mindset. If only all owners were like you.

:-) BeBe