Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of suicidal ideation.

Johannes the dog is the Eyes of a “vast green and windblown park by the sea” that he believes extends for thousands of miles (11). His role makes the swift dog responsible for observing everything that happens in the park. Johannes’s mother was a pet who gave birth in a hollow tree in the park. She left him and his siblings Joanie, Janie, and Steven behind when she returned to her humans’ home. When they were still puppies, some of the park’s human visitors took Johannes’s brother and sisters to be their pets, but Johannes chose not to go with the them. Although Johannes has to scrounge for food, he revels in being “unkept and free” (13).

Years ago, the three bison, Freya, Meredith, and Samuel, who live in an enclosure in the park asked Johannes to be their Eyes because of his impressive speed. As “the rulers of this park” (17), the bison rely upon the dog to keep them informed of what happens in their domain. Each day after sunset, Johannes reports to them about anything new and troubling that may upset the park’s Equilibrium, such as new paths or buildings.