Do you look at your dog differently now?

Discuss the December 2014 book of the month, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
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MyThoughtsExactly
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Re: Do you look at your dog differently now?

Post by MyThoughtsExactly »

I don't have a dog currently, but I have had pets in the past. This book makes you think of animals minds in a different way.
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kayla1080
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Post by kayla1080 »

I don't have a dog but I do have a 5-yr-old parakeet with as much personality as Enzo. I definitely look at her a different way now...she's given me companionship and love that I didn't know could exist in that little tiny body of hers, and I wonder about her capacity for understanding. I'm now starting to think that maybe I should take a stab at writing a short story from her perspective.
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Post by litmonster »

I wouldn't look at my dog differently because that's pretty much how I imagine my puppyfaces. Dogs are wonderful, intelligent animals and they will talk with you if you're listening. Any real pet lover that I've ever met would not have been surprised by anything that Enzo really thought. One thing, however, that I really did enjoy that surprised me was the belief system that Enzo had. He believed in reincarnation and that he was going to become human in his next life. It was a wonderful thought and depth to animals that I do not believe many people believe, understand, or have ever expressed in such a way. I think Stein did a wonderful job with the voice of Enzo. If anything, it makes me want to give my puppyfaces extra love, for remembering how precious their time is, and how much they love being loved.
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Post by Alwhitbeck »

I've always felt my puppy and cats have more going on inside than meets the eyes. It's in the way that they know when to cuddle you when you're sad or sick, and in the way that their personalities shine. It does make me contemplate just how lucid and to what extent they really do think though.
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Post by Jausten11 »

I had a dog...though when I divorced my husband, my child and I left, leaving the dog there. We didn't have a place for it where we had to live. THat dog got on my nerves and it annoyed me daily, though it was hard to leave it. That was two years ago and i didn't really miss the dog until I read this book. Now I'm thinking of stealing my dog back. Not really, though it does make me miss her.
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Post by hannahbm13 »

I've always loved my dogs very very much, I don't think anything could change that :)
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Post by agreenwood »

Our dog has always been an important part of our family and she was our baby/kid before we had children. So, of course this book makes me wonder what is really going on in their minds, and how much we do that they understand. I know they can sense things like when we are in a bad mood, etc. So how much more are they able to comprehend?. It's fascinating to think about animals being able to communicate with us in a more human like manner.
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Post by NotNowImReading »

I've always thought of the dogs I've had over the years as part of the family. Anyone who thinks dogs don't have feelings is wrong. My sweet cocker spaniel, Sasha, has emotions just like my two-legged kids do. I absolutely loved The Art of Racing in the Rain! I read it in one day. I laughed, I cried, I treasured this book. As a dog lover, this was one that really touched my heart.
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Post by kbeckmeyer »

After discovering my dog has misbehaved, I sometimes think about this book & the way the "dog" remembered his fits of bad behavior. Sometimes I think my dog thinks the same thing...
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Post by Kourtney Bradley »

I have two dogs; a LARGE 115 pound German Shepherd and a tiny 3 pound Chihuahua. They are both totally considered part of the family already, so I don't seem them any different after reading this book. I had my chihuahua while I was pregnant with my son, and it seemed like he could tell something was up because he wouldn't let me out of his sight. If I would shut a door and he would be on the outside, he would bark constantly until I would re-open and he could see me again.
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Post by Taylor Razzani »

I still look at my dog the same way I always have, the book just reinforced it! Dogs can know their people better than anyone and can love harder than anything. They are smart creatures and clearly I can't get enough of them! I loved Enzo and his relationship with Denny reminded me of my relationship with my dog. She's been with me for 9 years and she's been there through all the ups and downs...constantly by my side.
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Post by Christina O Phillips »

I have a dog now and before we got married, my husband had a dog.
This book made me think of both of them differently.
I talk soo much more to my dog now than I did before I read this book. I mean, I would always talk to her, but now I'll explain more to her as if she were questioning me.
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Post by Naval Aulakh »

I don't have a dog and I don't think that I am gonna have one either.
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Post by Erandi Ekanayake »

My pet dog was an orphan, who had been left to die beside a road. When I found him, he had some wounds on him and was in a poor health.
Since then he is living with us and we always treat him as a member of our family. So I think there is no need to look at him any differently after reading the book, but honestly the book makes me love my dog a lot more and it remembers me that he has his own way of thinking and loving us. Also I'm really grateful for having a book to read from a dog's perspective.
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Post by Amanda Rehm »

I have 3 dogs, and have always considered them family. After reading this book, though, I definitely started looking at them like more complex members of my family. Even if we don't know exactly how a dog's mind works and whether Enzo's perspective is accurate, I'd rather treat my dog like it is. I think it made me more mindful to spend more time with my dogs, at least.
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