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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GKCfan
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Re: Do you look at your dog differently now?

Post by GKCfan »

I don't have a dog, but I often wonder what dogs are thinking. So when I get new ideas for what might be going through a dog's brain, it radically changes how I look at them.
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Post by TammyO »

Yes, I do look at my dog differently now; she's even smarter than I suspected. I always knew my little Kimmie was smart and human-like. However, Enzo confirmed my belief that dogs are very much in tune with humans and their emotions. Now when I look into Kimmie's eyes I know now that she really understands me.
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Post by ylisa7 »

TammyO wrote:Yes, I do look at my dog differently now; she's even smarter than I suspected. I always knew my little Kimmie was smart and human-like. However, Enzo confirmed my belief that dogs are very much in tune with humans and their emotions. Now when I look into Kimmie's eyes I know now that she really understands me.


Ha, ha…my Niki looks at me and thinks I'm nuts, lol.


I really don't think my dog thinks as deeply as Enzo does but as she gets older and hurts more "I" think of Enzo. Maybe she is going through the same thing. At some point I will have to help her go with some dignity left :cry:
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Post by 3chicnP »

Hahah. I don't have a dog but if I did, I would stare at it for a while and just ponder.
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Post by Moribund »

Since reading this I have tried to look at my dog differently, talk to him differently, & have tried to read his expressions.....nothing. What I have thought more about is how he and Enzo and all dogs are silent witness to our lives and if they could respond, I am sure they would all have a lot to say.
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Post by jillyshub52+ »

Absolutely. I felt horrible after reading the part where Enzo encountered the "evil" zebra toy after Denny's wife left in a rush with baby Zoe. I think that Enzo really did chew up the toys but he was also trapped without food or care for 3 straight days. I really don't blame him actually. But then I felt horrible when Denny smacked him in the side. I felt horrible and I instantly recalled my younger days when I may have been a little too rough with my animals. Granted, I had only acted when my dogs were frightenly aggressive or kept jumping on people or were being too excited. I felt for that instant that I was Denny and that his behavior was unforgivable.

I looked toward my dog, Lady, held her to me and cried for a good while. Now, I am much more sensitive toward all of my animals and try my best to be more empathetic towards what they are trying to say to me. That was how thought and feeling provoking this book was.
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Post by melbuhtoast »

I don't think I look at my dog differently that I ever have after reading this book. He has always been loved and treated like a member of the family. The one thing I did a little differently, though, was in relating his inner monologue aloud - much in a similar voice to what I imagined Enzo having!
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Post by Bookl0ver657 »

I do find myself looking at my dog differently after reading this novel. She will look at me while I'm eating and I will see her lick her chops and look at me with those brown eyes. Even if it's a grapefruit, she will still look at me with longing to taste it. That behavior seems human-like to me and makes me think perhaps my dog is a human soul trapped in a dog.

Also, after reading the part about the "dew claw", I checked my dog for her "dew claws" and sure enough there they were. I was happy to see hers were not removed. The little passage in the book about Enzo's dew claws was awful. :(

It also makes me wonder if her dew claws allow her to get into things more easily compared to if she did not have them. I don't know. I never really noticed if my previous dogs had "dew claws". I 'm pretty sure they did, but compared to my previous dogs, my present dog seems to be much more intelligent.

What do you think? Does your dog have "dew claws" ?
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Post by jazziemommie »

Reading the story from Enzo's perspective was very entertaining. I don't think I would have made it through a book about a racecar driver otherwise. Enzo pulled me into the story, and yes I guess it did make me pay more attention to my fur baby, Tinker. I seldom leave her alone for more than a few hours anyway. But Enzo reminds us of just how dependent dogs are on their owners for their mental and physical needs. We shouldn't take the responsibility lightly when we decide to bring a pet into our family.
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Post by Duende Knocking »

I've read so many animal books growing up that by the time I got to this one, I'm not sure it really would have impacted me very much (I don't have a dog, myself). If I wasn't such a fan of dog books when younger though, I can safely say that this would probably change how I look at canine friends though.
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Post by angelbeats1 »

I have always respected my dog and she is a big part of my life. I consider her a part of my family.
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Post by Kappy »

I don't have a dog, but I have two cats. I don't look at them differently now, and the same would apply to a dog, if I had one. I did not find Enzo's thoughts to be convincing dog thoughts.

I've read a fascinating nonfiction book, Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, which gives us a realistic peek into animals' thought processes. The author is an autistic person with a Ph.D. in animal science. She has worked extensively with many species of animals, and is a world-renowned expert in the field of animal behavior.

Her opinion is that autistic people's thought processes have much in common with the thought processes of nonhuman animals; e.g., their thoughts are based on images (not words), and they notice numerous details in everyday life overlooked by "normal" people.
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Post by SharisseEM »

I have three dogs and they're family. Like seriously. My family thinks of them as the three siblings I've lost and they're the same genders. Love them to bits! And they get lots of love and attention. My dogs act like humans and that just makes them all the more endearing! I tend to make up inner monologue for them but this book has changed it up a bit and it's even more amusing to think of what they might really be thinking.
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Post by Alexavier-Taiga »

I have always thought that owing a dog is a lot like having a child. You have to take them to the doctors, make sure they eat healthily and get enough exercise, teach them how to behave appropriately and love them. I have always treated my pets as I would a small human, I am not under the impression that just because I am "superior" to them. I believe animals have the same rights as humans, they just need someone to speak out on their behalf.

So no, I do not treat my dog any differently
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Post by Cee-Jay Aurinko »

Not really. My dog is a lovable little critter, but unlike Enzo, not even a delectable steak on TV will get him to sit in front of the box for just a few seconds. My dog is smart, but he's no Enzo.
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