Enzo - He's One Smart Dog

I've touched on another one of my favorite books, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, but I haven't really told you about it.  And I'm not going to do that yet, but I AM going to share some of Enzo's (who happens to be a dog...a very smart dog) quotes with you.  I often wonder if my dogs think deep thoughts like Enzo. I think they must.  I love Enzo.  

I changed my mind...because if do I write about it, then I will dissect the book because that's what I do, thereby giving away too much of the story.  And that would be wrong, then you would have no desire to read it.  The book does deal with car racing, which I'm not a huge fan of {sports}...those of you who do know me, know I'm a sports hater {there's that word again}...no wheels, no balls...but Garth Stein doesn't overplay the whole racing thing. Actually, the whole book is just about perfect.  You will laugh, you will try not to cry...but you will, you will cheer for Denny and Enzo, you will want to be Enzo.  Seriously.  Enzo is smarter than most of  us two legged beasts. 


This information was obtained from the author's website: 
"Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

Enzo's Song - Song and Photos by Martin Odstrcil

Now onto the really good stuff.  Enzo's quotes:


"In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog’s master whispers in the dog’s ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat of fat is cut off and placed in his mouth to sustain his soul for its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog’s soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.

I learned that from a program on the National Geographic Channel, so I believe it is true. Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready.

I am ready."
--
"Those monkey-thumbs were meant for dogs. Give me my thumbs, you fu**ing monkeys!" 
--
"My soul has learned what it came to learn, and all the other things are just things. We can't have everything we want. Sometimes, we simply have to believe." 
--
"If you taught me to read and provided for me the same computer system as someone has provided for Stephen Hawking, I, too, would write great books. And yet you don't teach me to read, and you don't give me a computer stick I can push around with my nose to point at the next letter I wish typed. So whose fault is it that I am what I am?"
--
"...And I knew, as Denny sped me toward the doctor who would fix me, that if I had already accomplished what I set out to accomplish here on earth, if I had already learned what I was meant to learn, I would have left the curb one second later than I had, and I would have been killed instantly by that car. But I was not killed. Because I was not finished. I still had work to do." 
--
"But what is worse, smelling the roast and not feasting, or not smelling the roast at all?" 


Did I tell you Enzo was a smart dog?  You really gotta read the book. Really.  Garth Stein makes me wonder what my dogs think as they sit there and give me that look.  Do they think I'm not making the right decisions? Do they care? Oh, what I would give to know what my dogs think.  I think Garth Stein has it all figured out.  I think Scamp is probably the deep thinker in my three.  

Scamp - my philosophical dog.