I looked down at my cute little Boston terrier. Her eyes were such a deep brown I wondered what kind of intelligence lurked beneath. I played with the idea that she would see me as a loving individual, who was unrealistically persistent, a person who had unnumbered successes, an extremely brilliant human being, someone who was not afraid to express their inner feelings and become real, a human being with an unquenchable passion for writing, who would trust her dog with her life. Enzo, a quirky dog narrating Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, views his master Denny as a wonderful and completely real human, who is extremely successful, who has brilliance like none other, someone who will never give up, a person who has an unmatchable passion for racing, and trusts his dog with his family’s lives. My dog, Zoe, would view my characteristics and find them similar to Denny’s, however how she reaches her conclusion is completely different from how Enzo reaches his.


Zoe would see me as a very persistent human, although that’s not always the case. She would see my struggles and fantasize surprise endings about her amazing heroine who would conqueror her inner demons and live happily ever after with her loyal companion resting by her side. Denny is also very persistent in Enzo’s eyes, “Always pushing extremes. Finding himself broke. And finding himself on the telephone with his blind mother, asking for some kind of help, any kind of help, so he could keep his daughter” (Stein 293). In Enzo’s eyes Denny was persistent to the point of selling his house to be able to pay the lawyer. Although I may never be required to sell my house and pursue custody of my child, I am, however, persistent in my school work and building family relationships that would be better left alone. I believe that both of our pets would see our persistence as unwavering.

Zoe would be a very obnoxious mother, always hovering above you, asking if you’ve completed your homework, giving you a gold star for saying thank you. To say the least, she would count every success even if it wasn’t very real. Wither it be destroying the Death Star or having a straight A report card she would count it as a real success. Enzo would see Denny’s real successes rather than the ones that are meant to build your self esteem, like you were an insecure little child. “He fought it I know, but it was hard for him to breathe” (303). This incident occurred right after Denny got complete custody of his daughter and relief washed through is countenance. His success may be one of real bragging rights, but no matter how small a success is, if it matters to you than it is real, and I believe that both of our dogs have grasped this reality.

Brilliance is all in the mind of the beholder, and Zoe would definitely see me as brilliant only because I have invented various ways of getting all my dogs into my room, to go to bed peacefully. She would see my brilliance in a way that no one else would be able to because I would not grant them access to it. She would be able to hear my beautiful insights to story lines and we would share our thoughts on complex characters, like that of the Skywalker family. “He is so brilliant. He shines. He’s beautiful with his hands that grab things and his tongue that says things” (5). Enzo would see Denny’s brilliance within his ability to race and even his ability to speak and communicate. Both of our dogs would be able to share our brilliance and both are gifted with the ability to see beyond our limitations within our brilliancy.

Oddly enough my beloved companion, Zoe, has been through everything by my side furiously beating off the demons. She has had unlimited access to all my emotions and I believe in her eyes I have become more real. No matter the emotion, whether it is happiness or utter sorrow, she has seen me through it. Denny has also given Enzo plenty of opportunities to view himself as a real and feeling human being, “Denny unleashed the years of tears that had been dammed behind mud and determination and the ability to always find another finger to stick in the leaking dikes. He cried so hard” (303). I see this as so important and Enzo really appreciates the time to be able to comfort his master. While both of our pets have seen our weaknesses and been there when we were utterly exposed and vulnerable, both of them have been presented with the choice to accept that we are real and that while they comfort us now, we will comfort them later.

Zoe would never betray the trust that you give her. She’s an integrity filled animal and she lives up to every task you give her, whither that be shaping up the other dogs or fetching me the remote, she’ll get the job done. That’s why I would, without hesitation, trust her with my life. She knows this fact and never betrays the trust that I’ve bestowed upon her. “He trusted me. He would tell me, ‘Go take care of her for me, Enzo, please’” (66). Denny is asking Enzo to watch over his family, and although it may not be Denny’s actual life, Denny is giving Enzo his family’s lives to watch over, which is Denny’s life. This is extremely important because it shows the unique relationship that Denny and Enzo have created and shared throughout their lifetimes. Although I have never asked my beloved pet to watch over the ones that I love, I know if the day comes she will protect them for me just like Enzo has for Denny. Both Denny and I are very blessed to have obtained pets that realize that we trust our lives in their hands and I’m sure that both of us hope that our dogs fully realize the potential that has to open many doors to both of our relationships.

More often than not my Zoe has had to put up with my moments of pure inspiration and those moments where I shout, “Ah ha! I’ve got it”. The poor thing realizes that my truest passions lies within the various articles of writings that I have created, but that doesn’t make it any easier for her to accept the fact that she is not the center of my life. Enzo, too, has had to come to accept that Denny’s passion does not lie within Enzo, but within his race car. “Denny and I fed off it” (93). Both of our pets have been with each of us long enough to finally grasp what makes us tick, however, what makes us tick are completely different from the other. While I’m sure that Zoe loves the ideas that I write, I’m also equally positive that Enzo loves Denny’s passion that burns like a flame within his chest. Even though Denny and I’s passions are from two completely different sides of the spectrum, both of our pets see us as mirror images of each other.

Both pets have very real and human like souls which allows their owners, Denny and I, to find ourselves time and time again thinking about what they are thinking. I snap myself out of my outlandish reverie and find myself gazing back into my dog’s eyes. They were brown and big, filled with an innocence that humans could never achieve. But what struck me most about her gentle gaze was the fact that I was found staring back at myself from the reflection within. A sudden thought hit me, is her thinking only a sad reflection of what I hope I she saw in me?