They don’t complicate things by trying to interpret body language or denying themselves pleasure or pain. They also have natural instincts and live life by following simple rules. Dogs have access to conversations that are private because humans don’t believe dogs completely understand them.

This works so well because dogs are able to observe life in a way that humans cannot. One of the things that make The Art of Racing in the Rain fascinating is that the whole story is told from Enzo’s perspective. It’s also implied that Enzo’s plan to imprint his knowledge for the next life worked because that’s how the little boy Enzo became such a huge fan of Denny and wants to become a race car driver, a dream that dog Enzo had his whole life. He goes more into detail about the Mongolian belief inspiring Enzo’s story in an interview with Libro (opens in new tab) and on the FAQs page (opens in new tab) on his website. The Art of Racing in the Rain author Garth Stein has mentioned in several interviews how he used to work in documentary film, and learning about the Mongolian belief of dogs becoming men in their next life helped inspire the idea for Enzo’s story.

It’s partly why he watches Denny and his life so closely. He even states that he wants to imprint as much knowledge about the human condition on himself now, so he’ll be ready for his next life. Enzo then spends most of the movie trying to prepare for that transition. The Art of Racing in the Rain starts with Enzo discussing this documentary that he saw about Mongolian people believing that dogs come back in their next lives as men, but only if they’re ready for it.

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