Heart of a Dog (2015) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Professor Preobrazhensky conducted the surgery to test his theory that injecting human pituitary gland and testicles into a dog would accelerate evolution and create a new human being. He believed he could prove that environmental factors alone don't determine human development, and he wanted to demonstrate that the pituitary gland controls growth and development.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the professor discusses his disdain for communist ideology, suggesting he seeks scientific validation beyond political doctrine.

• preobrazhensky
• surgery
• experiment
• pituitary gland
• evolution

After the surgery, Sharik gradually transformed into a crude, disheveled human being over several weeks. He adopted the name Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov and began exhibiting primitive human behaviors, including crude manners, aggression, and eventually violent tendencies. The transformation was both physical and behavioral.

Foreshadowing: The surgery involved grafting organs from a deceased petty criminal known for violence and vice, foreshadowing Sharikov's aggressive nature.

• sharik
• sharikov
• transformation
• surgery
• human

Sharikov betrayed Preobrazhensky because he wanted to take over the professor's luxurious seven-room apartment. Having gained employment with the Soviet government, Sharikov believed he had enough power and influence to have his former benefactor arrested and seized his living space. This act represents both personal betrayal and the thematic reversal of the experiment's creator being consumed by his creation.

Foreshadowing: Sharikov's earlier announcement of his government job catching stray cats already showed his desire to align with Soviet authority against the professor.

• sharikov
• betrayal
• secret police
• apartment
• soviet

Bormenthal's phrase describes Sharikov as possessing human physical form but retaining an animalistic, uncivilized nature. It reflects the experiment's central irony: despite receiving human organs, Sharikov behaves worse than the original dog, embodying the worst human traits rather than elevating canine instincts. The phrase also foreshadows the eventual reversal of the transformation.

Foreshadowing: The organs came from a violent, vice-ridden petty criminal, planting the seeds for Sharikov's degenerate behavior.

• bormenthal
• heart of a dog
• nature
• nurture
• behavior

Sharikov secured a job with the Soviet government working as a cat-catcher, which he presented as a contribution to the proletariat. This menial position in the Soviet bureaucracy reflects both his crude nature and the film's critique of Soviet society promoting unqualified individuals to positions of authority based on ideology rather than merit.

Foreshadowing: Sharikov's earlier attempts to adopt Soviet slogans and mannerisms showed his eagerness to embrace communist identity.

• sharikov
• government job
• soviet
• cats
• proletariat

The transformation reversed itself, with Sharik returning to his original canine form. This reversal suggests the experiment's failure, the human traits were not permanently integrated. The ending remains ambiguous, with hints that the professor may continue his experiments, implying the cycle could potentially begin again.

Foreshadowing: The police arrive searching for Sharikov precisely as he is reverting, suggesting the transformation was always unstable.

• sharik
• reversion
• dog
• transformation
• ending

Preobrazhensky refused because he believed all life has value regardless of its flaws. He argued that Sharikov's bad qualities came from the donor organs (from a drunkard and criminal), not from any fault of the experiment itself. The professor maintained scientific integrity, believing the creature had a right to exist despite his troublesome nature.

Foreshadowing: This reflects Preobrazhensky's earlier philosophical discussions about the value of life and his detached scientist persona.

• preobrazhensky
• killing
• life value
• experiment
• ethics

After the violent confrontation, Sharikov was expelled from the apartment and ultimately reverted to his canine form. The police arrived with a search warrant looking for him, but by that time he had already transformed back into Sharik. His ultimate fate beyond this reversal remains unclear in the film.

Foreshadowing: The weapon Sharikov brandished represented his final escalation from verbal aggression to physical violence.

• sharikov
• fate
• confrontation
• police
• dog

The film serves as a political allegory for Soviet society, with Sharikov representing the brutal, uncivilized man created by the Soviet system, someone who betrays his creators and seeks power through ideology. Preobrazhensky's comfortable position despite opposing communism illustrates how the Soviet system preserved elite privileges while demanding ideological conformity. The experiment's chaotic outcome critiques the Soviet attempt to rapidly transform human nature.

Foreshadowing: The housing committee's scrutiny of Preobrazhensky's living space represents the state's surveillance of citizens.

• soviet
• allegory
• politics
• communism
• critique

The ambiguous final note hints that Preobrazhensky may continue his evolutionary experiments. Sharik's reference to the professor's plans suggests the scientist learned nothing from the disaster and remains committed to his research. This leaves the film with a troubling, unresolved quality that suggests the cycle of hubris and failure could repeat.

Foreshadowing: The entire narrative has been framed as one of Preobrazhensky's experiments, making continued research consistent with his character.

• ending
• experiments
• continue
• ambiguous
• sequel