Always Faithful

Filmmaker Harris Done, who made the canine World War II documentary War Dogs of the Pacific (VL-1/10), here follows five U.S. Marines who enlist in the military's K-9 corps, working with dogs specializing in sniffing out explosives. The animals and their handlers bond closely throughout training, an emotional situation that the command structure understands, even though the cherished dogs have to bear the classification of “equipment/gear.” Dispatched to Afghanistan and Iraq (where the filmmaker has to primarily rely on secondhand home movies and still photos), the heroic dogs acclimate better than the newly arrived humans to the arid desert landscape. Always Faithful features accounts of soldiers' lives being saved by the four-footed troops, and one wounded handler in the aftermath of a suicide bomb speaks with extraordinary drama about refusing to be separated from his wounded dog. Not all of the dogs survive (one developed cancer during training and had to be put to sleep), but no animal suffering is shown onscreen. With a roll-call of fallen handlers in the end credits, this is a noble documentary that will appeal to both pet lovers and military buffs. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)