Dogs on the Inside

Filmmakers Brean Cunningham and Douglas Seirup's Dogs on the Inside is a genuinely uplifting nonfiction film (in a sea of depressing docu-downers), serving up a portrait of a New England-based charity called Don't Throw Us Away that receives neglected, abused, and stray dogs gathered by activists. To habituate the canines as adoptable pets, the animals are turned over to a special breed of trainer—inmate volunteers in a local minimum-security prison. As the dogs respond to human kindness, the interaction also helps improves the cellblock environment, and there is hope that some of the convicts will likewise turn their lives around as a result. If the central observation about the healing power of pets is unsurprising, it's also hard to dispute. A social documentary with added canine appeal, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and updates on the prisoners and dogs. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)