It would be hard to imagine anyone not being moved by the blend of cuteness and pathos in Ron Davis’s feature documentary, which goes behind the scenes of a unique dog shelter and adoption center operated by horse trainers/equestrians Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta out of their home in Camden, SC. Running up six-figure expenses, the pair board 71 dogs at a time inside the house (rather than in impersonal exterior kennels) in a friendly, communal environment. Many of the canines are true rehabs, carefully selected from overcrowded animal shelters just prior to execution dates (a large number also came from waterlogged New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina). The two men—whose backstory as a committed gay couple in the American South adds additional interest—have successfully placed more than 10,000 pets in loving homes. Yet, the heartbreaking point is also made (via a melancholy overhead-drone sequence of a conventional shelter’s post-euthanasia disposal routine) that millions of domestic animals annually go to their deaths, and the heroic efforts of these animal lovers are an exception, not the rule, in a nation overrun with strays, cast-offs, and the results of horrendous puppy mills. The closing theme song, "I Love My Dog" by Cat Stevens, says it all. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)
Life in the Doghouse
(2018) 84 min. DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $24.95. FilmRise (avail. from most distributors). Volume 34, Issue 4
Life in the Doghouse
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