A matter-of-fact look at life, death, adoption, and the tough choices that lead to all three at one devoted, animal-loving kennel in rural upstate New York, the HBO-aired documentary Shelter Dogs spans several months and focuses on a representative handful of dogs with diverse stories. Through director Cynthia Wade's non-invasive style, viewers come to care about the animals and feel like part of the staff as the film follows daily life in the shelter, where founder Sue Sternberg has gone above and beyond in some unique ways to keep her charges in good mental health--in the hopes of adopting out as many good dogs as she can. We're privy to staff meetings where potential euthanasia cases are debated (as is the issue of "no kill" shelters where dogs are never put down, but may not have much of a life). We watch with them through the windows as potential new owners take a favorite four-year-old Sighthound mix (dropped off by a heartbroken owner afraid that the dog's aggressive jealousy may be a threat to her new baby), and we see how attached the workers can get to their hard-luck cases (like the gentle Doberman with a degenerative spinal disease)--and how hard it can be to make the right choices about un-adoptable dogs (like a cute but unexpectedly vicious two-year-old cocker spaniel). Wade's interviews with Sternberg and her employees demonstrate how their jobs can be an emotional rollercoaster of joy and melancholy, but Shelter Dogs is not overly sentimental: it just lets the humanity--and caninery--speak for themselves, and does so admirably. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Blackwelder)
Shelter Dogs
(2003) 72 min. VHS or DVD: $29.99 ($99.99 w/PPR): public libraries; $250: colleges & universities. Red Hen Productions. PPR. Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 6
Shelter Dogs
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