Paula (Janine Turner) has moved her family to the small city of Hope Springs, after a divorce. She has a daughter, Sarah, who is sixteen and deathly afraid of dogs. This is because she was once attacked by a dog and she still bears the scars above her right eye. Sarah wears dark glasses on most occasions and is pretty bored with her new place of residence. A teenage boy in the neighborhood makes friendly gestures toward her but she will have none of it. Paula also has a son, Zach, who loves his new clubhouse. After finding two dogs in the woods, Zach installs them in his secret home away from home and hopes to better their lives. Paula, herself, works as a nursing home administrator. On the job, she meets the modern version of Nurse Ratchett (Lesley Ann Warren) and the nice visiting doctor. Zach gets the idea to bring the dogs to the home when an elderly resident (Charles Durning) suggests he can keep the canines in his closet! Meanwhile, some nefarious men are looking for the dogs, for they learn in the newspaper that the furry ones have been credited with curing illnesses. Outcome, please? This is a sweet movie but there is almost too little of the darling dogs! With so many story lines, the cute canines are not on the screen nearly enough, in this viewer's opinion. Then, too, dogs and cats are credited with extending lives, but it is never explained why the mutts in this film can actually cure sickness. Nevertheless, the film has a low key charm and messages that are welcome. The cast does a fine job, although the man playing the doctor is somewhat lacking in the male lead category. Warren is a stitch as the overbearing nurse. That being said, the nice script, costumes, sets and direction make this a good choice for any family viewing. You might even play host to another miracle, that of the whole family watching and enjoying the same darn movie. Doggone, now that is incredible.
