War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend

Not easy to watch, especially for those who have deployed with MWDs. For me the beauty of these warriors (dogs) is in the contrast between being on the job and off. Equally as affectionate (with their handler) as they are ferocious and dedicated on mission. They truly love their profession.

This documentary is a tribute to the canines who have fought as soldiers in recent conflicts. It focuses on the relationships between three soldiers and their dogs of war. Two of the dogs died on their tour of duty. One dog was injured and later developed PTSD.

One handler felt let down as his war dog was promised to him after the dog's retirement with the police service.

I felt that this would be an interesting look at the dogs on the battlefield but it felt rather shallow to me, concentrating more on their handlers than the dogs themselves.

It's definitely not a documentary for the faint of heart - especially the dog lovers. It's also not focusing that much on the actual dogs - showing stories of warriors and their canines, often injured in battle.

The strongest voice here is the one telling a heartbreaking story of how the dogs are used for their unique ability to be trained to attack some and be faithful to their owners, essentially fighting battles they never chose to fight - getting injured or dead in the process. Everyone who's against war even in the slightest will resent that deeply, and perhaps rightfully so. It doesn't really help how the surviving dogs are called heroes, put on the covers of magazines, and celebrated. I'm not a dog, but I doubt it means anything to them - an ability to walk, to be healthy physically and mentally would probably mean a lot more.

It also shows the emotional/intelligence of the soldiers themselves - you can hear on of them saying how watching "Grey's Anatomy" was one of the favorite things of his dog, and when they took it off the air, it "almost killed her". No, Trent. It was the war that almost killed her. You know, the war us, humans decided to fight and took the loyal friends along for the ride.

When my parents and I decided to.watch this documentary, we expected a heartwarming tale of courageous canines saving the day. Boy, were we wrong. I am quite an emotional viewer, but this film had my whole family in tears. It's gut-wrenching. This is by no means a way to scare you away from the film - rather, just a warning so you know what you're watching beforehand. Treat it more like a film about war, not cute animal heroes. If you love dogs like me, the movie might be even harder to get through simply because of all the terrible situations the dogs and their handlers are forced to go through. This movie does not hold back from saving the saddest stories for the end.

Now that that's out of the way, it's a very good film. "Good" in the more objective sense, as in quality and direction, not in terms of enjoyment. It's an amazing, emotional film. But if you don't like those sad films where the dog dies at the end, you better skip this one.

disclaimer: I am a feline person don't have anything against dogs & this film certainly gives insight into why folks hold them in such esteem

what makes this motion picture so extraordinary, is the perspective of warriors and how they adjust to life after the 3 vignettes are all superb

Deborah Scranton did stellar work & kudos to HBO