Pick of the Litter

My wife, our Guide Dog puppy, and I saw this film at the San Jose film festival. We've been sitting and raising puppies for just over two years. This is a highly realistic view of what it takes to raise one of these miracles and how serious a job it has to be. We both went through at least three tissues.

We both give it two thumbs up and our puppy gave it four paws up. Must see movie.

Pick of the Litter is such an adorable movie. It has an amazing topic that not many people know about, so you are not bored. It's a great family movie with all of the cute dogs. Pick of the Litter follows such a sweet storyline that you just fall in love with all of the dogs and their journey through many different homes.

Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they are born through their journey to become Guide Dogs for the Blind. The "P" litter has to go through two years of training with many different owners to train them on their journey to become Guide Dogs. But only the pick of the litter will get the chance to become Guide Dogs.

This documentary is such a feel good movie. There are some moments that bring tears to your eyes. When my family and I watched the movie, it was fun for us to guess which dogs would pass the tests and become Guide Dogs. All the dogs are so cute and the relationships the dogs go through with their trainers and finally when they get paired with their official owners, is very emotional. The five dogs in the litter are Patriot, Potomac, Phil, Primrose and Poppet. All the dogs have such unique personalities. My favorite out would have to be Patriot because he has a lot of different trainers and he has so much energy. He has the biggest personality. He also ends up with such a sweet family and really helps the family he's with. The movie has so much for people of all ages. The charming dogs are enjoyable for everyone and the story they tell is delightful and sends a great message.

The message The Pick of the Litter sends is that dogs go through a lot of work to become Guide Dogs and, even if they don't become one, they still bring joy to whomever owns them. I recommend this film for ages 8 to 17. There is so much to learn about the training Guide Dogs go through and this film has lots of things for kids to learn. I give it 5 out of 5 stars, because it has such a great topic and the dogs are super adorable.

By Dariana Alvarez, KIDS FIRST Film Critic.

First, an assumption: you will only watch this film if you are a dog lover...

With that in mind, PICK OF THE LITTER has an advantage over many other films. THE CUTENESS FACTOR! The old warning "never work with children or with ANIMALS" comes to mind here. Fortunately this is not a drama or a comedy, though there are elements of both. And the humans that are part of the story are not movie stars worried about being upstaged, so no one is offended.

PICK OF THE LITTER is a "dogumentary" about a litter of five puppies born into training as service dogs for the blind. It is typical for MAYBE only one dog to meet the rigorous standards that must be met. Herein lies the drama of the film. Who will make the cut? Which dog will you root for?

The personalities of the pooches as they learn and grow are distinct and of course, in each case, completely lovable.

The best thing about PICK OF THE LITTER is we get an up close look at how guide dogs are trained. The love and patience that the handlers and foster parents display is inspiring. The dogs are challenged but never stressed. They are evaluated by qualified, impartial adjudicators who make the hard decisions, such as when to relocate a dog to a different foster home (and the considerable impact this can have on the humans).

Other fascinating bits include the special bond between the dogs and their eventual owners. These beautiful animals serve us in so many ways just as pets, let alone as specially trained guides.

Coming on the heels of the news that a retired police dog in the U.S. was put up for adoption rather than kept by his former handler, PICK OF THE LITTER is a reminder of how much we, as humans, owe these loyal to the death creatures who touch our lives in so many heart-warming and important ways. It is devastating to think that once upon a time, retired military and police dogs were simply euthanized when they got older...

But such considerations are beyond the world of this wonderful documentary. PICK OF THE LITTER is a beautiful, educational, inspiring film made with love, appreciation and plenty of glue-like dog slob to hold it all together.

Ten arfs out of ten.

Who doesn't love dogs??? This DOGumentary is one of my ten best films of the year. Five Labs are shown from birth to twenty months as they go through a rigorous training program fro Guiding Eyes for the Blind. My personal favorite was Phil. On average only about half of the dogs make it to become guide dogs. You will laugh and you will cry as you get to know each dog and its' unique personality. The caretakers are secondary to the lovable canines. This is a great movie for the whole family.

This is an amazing documentary. I learned a lot about what these dogs go through and the dedication from the trainers. I teared up several times. Highly recommend this for all ages.