One Nation Under Dog

This documentary gets an 8/10 for me because of the general message inside it that needs to be spread. The realistic side to shelters and what happens when you dump your dog.

However, many downfalls are in this film that I did not like. Instead of speaking of responsible dog ownership, it fell back on the ole just spay and neuter your pets campaign. Which, in hindsight, works for the ignorant viewer, but if you're making a professional film, put some thought into it.

The content was also a bit...mismatched. The beginning follows bite cases around the same dog and its owner, then jumps to a very short blip about a wealthy couple cloning their dog and then jumps to the shelter/rescue/euthanasia bit. What is their main goal here? They were all over the board with content. It was quite hard to understand what the main message was. So, as a whole piece, it's quite ugly.

But the general message that shelter dogs are in danger and the problem is not going away as things sit now is a powerful one that needs to be spread, regardless of production value. The sad thing is, being an HBO flick, the people who need to see this the most will never see it.

The segment which stuck with me the most and that I'm surprised no review has mentioned so far was the one covering a support group for people who can't overcome the death of their dogs. I recently lost two of mine during consecutive years and neither were yet senior dogs. I could have sworn I took it well at the time but if left me scarred, the pain lingered and even grew to the point I suspect it partly responsible for a downturn in my physical and mental health.

I thought it was unique for me to turn to a psychologist to treat this but thanks to this film I've discovered how there are so many like me and how there are special groups (like there are for human losses and addictions) designed for people to cope with and bond over the loss of their beloved canine soulmates.

My self and 2 of my young sons were bitten/attacked at different times in our lives by large dogs. My 2 sons required surgery and extensive repair later on too. One son had his ear ripped off too and needed cosmetic surgery. That being said, I have 4 rescue dogs. But I know dogs are dogs. No matter how mellow and well mannered a dog is they can and will still bite. The difference is a small dog, small bites and a large dogs, large bites. One was attacked by an adult Rottweiler and the other by an adult Doberman. I always monitor my dogs around other people. Always. Even though I love them and will be devastated when they die, I still choose to be a forever home 4 large rescue dogs. They are beautiful sweet dogs with gentle dispositions. But the unpredictably is always at the forefront of my mindÿ