December 5, 2022
FILM: FREE PUPPIES!
DIRECTED BY: CHRISTINA THOMAS, SAMANTHA WISHMAN
RATING: 3 OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
We’ve seen signs for them everywhere: Free Puppies for Sale! When they turn up in our cities and towns we might not know where they come from but we might be taken with how cute and cuddly these pups appear to be. Many just scream out for attention and love. The new documentary Free Puppies! takes us into the work of rescue workers in the south who strive to save those dogs that have been left behind or uncared for that need some attention.
The film presents plenty of reasons why so many of these potential pets are from the south. There was Hurricane Katrina which notoriously left many dogs without a home. There’s the issue of overpopulation and counties with no animal control leaving many dogs to roam free while continuing to produce more offspring. There’s general neglect, a lack of shelters and resources, broken family homes, and backyard breeders who also attempt to reproduce for profit. Clearly, these filmmakers have done their homework and know exactly how to appeal to the hearts of dog lovers.
Some pretty poverty-stricken areas are presented here where the abundance of stray dogs is the norm. The directors do provide some history of this cultural phenomenon dating back to the 1800s and include some interesting archival footage of people attempting to find homes for these pups along many southern roads. While more of these historical images would have been welcome, I don’t think that is the sole focus of the film. The real need and goal here is to get people to help develop shelters and homes for these dogs. The emphasis is on supporting shelters, fostering pups, and offering financial resources to those doing the work they do to rescue them.
Among the central do-gooders featured within the film is Monda Wooten who by trade owns a flooring store but spends much of her free time finding and rescuing dogs. We follow her on many of her missions including a sad wooded setting where she encounters a rundown pair of trailer homes in which two men are inundated with dogs while also dealing with a growing rat population. We see volunteers such as Monda take these dogs to be spayed and neutered. Ultimately the goal is to try to find homes for as many of them as they can.
We’ve seen so many commercials begging for us to financially support dog rescuing. This film offers a larger picture of just what people are attempting to do, whether they be volunteers or dedicated veterinarians. So, yes, we do see those sad dog faces often featured in ads but the film puts them into context. The various settings, homes, and caretakers are fleshed out creating even more of a dire reality for this mission. Ultimately the film concludes with some hopeful scenes of pups getting spayed, adopted, transported, and loved. However, the filmmakers make it clear that there’s plenty more work to be done.
If you love dogs this is a film for you. Check out the trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt1LJZvnCfo&t=3s
Free Puppies! is coming to VOD and DVD on December 13.
FILM: FREE PUPPIES!
DIRECTED BY: CHRISTINA THOMAS, SAMANTHA WISHMAN
RATING: 3 OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
We’ve seen signs for them everywhere: Free Puppies for Sale! When they turn up in our cities and towns we might not know where they come from but we might be taken with how cute and cuddly these pups appear to be. Many just scream out for attention and love. The new documentary Free Puppies! takes us into the work of rescue workers in the south who strive to save those dogs that have been left behind or uncared for that need some attention.
The film presents plenty of reasons why so many of these potential pets are from the south. There was Hurricane Katrina which notoriously left many dogs without a home. There’s the issue of overpopulation and counties with no animal control leaving many dogs to roam free while continuing to produce more offspring. There’s general neglect, a lack of shelters and resources, broken family homes, and backyard breeders who also attempt to reproduce for profit. Clearly, these filmmakers have done their homework and know exactly how to appeal to the hearts of dog lovers.
Some pretty poverty-stricken areas are presented here where the abundance of stray dogs is the norm. The directors do provide some history of this cultural phenomenon dating back to the 1800s and include some interesting archival footage of people attempting to find homes for these pups along many southern roads. While more of these historical images would have been welcome, I don’t think that is the sole focus of the film. The real need and goal here is to get people to help develop shelters and homes for these dogs. The emphasis is on supporting shelters, fostering pups, and offering financial resources to those doing the work they do to rescue them.
Among the central do-gooders featured within the film is Monda Wooten who by trade owns a flooring store but spends much of her free time finding and rescuing dogs. We follow her on many of her missions including a sad wooded setting where she encounters a rundown pair of trailer homes in which two men are inundated with dogs while also dealing with a growing rat population. We see volunteers such as Monda take these dogs to be spayed and neutered. Ultimately the goal is to try to find homes for as many of them as they can.
We’ve seen so many commercials begging for us to financially support dog rescuing. This film offers a larger picture of just what people are attempting to do, whether they be volunteers or dedicated veterinarians. So, yes, we do see those sad dog faces often featured in ads but the film puts them into context. The various settings, homes, and caretakers are fleshed out creating even more of a dire reality for this mission. Ultimately the film concludes with some hopeful scenes of pups getting spayed, adopted, transported, and loved. However, the filmmakers make it clear that there’s plenty more work to be done.
If you love dogs this is a film for you. Check out the trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt1LJZvnCfo&t=3s
Free Puppies! is coming to VOD and DVD on December 13.