Free Puppies! – Review
68 Minutes, Not Rated
Directed by Christina Thomas and Samantha Wishman
**NOTE: Mark was lucky enough to be able to talk to director Samantha Wishman and rescuer Monda Wooten. The link to that is included (as is the YouTube link), but also read Mark’s review below.**
Synopsis:
Millions of rescue dogs from the rural South have been transported to new homes thanks to the tireless efforts of a grassroots network of dog rescuers. Free Puppies! tells one such rescue story and explores the challenges facing a group of intrepid women from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee working together to save dogs. These women not only rescue dogs from euthanasia, but also organize affordable and accessible spay and neuter, reform local ordinances, advocate for humane education, and fight urgent and complex challenges facing underserved areas of the rural South.
If you don’t like dogs, you don’t have a soul.
There, I said it.
Free Puppies! spotlights the problem of uncontrolled animal populations, focusing on the southern United States. The work these rescuers do is impressive, both from a pedestrian numbers standpoint as well as the more important moral standpoint.
Finding the dogs, acquiring the dogs from owners who may be exploiting the dogs (litters = $$), owners who don’t feel they’re neglecting the animals or whatever else the situation may be, these tireless rescuers work without money, often without local governmental support, and sacrifice so much of their own lives to do this is impressive.
And they often do it in sketchy situations…
On the one hand, it is humanities love for animals that is causing this problem, and it is only through that same love for animals that we can solve this problem.
Look, there’s no “plot” here in a conventional sense; Free Puppies! is here to identify the problem and make it known on a wider scale.
On that mark, it does it’s work well.
After Hurricane Katrina exposed the plight of homeless animals (both de-homed and “feral”), the correct kind of cottage industry was born: animal relocation.
Free Puppies! looks at what it takes to get that job done, along with simply controlling the populations of animals to reduce/prevent future mass relocations of animals.
And I, for one, highly recommend watching it. It may just change the way you acquire your next furry companion: dog, cat, or other.
“Adopt, don’t shop!” is a worthy mantra to remember in the pet world, as is “spay and neuter your pets.”
Trust me; we’re not going to run out of cats and dogs.
Free Puppies! hits VOD on December 13 and features many animal rescuers including Monda Wooten, Ann Brown, and Ruth Smith.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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