New York Dog Film Festival Rolls Out The Green Carpet!

     Photo credit: Jim Dratfield

Did you ever fantasize about watching dogs, dogs, and well, more dogs, on screen in a theater...all day long? Your desires have become reality, dog lovers! The first New York Dog Film Festival is held today at Symphony Space in Manhattan, and promises "all dogs, all day"—can it get any better?

The Dog Film Festival is the brainchild of Tracie Hotchner, founder of the Radio Pet Lady Network and author of the wildly popular books, The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, and features forty short films, running from 60 seconds to 30 minutes in two sessions throughout the day.

The festival includes the mini films of humorist Merrill Markoe (of late Night with David Letterman fame), and the artist William Wegman and his Weimaraners. For those of us not able to attend in New York, we can view at least some of the festival's films on YouTube.

We're especially thrilled that the festival also features a segment from an episode of the Shelter Me series on PBS, titled "Second Chances" that shows prisoners training shelter dogs for future work as service dogs.

We can envision a several day, Sundance-like festival starring all dogs, dogs and more dogs (Why not be generous and include a few cats?) as the natural follow-up to this cool festival. What about you?

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"Shelter Me" Documentary Now Out On DVD: Redbox Kiosks Will Donate All Proceeds Through April 29th!

One of the war veterans suffering from PTSD and his service dog, featured on the first episode of "Shelter Me".

Remember awhile back when we shared information about this marvelous documentary, "Shelter Me" with you? The documentary was generously sponsored by Halo, Purely for Pets and focuses on the special bond between people and shelter pets. It originally aired on PBS just about a year ago, and we've seen it twice and love it!

Well, as of today, it's officially out on DVD and available at RedboxR kiosks near you. But here's the really great news: From today through Monday April 29th, RedboxR will donate 100% of the proceeds from "Shelter Me" rentals to the Halo Pet Foundation! And even better-100% of the money raised by the Halo Foundation goes directly to pets-Halo pays all administrative costs.

So you get to see a great documentary just by waltzing up to a neighborhood RedboxR kiosk and at the same time, donating money directly to help animals in need-now that's a win-win deal!

And please spread this news to your friends and family. This is a beautifully done film you're sure to enjoy! As always, thanks for your support.

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Dogs, Humans And TV: What's Coming Soon To A Flat Screen Near You!

Volunteers bathing a dog in Shelter Me". Photo courtesy of Steven Latham Productions and The New York Times

This New York Times article from just a few days ago marveled at the plethora of upcoming TV series and documentaries centered on dogs-and their humans, of course. But not everything is bliss in dogville, at least according to one new, prime time CBS series, "Dogs in the City" (which appears to be a New York city-centered "Dog Whisperer"), and two documentary films, "Shelter Me", which we already previewed for you, and a new HBO documentary showing on June 18th, called "One Nation Under Dog", a gritty (but "riveting", according to The Times review) account of shelter dogs,  puppy mills and behind the scenes rescues.

Regardless of their approach, both "Shelter Me" and "One Nation Under Dog" focus on the need for pet adoption and the rewards for both the dog and the rescuing human that come with it: "The joy on these animals' faces after [he] plucks them from the shelter, fixes what ails them and places them with new owners is undeniable and unrestrained," says John Gagnon of the rescue group, PAWS New England, whose rescue efforts appear in the HBO film.

We have not had the pleasure of seeing either of these documentaries...yet, but "Shelter Me" awaits on our DVR, and we're going to ask an HBO subscribing friend to let us join her for"One Nation Under Dog". And we'll probably check in with the new CBS series just because it's about dogs and sounds amusing. But what about you? Have you already seen or plan to watch any of these dog-related programs?  As always, we'd love to hear what you think.

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"Shelter Me": Not-To-Miss Documentary Coming Soon To A PBS Station Near You!

We can't wait to see what we're sure is an amazing documentary called "Shelter Me", that chronicles several very different stories involving shelter pets: from women's prison inmates training shelter dogs to help people with disabilities, to the journey of two stray dogs as they make their way from the streets, to shelter, to beloved family pets. "Shelter Me" is hosted by actress Katherine Heigl, and produced and directed by Steven Latham, a super-talented filmmaker who's free time is spent providing a loving home for three rescued dogs and a continuous round of foster dogs. He's also a frequent shelter volunteer and believes that "the key to reducing the number of pets in shelters is raising awareness". Many Americans have misperceptions about shelters and shelter pets, which, unfortunately, perpetuates the problem. Enjoy reading this bio of Steven Latham to learn more about him and his work.


And guess who's sponsoring this three-years in-the-making documentary? Halo, Purely for Pets, that's who! It seems to be a perfect fit because Halo and its co-owner, Ellen DeGeneres, are long-time supporters of shelters, and Halo has donated millions of meals to pets in need each year. And we're guessing that most of us agree with Steve Marton, CEO for Halo, who said, "It's important to raise public awareness and increase shelter adoptions by showing first-hand how these incredible animals positively impact people's lives." Ditto from our end!

And Lathem is as grateful for Halo's participation as Halo is to be the proud sponsor: "Halo's participation in this film is fundamental...I wanted to partner with an organization that is committed to making a difference for shelter pets. The work that Halo does is incredible, authentic and completely in the spirit of this project."

Now let's get to the really important part-how can you see this incredible film? Just check out this PBS schedule by state-the dates appear to range from as early as May 13th (in Albuquerque, New Mexico), to late June. So find the day and time in your area and set that DVR!. We hope you enjoy it, and that it inspires you to help shelter pets in your very own way.

We'll leave you with a short clip of the film-enjoy and spread the good word!

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