On HBO tonight: "One Nation Under Dog" shows dark side of our animal obsession
I've seen the insides of puppy mills. I've seen the heartbreaking video of sick and maimed dogs taken at the scene of Pennsylvania puppy mill bust that brought tears to my eyes. I don't know if I can stomach this one.
On HBO tonight: "One Nation Under Dog" shows dark side of our animal obsession
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
I've seen the insides of puppy mills. I've seen the heartbreaking video of sick and maimed dogs taken at the scene of Pennsylvania puppy mill bust that brought tears to my eyes.
I don't know if I can stomach this one.
A new HBO documentary "One National Under Dog: Stories of Fear, Loss and Betrayal" premiers tonight (at 9 p.m.) "zeroes in unflinchingly on the most troubling aspects of American pet ownership," as Washington Post reporter Hank Steuver wrote.
Inspired by the 2009 book by the same name written by newly-named New Republic (and former Inquirer staff writer), Michael Schaffer, the documentary focuses its wide lens on the complex relationship we have with animals.
There is the couple that spends $155,000 to clone its Labrador retriever and then there are the two million healthy but unwanted puppies and dogs destroyed by shelters each year - many still tossed into gas chambers where the film records them screaming as they die.
Right, I know. Impossible to watch. But, scenes like these perhaps will propel the passage of more laws banning the use of lethal gas in shelters such as the one currently awaiting a vote in the Pennsylvania state House.
The documentary opens with the infamous case in South Jersey involving the Haddonfield doctor whose Rhodesian Ridgebacks terrorized the neighborhood and goes on to look how animal owners cope with loss (including spending $155,000 to clone their dog) and finally, a look at the "betrayal" of animals sent to shelters to die.
The only hopeful note the film strikes, says Steuver, is the segment on a dog trainer who regularly ventures to high-kill shelters, finds the least adoptable dogs and rehabilitates them. As Steuver writes:
One man from New England, John Gagnon, travels to a Tennessee shelter, where, faced with an array of needy cases in the barking cacophony, he makes the difficult choice to save two dogs on death row. One is an angry biter; the other is a placid and terribly sad pit bull spotted with mange.
After some purposeful foster care, the biter winds up living a grand life as the new pet at a beach house; the other finds herself riding in a Fourth of July parade float with her new masters. The gratitude these dogs feel is plain to see. The viewer is grateful to Gagnon, too, for saving "One Nation Under Dog" from utter despair.
I don't think I could watch this. Honestly, the fact that people still buy dogs when so many suffer and then die in shelters is inexcusable. That so many people treat these creatures with such a lack of respect is disheartening.— lulu- I am a responsible breeder/exhibitor and rescue person. So I cover all aspects. No matter how many dogs there are in a shelter, there are people that want a pup of a specific breed. Even getting a rescue of that breed does not fulfill what they want. That is the reason for responsible breeders. I don't mean the breeders that breed for the bottom line and will ship a pup anywhere when they receive the money. There are those of us that care about the breed and want to breed healthy pups. We also don't let them go to just anybody who has the money. There is a need for both. I have had people wanting a pup and ending up with a rescue babe. I do let my people know that there are other alternatives. The point of this post is to inform that there is room for both. But for those who just breed for the money, those of us that are responsible don't want them out there pumping out pups either. — sebshezu
- I will bet there is not one single frame of a GOOD breeder in this "documentary" not one single mention that the killing rates in shelters have dropped dramatically over the last 20 years.. and nothing about buying a dog from a good breeder to decrease the number of dogs in shelters.. so I won;t be watching either.. but for different reasons— Alice in LALA LAND
- Try watching the video before you get all indignant regarding the "bias" in the "documentary". All it did was show what happens. Show these living beings (not anymore though) some respect by at least sharing in their horror for a few minutes. They never had a chance to hide or protect themselves. Doesn't seem fair that we should get to hide from the truth. — Concerned Tim
- I would not want to be a dog owner in Haddonfield and be a neighbor of the Principatos. That being said the part on the overcrowding on shelters was heartwrenching.— JimW
- I watched this film yesterday. I wish I hadn't. The gas chamber scene was one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking things I have ever seen. I think that people that are making this a good breeder versus bad breeder issue are missing the point of the film. Yes, there are very good breeders. The film (other than the segment about John Gagnon) is not about what good things are being done for animals. I would hope that people that watch it would at least get the message of the importance of spaying and neutering their pets. While the killing rate in shelters may have dropped, there are still several million dogs and cats killed every year simply because no one wants to give them a home.— CathyBee
- I watched this documentary, and I was brought to tears in a way that a documentary has never done before. The scene of the puppies being placed on top of the already dead dogs in the box and then the sounds of their own screams as they were gassed to death truly traumatized me. The cherry on top was when they were literally dumped into the garbage truck like trash. Every potential dog owner and dog breeder should be required to watch this video so they fully appreciate the potential consequences of their actions and the full gravity of the suffering and sheer terror these dogs experience in their final moments that people allow themselves to be blissfully ignorant of.— Concerned Tim
- i have been in rescue for years... and still to watch the gassing scene was absolute torture. but it should be REQUIRED viewing for everyone- particularly those that insist on breeding.....'good' breeders or not, YOU are responsible also for the overpopulation, since your pups are not spayed/neutered when they leave your premises. i was absolutely disgusted by that jerkoff with FIVE unneutered male ridgebacks. that dog had to die because his owner is an irresponsible fool that does not admit to being wrong, even if his precious family member had to die for his stupidity. and don't even get me started on the ridiculous crazies that cloned their dog to the tune of $155,000. yes, i too was practically bedridden with depression when my boy passed on 5 yrs ago, but you know what i did? i began fostering & rescuing for my breed of choice not long after. people who tell me they admire what i do 'but could never do it because it would make them so sad"....i tell them 'yes, better to cry about it than to actually institute change, right??"— kelbel67
- alice in lala land = PART OF THE PROBLEM. what's it like up there above everyone else? watch it- I DARE YOU. you couldn't handle seeing what you've also helped to create. — kelbel67
- Concerned Tim and kelbel67, your comments could not be more truthful! Thank you.— lnodes
- For me this documentary sparked every human emotion possible. Mostly sadness and anger against the NJ doctor. My wife and I rescued two pit mixes from our local shelter many years ago. Even though our local SPCA shelter is a "no kill" shelter I feel that taking them into a loving home was the very least we could do to help abandoned pets. I really do not understand anyone who would want to purchase a $200 - 2000 dog just because of its breed. The money is not the issue, however the unbelievable amount of "adoptable" pets in the shelters waiting for a good home is. Additionally, no matter what breed of dog is adopted or purchased, it is ALWAYS the owner who is responsible for the care and obedience training of the dog. Ultimately, the dogs will pay the price with their lives due to a bad owners.— MyPitMix
- A Humane Nation
- Animal Law Coalition
- Animal Legal Defense Fund
- Animals & Politics
- Best Friends Animal Society
- Catster
- Dogster
- ohmidog!
- Paw Print Post
- Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Pet Watch New Jersey
- Pet-Abuse.com
- PetMD
- Terrierman
- The Bark
- Vetstreet
- WebMed/Pets
- zootoo
