Customer Reviews

SHELTER DOGS

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a good documentatry movie about dogs in shelters and what they have to go through and the people they have to deal with. I strongly disagree with Sue Sternbergs behavioral evaluation methods and I think several of the dogs in this film did not deserve their lives taken away. This movie is a thought provoker and a tear jerker and anyone interested in dog welfare should watch it. You will be thinking about it for weeks to come and dying to discuss it with other animal lovers.

Filmmaker Cynthia Wade followed Sue Sternberg for two years as she worked in her Roundout Valley Kennels, in upstate N.Y., a shelter she had owned for eight years when this film was made, and runs with a small staff of dedicated workers and a shoestring budget.
The dogs that are surrendered, for reasons varying from behavior problems to lack of time on the part of the owners, are loved and tended to, and those who are unadoptable, usually because of habitual biting, are euthanized.
The shelter has a section of concrete kennels, and a limited number of little rooms, brightly painted and with pieces of dilapidated furniture, to make the dogs who are in for a long stay feel more "at home".

It is heartwarming to see the dogs that get good homes, but in certain shelters that we are shown in this film, there is the inhumanity of the long term "no kill" policy that is spreading in this country. There are dogs that are permanently traumatized, and spend their lives in a small concrete and chain link cell. As an "animal person", I am horrified by the cruelty of keeping the "hopeless cases" alive in their misery, and this documentary describes the situation well.

Sue Sternberg is a remarkable woman, as says that she must have been born with an "extra dog chromosome", having an intense affinity for canines since she was a small child. There are some wonderful old home films of her with assorted four-pawed friends, and she is seen at home, underneath a pile of her present fur family.
Excellent photography and editing makes this award winning documentary essential viewing for anyone interested in animal welfare, and it is also enhanced by a nice score by Simon Gentry and Mark Suozzo.
Total running time is 74 minutes.

A starkly honest, but sympathetic film that lives up to the best of documentary traditions.

"Shelter Dogs" forces viewers to confront a very real moral dilemma--how we treat, and mistreat, "man's best friend." It's a tough film with some very wrenching scenes, but it's also a tender film, filled with compassionate people who do their best to patch up the problems that society ignores. Told in the best tradition of social-issue documentaries, the film spends a year in the lives of animal shelter workers as they make life and death decisions about the pets that other people discard. But unlike many so-called "hard-edged films," this one runs the gamut of emotions-- from poignant to funny--, with lots of room for reflection. I liked it a lot, even if the subject matter disturbed me. To me a great film is one that takes me someplace I've never been, entertains me and touches me along the way, before depositing me back home a little wiser for the journey. Shelter Dogs does that. It reveals people and pets at their most vulnerable and, like "Hoop Dreams," surprises us by the outcome. I highly recommend it for anyone who owns a pet, or ever held a puppy and delighted in its affection.

I've seen Shelter Dogs several times on HBO. Like others, I was originally in favor of "no kill," but this made me take a second look at the issue. Why should we torment animals for the rest of their natural lives because they were so badly handled that they became unsafe? It's cruel to condemn them to a long MISERABLE life, because of our mistakes.

I've always been a fan of QUALITY of life instead of Quantity. If an animal is miserable because of illness, it would selfish to keep them alive to make ME feel better. We should never let ourselves make an animal suffer because it is hard to make tough decisions. And there was NO doubt in my mind that the dogs in the "no kill" shelter were suffering terribly.

This documentary is also a very strong advertisement for neutering your animals. There would not be such an overload in today's shelters if people were responsible enough to prevent unwanted births. When these cute puppies get older, they become heartbreakingly difficult to adopt out, and just become one more animal being sacrificed to our irresponsibility. The unwanted dogs who get euthanized at her shelter are really the lucky ones...they are not given a life sentence of misery.

I had seen this documentary playing on HBO and for a long time couldn't bring myself to watch it. I am barely able to go to the shelters now without crying or bringing home another animal. However, one night I decided to give Shelter Dogs a chance and am so glad I did. There were some scenes that really were hard for me to watch but I began to look at things a bit differently than I had before. I had been a supporter of the no-kill policy but after seeing how some of these animals have to live out their lives, I no longer think it is the answer. This film really touched my heart and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks they have already made up their mind on these issues.

the 3 star rating is because this is a very well made documentary, but it just proves the crazy ideals of some people. during the movie, there was a dob turned over because of a genetic back issue. the poor thing was just 6 months old and homeless because of another case of puppy mills/backyard breeding. ridiculous! THEN this idiot wants to put him down because he might be sad and/or depressed while having a neckbrace on!?!?!? OMFG! thank goodness for the girls that work for her or else that poor dog, that is still living a very happy, healthy life, would be dead because shes a moron.

and to put down a dog because its nippy.. you've got to be joking!

i have never been so outraged in my life! this woman is as bad as PETA. ugh!

My family and I volunteer at a shelter and absolutely love all animals and heard about this documentary and knew that we had to purchase it. This documentary was both heart wrenching and heart warming. Sue Sternburg shows so much compassion for her animals. Whether They are friendly or show signs of aggression she treats them all with the care and compassion that they deserve. She and her staff really due care and it is clear through the film that they do all they can for every animal that walks through their shelter doors. It makes viewers face the facts about life at a shelter from surrendering the animals who go from homes to cages and how some animals must meet an untimely demise. It is a amazing film which in my opinion all animal lovers and other should experience in their lifetime. Cynthia Wade did a truly amazing job.

I watched this Documentary years ago when it first came out and was so touched. Anyone involved with shelters or rescues should watch this video. Not only is it inspirational, but it is so informative as to the treatment of dogs that can't, for whatever reason, can not be adopted out. Touching, inspirational and informative. I would recommend this video any any dog lover. I have yet to get tired of it and I have watched it over and over again for a few years.

I wouldnot buy anything that Sue Sternberg has been part of. She purports to be a "doggie Hitler" and has made statements to the affect that she would kill 75% of the dogs in the Northeast. I guess that wouldnot be including the dogs she has supposedly "saved" from Southern shelters and then killed at her shelter. Her temperament testing is a sad joke....and she uses this criteria to kill. If you don't believe it-research her on the web..lots of "interesting" stuff about her. I willnot support any literary/video endeavor that gives her one dollar.

For animal shelter boards and staff, the film can certainly help them by showing that others suffer the same decisions and doubts. But I also hope this audience will learn more about making that critical, final decision. In too many shelters, the decision the put down* a dog is based on space or time in the shelter or a minor curable ailment (*"euthanasia" is mercy killing, I will NOT apply the term to healthy animals). The beautiful thing about Sue's decision-making is that she bases it on the animal's temperament and quality of life. Fred was an exceptional dog - they went out of their way for him. Shelters should be "shelter" for as long as a friendly, safe dog remains so.

For no-kill supporters, the film is a lesson in valuing quality of life. Many of the dogs at the no-kill facility in the film were psychologically damaged and deeply unhappy. Unadoptable in this state, they are doomed to a life of misery. (We are currently fostering a dog interned so long she developed "spinning" and generalized phobia - rehabbing her is slow going. We love her dearly, but how many families have that kind of time and ability?)

Until reproduction rates are down (that means spay/neuter!) and adoption rates are up, condemning animals to life behind bars solely to declare oneself as "no kill" is utter cruelty. (I support "no kill" for all healthy, adoptable animals as an ultimate goal, but feel spay/neuter and eliminating puppy mills should be the humane community's top priorities or they are fighting a losing battle - supply will continue to outstrip demand.)

For anyone thinking about getting a dog, this film should compel you to check out animal shelters for your next friend - just listening to the reasons for surrender shows how many times the dog is not to blame. And perhaps, maybe, to consider an older dog? But it should also warn you about what to look for, behaviorally, in the dogs that are there.

I knocked one star off because I did disagree with *one* of Sue's decisions. So that others can watch unbiased, I am putting that disagreement in a comment, not in the review.