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Another indie review for today is the documentary Dogspiracy. It’s a British documentary about dog breeders in the UK and the US.
Dogspriacy is presented by Marc Abraham, and had people like Peter Egan, Rosie Duffield, Marcella Whittingdale, Caroline Lucas, and more. Sorry I’m not listing all the names, but there are some great people in there, fighting a good fight.
Director, Paul Crompton, has dealt with all manor of interesting documentaries, from The Limbless Mountaineer to West Ham: The Home of Family Football to A Tribute to Larry Hagman: At Home with JR.
The Story
You know what’s cute? Puppies, seeing a little puppy, with their big floppy ears, the fluffy paws and the little poo they’ve just done is adorable.
The downside is the money that can be made out of puppies, and Dogspiracy exposes the darker side of things. This is from the press release:
Dogspiracy is the much-anticipated documentary following English veterinarian, Marc Abraham, as he seeks to stop the cruel puppy mills industry, out and end to puppy smuggling and banning US pet stores from selling puppies.
His campaign work takes him to Wales, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington DC and Westminster. But in amongst the political elite, he discovers conspiracies in both Britain and America. But Marc knows that spreading the word – using this film and social media – can be just as effective at exposing and ending this abusive puppy trade.
Abraham is doing a fine job, but it’s an uphill struggle.
Campaigners at 10 Downing Street
Bad Conditions
I’ve seen some messed-up movies, but they are just movies. They are all special effects, stuntmen and lots and lots of corn syrup. Now, the dogs in Dogspiracy aren’t cut up or anything like that, but the conditions in which they are kept are really upsetting.
(As I remember) In one state in the US, the law states that as long as a dog has 6 inches of room, it’s legal. That means some breeders keep the dog in those conditions for life; the poor animal just eats, sleeps, poops and gives birth. All of that with just 6 inches to move.
It is horrible to see the conditions, but there is money to be made. It’s not about the welfare of the animal; it’s about getting as many puppies as you can to sell for the highest profit.
Most of the animals are fed the cheapest food they can; they barely clean them up, so most of them are kept in barns, which can be freezing.
There’s Money to be Had
The main issue that’s raised in Dogspiracy is money. It’s ruined everything these does, from the movie industry to clothing to food. If someone is getting rich, there are usually lots of people getting just as poor.
Some of the puppies that are being bred to be sold are selling for amounts of $15,000 – 20,000 a puppy. You can see why greed has caught some people, that’s not justifying what they are doing, but there is profit to be had.
In the UK and the US, they are trying to pass laws to stop breeding and the conditions. However, politicians don’t want to pass these laws. No one said it in the documentary, but you know someone is making money off it somewhere.
Interestingly, a few of the campaigners and people who try to save the puppies wanted to name names. You can see themselves hold back, for fear of the repercussions of saying anyone’s name.
You would think anyone in power would pass a bill/law protecting puppies, it would make them popular; “He’s the local MP that saved the puppies from suffering”, but no, it seems they would rather have the money.
What Can You Do?
Watching Dogspiracy, I do want to get a dog. I was raised with a cat in my house growing up, and have always been a ‘cat person’, as in I like them, not like Nastassja Kinski in The Cat People.
I lived in a rented place for 9 years and they had a dog, a pedigree Bull Terrier called Bella, or Smelly Belly Bobos, as I used to call her. My landlords had her as a family pet, and she had the happiest life you could imagine. I loved that dog so much!
In getting a new one, what Dogspiracy teaches you is not to buy puppies from pet stores, but from accredited breeders. Even better is to get a puppy or dog from a rescue. Here are some tips I made a note of:
Make sure you see the puppy interacting with its mother
Always do your research on the breeder and the type of dog
Take pics/video and plan more than one visit before buying
Be patient and don’t be forced into handing over your money
Please consider adopting or fostering from your local rescue shelter
Overall
Dogspiracy is not an easy watch, obviously. I found myself crying in a few places, seeing the conditions of the poor animals. However, it wasn’t all bad.
There is a wonderful moment at the end, where you see some of the rescued dogs after they have had a loving home. When we first meet them, they are terrified of everyone and everything.
Just a short while later, they are living happy lives, running around, playing and living the equivalent of the good life for a dog. Again, I might have shed a tear or seven.
The work that Abraham and other campaigners are doing is stellar work. They are still trying to pass bills/laws to see better treatment of dogs and all animals. You can read more about it on the official Dogspiracy Website.
I’m giving Dogspiracy 4 out of 5 stars. As I said, it’s a horrible watch, but there is good news in it, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
It will be in UK cinemas from the 1st of August.
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