 On January 27, 2004 a much-awaited documentary film will premiere on HBO. Directed by Cynthia Wade, "Shelter Dogs" is advertised as a film about pet overpopulation.
On the HBO web site the description of the film reads, "What happens to the approximately five million abandoned and unwanted dogs who end up in shelters across the U.S. each year? Only a quarter of America's shelter dogs ever find new homes, presenting a murky moral debate for those who care for the leftovers." Unfortunately, as a film about pet overpopulation in the United States, the film falls short.
"Shelter Dogs" is more about Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption that is run by Sue Sternberg in upstate New York than it is about pet overpopulation. In fairness to HBO, the company does include a line in the marketing about the film that reads, "Through a unique window into an upstate New York shelter, this documentary takes a hard, bold look at a tough dilemma."
Unfortunately, presenting such a narrow perspective on an issue as large and complex as pet overpopulation risks missing a major part of the story, which is exactly what happened in this case. Sue Sternberg and Rondout Kennels appear to have but one solution to the problem - kill pets. There is virtually no talk in the film of the kennels spay/neuter policies. There is no talk of microchipping or other pet identification programs. There is no talk of possible legislative changes that could help. The film, in fact, leaves the viewer with the impression that there is only one choice shelters have, to take animals in and kill them.
The film clearly suggests that this is the point of view of Sternberg, which is probably one of the reasons she comes off as an emotional shell of a human being who is, perhaps, all too ready to end the life of a pet.
In one particularly insightful scene, a small, black and frightened Cocker Spaniel is brought to her shelter. The poor dog is, clearly, suffering from neglect. He has ear infections. He is badly matted and in need of grooming. Without temperament testing the dog, Sternberg recommends ending the dog's life. Her staff objects, suggesting that until the ear infections are healed, and the grooming issues are addressed, they cannot effectively temperament test the dog to determine its adoptability. Sternberg tells the staff that she does not "feel" the dog will test well. However, after some argument with the staff, she agrees to hold off killing the dog until after it is stabilized and tested.
An even more telling scene comes when the dog is temperament tested by Sternberg for resource guarding behavior. Initially, Sternberg gives the dog a large bowl of very tempting food, a mix of kibble and canned food to ensure that it is eager to eat the meal. She then takes an artificial hand and begins to remove food from the dish while the dog is eating. Initially, there is no reaction from the dog. So she increases the stimulation on the dog. She begins pulling the dish away and poking the dog with the artificial hand, and continues to do this for quite some time, until the dog begins to display some mild resource guarding behavior. At that time, she removes the food and gives the dog a pig's ear and continues the poking and prodding in a more aggressive manner, which, to me, appeared to border on abuse.
Not surprisingly, the dog eventually becomes aggressive, at which time, Sternberg pulls out her own video camera and films the aggressive behavior. She then shows the tape to her staff to explain to them why she had to put the dog to sleep. No discussion about resource guarding behavior in dogs, or how dogs that exhibit this behavior can be trained. It appears she approached the temperament test expecting a specific outcome, and that she did whatever she could to achieve that outcome.
On the subject of no-kill shelters the film makes only one statement, that dogs that are "unadoptable" are either killed, or they live the rest of their lives in a cage, which, of course, is not true.
All-in-all, I think the film is interesting from the perspective of showing the emotional intensity involved in working at an animal shelter. It will also raise some awareness of pet overpopulation. Unfortunately, the film also makes a lot of assumptions and repeats misconceptions that could do more harm to the humane community than good.
Another documentary on the subject of pet overpopulation, titled "Best Friends Forgotten" that is hosted by David Duchovny will be showing soon on Animal Planet Canada and PBS in the USA. This film is likely to present a more complete and balanced story, including interviews with humane organizations in different communities. | |