Capsule Review

And they call it puppy love...

The other day, I got a chance to finally see a documentary on DVD that I'd heard about when it was briefly in the theaters, Pick of the Litter.  The film follows five puppies from their birth through training to see if they'll make it as a guide dog for the blind.  I thought it was charming and surprisingly emotional at times.  Though the focus is, of course, on the dogs, and it creates a rooting interest -- not that one will make it over the others, but that all or any of them will -- where the film kicked in the most for me was on the more low-key end, the reaction of those who apply to be trainers and have a great affection for their dogs, and also the focus on a couple of people waiting to find out if they'll get guide dogs.  Ultimately, of course, even if a dog doesn't pass and get selected as a guide dog, it doesn't know that and will have a good life ahead of it, perhaps even in some some other service area.  But you root for them all to make it anyway because you know their work is so critical and helpful to people waiting for the support. 

​I suspect the quiet, gentle nature of the film isn't for everyone, but to me it was worth waiting to see and thought it was a total pleasure.  Here's the trailer, which understandably keeps the puppies in the center and not as much on the people surrounding them, but it's a respectable sense of the film.

For those interested, this is the link to the documentary on Netflix.

And, okay, while I was rooting for all the dogs to make it, the one I most-liked was Phil...