Four Paws Up

 ubest part of all these streaming services we now have access to is the ability to watch a plethora of documentaries.   Those films that often run for just one week in the theaters are now available to a wider audience and that is a very good thing.

A perfect example of this is the utterly charming and tear-provoking "Pick of the Litter," which brought me into a world I knew nothing about.  And I left with a big, old smile on my face.

This film is all about the training of guide dogs for the blind.  This is a cottage industry that is well controlled and monitored.  Not just any pooch can be thrown into this role.  Nope, like race horses, they are bred from specific pedigrees.   This movie takes you from the birth of five pups to their evolution and training to be guide dogs for the sight-impaired.   Trust me.  Not every dog makes it.  And it's a pain staking process.

"Pick of the Litter" opens with the birth of the five pups you see above.  For some reason, they are all given names which begin with "P."  Potomac, Patriot, and Phil are the males.   Primrose and Poppet are the females.  Over the course of two years, the cameras follow their progress.  First they are outsourced to families who are adept in training.   If they continue on the path, they are then returned to an even tougher regiment of training.   If along the way, it is deemed that they will never be a successful guide dog, the dog is said to experience a "career change."

Even though this is a film, you fall in love with these dogs.  I even ended up rooting for one of them to make it.  Ultimately, just two of the litter actually wind up as guide dogs and I'm not going to ruin the ending for you.  It's fascinating documentary-making when the filmmakers are able to sustain such a high level of suspense.   When the two "winners" are matched with their sight-impaired companions, I was moved to tears.   And so will you.  It makes you want to have a dog yourself.

Seek this one out and enjoy it.  You will thank me.  Just don't lick my face.

LEN'S RATING:  Four stars.

Dinner last night:  Had a long travel day so nothing really.