year of the dog

If you haven't seen it yet, Year of the Dog is a wonderfully quirky, human and pro-animal movie, and perfect for a weekend night in if you ask me.  The film stars Molly Shannon in a subdued and suprisingly effective performance (for someone probably most remembered for doing awkward cheerleader moves in an equally awkward Catholic schoolgirl's outfit on Saturday Night Live). 

The film's description says that Shannon's character Peggy is "a happy-go-lucky secretary who is a great friend, employee and sister living alone with her beloved dog Pencil.  But when Pencil unexpectedly dies Peggy must find meaning in her life" (Amazon.com).  When Peggy unexpectedly adopts another dog, she is rapidly ramped into the world of companion animal rescue and then animal rights.  Without giving too much away, she finds herself all of sudden in a precarious, and very relatable, personal position.

While Year of the Dog has an undercurrent of comedy and even satire, it also paints a very empathetic picture of someone wrestling with a newfound awareness of the awful plight of many animals, and feeling compelled to do as much as she can about it.  I saw much of my own progression into animal advocacy reflected in Peggy's, even if mine hasn't been quite so extreme, and I can imagine many other animal advocates both professional and volunteer will as well.  (Interestingly, the Humane Society of the United States reviewed the film and later named it its Feature Film of 2007.)

By the way, Year of the Dog's website takes a few seconds to load, but is a fun site to check out and has some great video of the film.  (Year of the Dog is rated PG-13 for some mature material.)