One Nation Under Dog (2012) User Reviews

Must see for the ignorant...

[cheesehead11-119-24792 · 8/10 · 8 July 2012]

This documentary gets an 8/10 for me because of the general message inside it that needs to be spread. The realistic side to shelters and what happens when you dump your dog.

However, many downfalls are in this film that I did not like. Instead of speaking of responsible dog ownership, it fell back on the ole just spay and neuter your pets campaign. Which, in hindsight, works for the ignorant viewer, but if you're making a professional film, put some thought into it.

The content was also a bit...mismatched. The beginning follows bite cases around the same dog and its owner, then jumps to a very short blip about a wealthy couple cloning their dog and then jumps to the shelter/rescue/euthanasia bit. What is their main goal here? They were all over the board with content. It was quite hard to understand what the main message was. So, as a whole piece, it's quite ugly.

But the general message that shelter dogs are in danger and the problem is not going away as things sit now is a powerful one that needs to be spread, regardless of production value. The sad thing is, being an HBO flick, the people who need to see this the most will never see it.

An excellent depiction of our country's love and tragic misuse of dogs.

[Debralyncranford · 10/10 · 30 June 2019]

My self and 2 of my young sons were bitten/attacked at different times in our lives by large dogs. My 2 sons required surgery and extensive repair later on too. One son had his ear ripped off too and needed cosmetic surgery. That being said, I have 4 rescue dogs. But I know dogs are dogs. No matter how mellow and well mannered a dog is they can and will still bite. The difference is a small dog, small bites and a large dogs, large bites. One was attacked by an adult Rottweiler and the other by an adult Doberman. I always monitor my dogs around other people. Always. Even though I love them and will be devastated when they die, I still choose to be a forever home 4 large rescue dogs. They are beautiful sweet dogs with gentle dispositions. But the unpredictably is always at the forefront of my mindÿ

You're not alone

[pap25 · 10/10 · 16 July 2022]

The segment which stuck with me the most and that I'm surprised no review has mentioned so far was the one covering a support group for people who can't overcome the death of their dogs. I recently lost two of mine during consecutive years and neither were yet senior dogs. I could have sworn I took it well at the time but if left me scarred, the pain lingered and even grew to the point I suspect it partly responsible for a downturn in my physical and mental health.

I thought it was unique for me to turn to a psychologist to treat this but thanks to this film I've discovered how there are so many like me and how there are special groups (like there are for human losses and addictions) designed for people to cope with and bond over the loss of their beloved canine soulmates.

Great Barking Heartache

[mekjd · 6/10 · 22 February 2017]

Wondering whether the film-maker had in mind some sort of class contrast between the upper class dogs who get away with biting -- until expensive litigation forces owners to agree to have the dog put to death -- and the abandoned puppies whose fate it is to be gassed and thrown away as garbage. An awful lot of heartache and a few joys: seeing dogs trust again, seeing them regain their health. It is mostly sadness, though, and it would be my recommendation that the movie carry a warning label. The sound of puppies screaming as they are gassed to death is traumatizing.

One day someone will make a great dog documentary. This ain't it.

[mjgih · 5/10 · 22 June 2012]

I give it a 5 because it's a subject so close to my heart, but this film is a mess. One short sequence after another, and just as you begin to feel something for the animals/people involved, they cut to the next segment. Nothing is allowed to develop. And when your best piece of footage was shot by a high school kid, well, that pretty much says it all.

I so wanted to like this, but ended up walking away angry, not at the truly horrible facts presented in the film, but because the subject deserves SO much more, SO much better. And while I was never a huge fan of the film Shelter Dogs, that is the Citizen Kane of dog films compare to this.

In the mean time, here's the same info without having to sit though a mundane 75 minutes: support local shelters (not national animal organizations where your dollars go to large salaries), understand that ALL puppies in pet stores are from puppy mills, and ALWAYS adopt from shelters, and ALWAYS have your pet spayed or neutered. (I personally think we should have a law, everyone has the choice, your pet gets spayed or neutered, or you get spayed or neutered. It would be a much better world.)