Dealing Dogs
Posted on Jan 29, 2008
By Julia Szabo
(HBO Documentary Films, 2006, 70 minutes) - add this title to your Netflix queue
Available on Amazon.com
The instigators of this powerful investigative documentary, members of Last Chance for Animals, went undercover with hidden cameras to spotlight one notoriously inhumane Arkansas kennel, Martin Creek, and the "Class B" dealers who supplied it.
To sell dogs to Class B dealers, who then re-sell the animals to research facilities and veterinary schools, professional pet thieves (also called "bunchers") round up all the dogs they can find, including strays and pets stolen from their families' back yards. Bunchers also answer "Free to Good Home" classified ads, posing as legitimate dog adopters complete with kids in tow.
While awaiting transfer to animal-testing labs and vet schools, dogs were kept at Martin Creek Kennel in horrific conditions. They suffered, in the words of LCA's Chris DeRose, a "holy hell" of atrocities too upsetting to list here.
"Dealing Dogs" might not be a natural first choice for your video library; it's certainly no popcorn flick. But if you care about dogs, you'll check it out. Full disclosure: I avoided the film when it first aired on HBO, and put off viewing the DVD as long as I could. But as tough as it is to watch, this important film is empowering, and the issues it raises are vital. The payoff for watching is the happy ending: LCA succeeded in shutting down this kennel and re-homing the surviving dogs.
Sadly, identical nightmare scenarios play out daily in kennels like this across the country. "Dealing Dogs" inspires its viewers to fight back by 1) adopting dogs from shelters or rescue groups, and avoiding pet shops supplied by puppy mills (where deplorable conditions mirror those in the film); 2) never, ever re-homing dogs via "Free to Good Home" ads; and 3) never, ever tying dogs outside or leaving them alone in a back yard, where they become easy prey for people with cruel intentions.
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