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PLEASE NOTE: This film contains strong content and scenes of euthanasia, and
therefore may not be suitable for children under the age of 14. Viewer discretion is advised.
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In December 1999, filmmaker Cynthia Wade, interested in making a film about ethics,
approached shelter owner Sue Sternberg and asked if she could document the events at Sue's
facility. Sternberg not only offered unrestricted access to everything that happened at the
shelter, but she also entrusted Wade with complete editorial control over the project.
For more than two years, Wade filmed pet surrenders, staff meetings, temperament tests, adoptions and
euthanasias. The film took approximately eight months to edit and was completed
in February 2003.
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Each day, hundreds of thousands of stray and unwanted dogs are born around the world. How society should care for
these homeless animals -- many of whom end up at animal shelters -- is a controversial topic with significant
humanitarian and public health implications.
At one rural animal shelter in upstate New York, founder Sue Sternberg and her staff respond to this crisis -- one
animal at a time. As a seemingly endless stream of homeless dogs arrives at their doorstep, Sternberg and her staff
navigate a world in which there are no simple solutions, and where decisions are often of a life-and-death nature.
Some of the dogs are immediately placed in wonderful, permanent homes. But there are also troubling moral dilemmas
surrounding some of the "gray area" dogs. If a dog bites a shelter worker, is it ethical to adopt him out to the
general public? If a dog guards his food, can he be trusted in a family with children? And what about the dogs that
never find homes -- is it more humane to sentence them to a lifetime in the shelter or to euthanize them?
Filmed and edited over the course of three years, this award-winning documentary provides a fresh, provocative look at
the complex, morally ambiguous world of animal sheltering. With breathtaking footage of the Catskill Mountain region,
deeply intimate scenes, and a gripping exploration of real-world ethical choices, it is certain to move both dog lovers
and the general public alike.
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