Available at Amazon.com
Director
Tom Simon and Sarah Teale
Cast
Unknown Animal Rights Activist”¦”¦”¦”Pete”
DVD Release Date: October 10, 2006
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 70 Minutes
The Movie
Each year there are an estimated 65,000 dogs purchased by veterinary schools and research labs across the United States. In the canine world, people have classified dogs into “class A” and “class B.” The class A dogs are those that come from dealers who breed the dogs themselves. The majority of the dogs though are in class B which are dogs bought by dealers from shelters, small breeders, and local pounds. It’s the class B breeders who have been known to violate all the laws and rules that keep dogs safe.
In 2002, a six month undercover investigation was taking place at Martin Creek Kennel run by C.C. Baird in Williford, Arkansas so as to catch the illegal activities as they happened at one of the largest class B dealers in America. A small animal rights group, Last Chance For Animals, placed one of its investigators simply known as “Pete” into the kennel to document any abuse findings. As most dealers like Baird are usually very wary and cautious of animal rights groups, Pete takes a dangerous position in finding out if the dogs are being treated inhumanely or are stolen pets and get the kennel shut down.
The film actually starts out like a police investigation show such as “COPS” or “America’s Most Wanted” showing Pete scoping out the location and finding a place to live nearby for his investigation. He really does have everything well laid out as he tries to find a job somewhere else saying he has a work history in kennels so he can actually be recommended to Martin Creek. This way he can name drop the people that recommended him and he seems like just a local kid looking for work.
There are some extremely disturbing visuals in this documentary even though some of the more gruesome shots are kept to a minimum. The dogs are kept in horrible conditions and stay in very bad shape. As Pete does his work at the kennel feeding them and watering the grounds and such, he approaches many of the animals to get the footage he needs. It’s at these times you can see how scared the dogs are of anyone coming near them, and see the marks, blood, and bruises all over their bodies.
The treatment that is given to these animals is absolutely despicable. It makes me literally nauseous to see how these poor dogs have to live. They receive no medical treatment to bug bites, infections, or wounds from fights with other dogs and the people who actually work there do not care one bit. I give all the credit in the world to Pete for doing what he did, especially as strongly as he feels about things and the mission that his group is constantly on. For I could not have done half of the things he did.
The Video
The film is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen aspect, but it’s simply a video camera recording. There is blurriness, rapid and shaky movements, and extremely bad camera work but what can you expect from a hidden home recording.
The Audio
It’s heard in Dolby 2.0 Stereo and like mentioned with the video, it’s not the best sounding film in the world but it is a home video camera. Some noise of objects hitting the camera at times, but for the most part all the dialogue can be heard quite well.
Special Features
None
The Inside Pulse
There are no extras on this DVD, but I don’t know what kind there would be if they were there. This film made me upset, sad, and downright angry and I don’t really think I could ever watch it again as enlightening as it was. If you want to see what goes on behind the scenes at illegal kennels, watch this DVD and then perhaps try and help stop the actions going on around the country. If you don’t feel like getting depressed and disgusted, then I’d avoid this footage at all costs.
