THE DOGS OF NEW YORK Complete 71 min. Feature Documentary

During the 1970s and '80s, New York City experienced a drastic decline in its canine population. Whether this was precipitated by Mayor Ed Koch's enactment of the "pooper scooper" laws or whether New Yorkers simply lost interest in dogs is still unknown.

What is certain is that since 9/11, the situation has completely reversed. In the past five years, the number of dogs in New York City has increased to an all time high of 1,250,000.

Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social scientists have speculated that this explosion of new dogs is due to a great need by their owners for unconditional love.

Psychotherapist Michelle LeBow, who with her therapy dog "Ego", is featured in "The Dogs of New York" comments: "I don't know what you would do when you come home every night to an empty apartment. Your apartment is... empty, until you do have a sensate being there."

Dr. LeBow spent her childhood in Belgium hiding from the Nazis during World War II, and knows of what she speaks. She tells of people keeping their dogs alive in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty "for comfort, and someone to love".

New Yorkers have taken great comfort and solace in their new dogs. But dog love comes at a high price for working city dwellers, who have helped build "doggie day care" into a $55 billion business nationwide.

The stars of the show are:

"Pepper", a wirehaired Dachshund who sits at the table each evening and dines with his owners, two Wall Street executives;

"Scooter", a Pomeranian who suffers from extreme separation anxiety and is taken everywhere by his doting mom, a striking blond executive;

"Rosie", a white Bulldog who accompanies her veterinarian owner as he makes house calls throughout the city in his white Land Rover;


"Velvet", a stubborn Scotty whose owner, an eminent psychiatrist, brings him to Tasti-DeLite every afternoon for nonfat kosher ice cream;

"Telly", an American hairless Rat Terrier, owned by a hyper-allergic civil servant who dresses him in a snowsuit and woolen hat;

"Leroy", a Chinese Crested, who is the center of attention at his owner's Soho beauty salon, where he is perpetually groomed and pampered by a coterie of exotically tattooed hair stylists.

"The Dogs of New York" spend their days at the Ritzy Canine, an historic 1820s carriage house in midtown Manhattan, whose owners have had completely renovated to accommodate dogs.

From the imported crystal chandelier hanging over the reception area, to the roof top garden with its waterfall fountain and solarium, no expense has been spared.

The dogs at the Ritzy Canine are surrounded by professional Pet Care Attendants, who actually spend more time with them than their work-weary owners. Most own dogs themselves- but in sharp contrast, their dogs remain at home like latchkey children, waiting for them to return from their daily charges. Danielle Longo, a Bronx resident who is also a musician, describes "Pepper" as a "spoiled little rich kid from Madison Avenue".

"The Dogs of New York" is an intimate cinema verité documentary that looks lightheartedly at a handful of post-9/11 New Yorkers regaining peace and balance in their lives through canine companionship- and discovering that a dog's love is worth everything- no matter what seemingly ridiculous cost or inconvenience.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• The
• Dogs
• of
• New
• York
• dogs
• nyc
• movie
• documentary
• feature

[Tanguynew08]

I really enjoyed this documentary. It's fascinating, a bit sad sometimes, and really funny. It would be easy to be prejudiced about such a subject, but it just is absurd, astonishing, and profoundly human.

[soapbxprod]

@Tanguynew08 Thank you so very much for watching, and thanks even more so for your kind words. It took over two years to make- we tried to sell it to HBO and Discovery/Animal Planet, but HBO is producing much more important and serious work- honor is due to Sheila Nevins- and Animal Planet is only running in-house series productions. We entered it into the NY Indep. Film & Video Festival, and even tried selling DVDs on Amazon, but with limited success! What can you do? :)

[Tanguynew08]

@soapbxprod I'm so surprised about the fact you couldn't sell it to some channels in US. It's such a surprising subject, so well done. What a gallery of portraits... in the human and animal species... And so much work. Hope something is going to come out of it...

[soapbxprod]

@Tanguynew08 Oh, thanks! I was listening to public radio today and apparently someone has just made a doc about show dogs... maybe some of that publicity might rub off!

[soapbxprod]

@flyezilla YUK YUK! Only wish that we had managed to bring the lady from It's Me or the Dog to meet Sue and Scooter... Sorry, Sue! :)

[soapbxprod]

@mommy2pommy Hi Sue! How are you? Hope that all is going well!

This is so terrific that you found us here on YouTube- please don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like a finished DVD copy, and a lapel button matching the DVD cover. We have lots of them left from our promotional campaign.

Kiss that little Scooter for the two of us!

Love,

Luke and Carole

soapbxprod@aol.com

[flyezilla]

@mommy2pommy Aww, I'm glad to hear you guys didn't listen to that nutter! Scooter sounds like a great boy. I love Poms :)

[mommy2pommy]

@flyezilla Hi Flyezilla! You are 100% correct. I'm Scooter's Mommy, Sue Vreeland, & I can assure you he has received nothing but love and cuddles his whole life. He will be 13 in March & is still acts like a rambunctious little man-but that's what gives him so much personality. That therapist was a complete kook! Trust me, if he had touched my baby they would have had to rate the video "R" for the level of violence I would have unleashed upon him:) Thanks for your comments! Hi Carole & Luke!

[soapbxprod]

@TheTroy103 Thank you so sincerely! Your kind words are pure solace!