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Fireflyfilmworks, 90 min Reviewed by Amanda Glowa In 2007 NFL quarterback Michael Vick was found guilty of federal felony charges related to his “Bad Newz” dog fighting ring. This was a multi-state network of dog fighting and animal cruelty that involved unthinkable torture, abuse, and executions of dogs. Over half a dozen carcasses were found on Vick’s property. Surviving the torture were over fifty pit bulls found in disgusting, unlivable conditions. These dogs would have all been euthanized due to pressure from organizations such as PETA and the Humane Society of the U.S., but because this was covered by national news, outrage from the American people gave these dogs a second chance. While the national news covered Vick’s story and his rise back to fortune and fame after minimal jail time, Darcy Dennet tells the tale of the victims- the 53 pit bulls fighting for a second chance at life. The Champions focuses on the rehabilitation of the abused canines, particularly following the story of Mel, Cherry, Little Red, Handsome Dan, Johnny, and Slater. While this documentary is a beautiful tale of saving lives, it actually fails to focus on the lives being saved. It rarely considers the dogs’ well-being, instead focusing on how the human lives were affected. Despite the majority of the film being based on human issues, the guardian who adopted Little was a shining example of portraying the non-human animal perspective. But considering that she is one of the few who even mention the dog's well-being, this movie fails to successfully portray the non-human view. To a critical animal studies audience this is blatantly obvious, but to the general public, it most likely goes unnoticed. The film encourages people to care about Pit Bulls and not believe the stereotypes surrounding the breed, but it is not based on the intrinsic value of the dogs. Instead, the value of the Pit Bulls in this documentary appears to be based upon how they can improve and affect humans.
The story is told through interviews of people involved in the rescue and adoption of the canines found on Vick’s compound. Best Friends Animal Society staff, fosters, adopters, a radio host, and lawyers were all included in these interviews. Through these interviews, we learn the story of what happened after Vicks prison time and the whereabouts of the surviving “champions”. The main point of this film is to bring light to the fact that dogs rescued from dog fighting rings can be rehabilitated. The rescue and rehabilitation of the Vick survivors changed the way the Humane Society recommends treatment, but PETA still supports euthanasia of canines rescued from fighting rings. Twenty-three of the dogs who were deemed most dangerous were sent to Best Friends Animal Society. The Champions follows the rehabilitation and adoption of Cherry, Little, Slater, Mel, Jimi, and Handsome Dan. Despite their background, these dogs ended up in family homes and have learned to succeed in such an environment. They are shown snuggling with newborns and even taking care of a kitten! Some dogs remain in sanctuaries and there are hopes of them being adopted when they are ready. The Champions also focus on changing the reputation of Pit Bulls. The main defense is that every generation has a “dangerous” dog breed. For example, German Shepherds, Dobermans, and Rottweilers at one time all shared the reputation of being dangerous. The film mentions that on temperament tests, Pits have actually been proven to score better than the beloved Golden Retriever. Sadly, due to abuse and poor training Pit Bulls are often subjected to, they have gained a poor reputation which has had an extremely negative impact on the treatment of the breed. An example of this is the legalization of breed bans against Pit Bulls in many American cities and how this affects owners. This section is focused on a famous baseball player who has Pit Bull and has dealt with difficult issues based upon this legislation because his loving family dog is not allowed in the cities he is transferred to. This section did not focus on how this affects the adoption rate of Pit Bulls or how many dogs are euthanized because of these laws. Unfortunately, Pit Bulls now face extremely high rates of euthanasia due to these laws and the film failed to discuss how this affects the well-being of the breed. From a critical animal studies perspective, this film fails to critique how society treats Pit Bulls. It focused on the single event of Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring and failed to teach viewers of how widespread the problem of dog fighting truly is. While it succeeds in addressing problems about the treatment of Pit Bulls, it only teaches one to care because of how it affects humans. As previously mentioned, Pit Bulls are subjected to an extremely high rate of both abuse and euthanasia due to human society. The video failed to discuss these problems; therefore failing to take canine welfare into consideration. A large part of critical animal studies is looking critically at our society and changing the injustice we cause. The film fails to address what viewers can do to help change society, so it fails this aspect of critical animal studies. For a movie that was supposed to be based on Pit Bulls, it does a surprisingly bad job of portraying how their lives are affected by our society. Overall, The Champions is a heartwarming film for any dog lover, particularly Pit Bull fans. Better yet, this is an eye-opening film for believers of the negative stereotype surrounding the Bully breed. While it is full of great shots and sweet moments, from a critical animal studies point of view the film was lacking. Dennet provides thorough background information and examples that support the points made but fails to base it on the intrinsic value of canines, instead focusing on how the dogs affected human lives. For this reason, the film is an example of how easy it is to focus on the human perspective despite the film being based on animal abuse and well-being. Undeterred by this failed portrayal of animal perspective, this film succeeds in showing that Pit Bulls do not deserve the reputation they have. Above all, this film aims to fix a growing problem of unjust discrimination and fights to improve the treatment of canines. Comments are closed.
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