Click here for a video clip.

Screening:
Friday, April 28, 9:30 AM (Dogs welcome at this screening!), Charles 2
Sunday, April 30, 10 AM, Charles 2

Synopsis:
A.J. Poulin had a problem: a committed relationship. The lack of one. Ever. So he did what any other non-committing male in his late 20's would do. He got a dog. He thought that owning a dog would be one of life's simple pleasures. But he soon found that in Los Angeles, nothing is ever that simple. At L.A.'s dog parks, he discovered a hidden world, a secret society of people with WAY too much time on their hands. Do dogs really need Prozac, acupuncture, psychic readings, tattoos, wheelchairs, and day care with arts and crafts? Do these people love their dogs too much? Are they genuinely in touch with their emotions, or just badly in need of therapy? Always funny, often insightful and ultimately moving, this film will leave audiences debating the question: Is it healthy to be so emotionally attached to an animal?

Tidbits:
There are 54.8 million U.S. households with at least one dog (30% of all homes in the U.S.)

Average annual income for a dog owners is $44,400 (nearly double the national average of $25,600).

73% of young, childless couples have pets.

The pet industry grossed over $17,000,000,000 in the U.S.

Bio:
A.J. Poulin grew up in Portland, Maine, and went to college in Boston. He majored in Electrical Engineering with a focus on computer software design. Pretty geeky, he knows. Immediately after college, he began a successful modeling career, and he spent the next few years traveling around Europe and Asia. After a few years of that, he came to the realization that he needed some peace and stability in his life. So he decided to move to L.A. to become an actor.

Zoie, a black Labrador puppy, met A.J. when she was only 7 weeks old. Realizing that he needed motivation to make a movie, she started taking A.J. to the dog park-a place she knew would inspire him. There he discovered a whole new world full of the bizarre people-different characters from all walks of life, with one thing in common: they all obsessed with their dogs, a secret society of sorts. It wasn't long after that that he realized that this place was a movie waiting to be made. So he borrowed a friend's camera, and started bringing it to the park. All thanks to Zoie.

Short: (Sunday, April 30 only)
The Sporting Dog (dir. Peter Kelly, U.S., 1999, 20 min., Michael Walker, Stephen Stapinski, Tazi) A man, his dog, a Frisbee®, his daughter, his bookie, some gambling debts, a wager.