‘Puppy Love’: Warm, Cuddly, and Uneven

Sickly puppies are taken in for rehabilitation, in "Puppy Love." Cerise Films

NR | 1h 16m | Documentary | Oct. 24, 2023

A fitting, if unspectacular, companion piece to “Cats of Malta” from earlier this month, “Puppy Love” is a documentary overflowing with the type of charming, warm, and fuzzy sentiment that is nearly impossible to resist. Even those who don’t consider themselves to be “dog people” will be beguiled by its heartfelt intent and underlying humanitarian message.

Unfolding over a space of eight months, the film was shot mostly in the tiny rural town of Marengo, Illinois, which is located about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. The majority of what is seen takes place in the home and backyard of Gail Gilbert, who recently acquired a litter of seven Labrador Retrievers from the camera-shy Cindy Nauer, who had been breeding them for over 40 years.

According to Ms. Gilbert (also the movie’s director) and other sources, Labs are the most popular dog breed not only in the United States but the world over, and the demand for them is always high, with an average selling price of $1,500 per healthy puppy.

A group of dog lovers work to save a litter of sickly puppies, in "Puppy Love." Cerise Films

Canine Paralysis

The problem with the newborns in Ms. Gilbert’s litter is that five of them are afflicted with what is described as “canine paralysis,” which, according to the movie, results in the dogs being unable to walk and, in some instances, unable to process solid food and/or unable to vocally communicate (bark).

Again, according to the movie, this condition is the result of a tainted vaccine or a parasite passed from the mother to her offspring; however, according to other sources, it is caused by intervertebral disk disease or degenerative myelopathy, resulting from falls, abuse, arthritis, or plain old age.

This discrepancy in medical definitions is troubling and is just one of a handful of similar contradictions throughout the film that severely hampers its overall credibility.

Whatever the proper verbiage and diagnosis, these five puppies can’t walk, although one manages to get upright and is independently mobile on its own.

Heartless

There are two instances in the film that will make your blood boil. When Ms. Gilbert and fellow training friends Nauer, Michelle Cullen, and Penny Kurz approach multiple veterinarians, they are told the best thing they can do would be to put the puppies down. An unidentified third party quips caustically that trying to nurse the ailing dogs is too much trouble and those involved should simply move on and “just get new ones.”

These heartless comments light a fire under the four women, and for two months they “walk” the dogs in specially constructed slings; they massage the dogs’ limbs, and try every “soft” food they can think of in order to prevent emaciation, malnutrition, and starvation. Among the foods are pureed chicken, dandelion stew, pork heart, kidney pâté, and assorted concoctions of Chinese herbs.

The puppies are helped in many ways, in "Puppy Love." Cerise Films

Three months into the treatments (or 30 minutes of screen time), it becomes pretty clear where the narrative is headed; I mean, with a title like “Puppy Love,” does anyone really think Ms. Gilbert is going to wrap everything up on a downbeat note?

To her credit, Ms. Gilbert tosses in an 11th hour event, which is supposed to be reflective, but plays out as unnecessarily somber and force-fit.

Also included during this stretch is an event taking place down the road in St. Louis six months in that is admittedly inspirational, but is also something that seems too far fetched for four dogs that only two months earlier couldn’t walk and could barely eat.

Intent Isn’t Everything

If intent was the only qualifier here, “Puppy Love” would rate a solid 5 out of 5. It depicts four women and four dogs defying the odds and bucking the advice of so-called “experts,” and it is inspirational and uplifting.

Message is one thing, but if the execution, explanations of technical data, and basic filmmaking acumen aren’t there, you’re left with a heartfelt, but decidedly mediocre movie.

At only 76 minutes, “Puppy Love” is far shorter than most features, yet still feels padded and overlong. There is simply not enough worthy content to warrant its length. Had Ms. Gilbert edited it down to a short film length of 20 to 30 minutes, it would have packed a much better and longer-lasting punch.

If you’re in the market for a movie featuring a retriever that will tug at your heartstrings, check out the 2019 live-action “The Art of Racing in the Rain” (Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, home video). It covers the gamut of emotional highs and lows along with a minor fantasy twist that will cause your tear ducts to shift into overdrive.

Theatrical poster for "Puppy Love." Cerise Films

“Puppy Love” is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Vimeo.

‘Puppy Love’ Documentary Director: Gail Gilbert Running Time: 1 hour, 16 minutes Release Date: Oct. 24, 2023 Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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