IMDb review from Danielle C. Ferguson :
“A Dog Named Gucci was a STELLAR film. Contrary to what one may imagine it to be, it was not a movie just flooding you with sob stories of animal abuse, leaving you feeling angry and hopeless. This film did a fantastic job offering solutions, and depicting actions that have been taken by individual average citizens to make crucial improvements in animal cruelty legislation (or lack there of). This film reminds viewers why they should not ignore animal cruelty cases and feel hopeless, that they are not powerless, that they can make an imperative difference in the lives of suffering animals if they pay attention and do something. The film illustrates several things that people can choose to do, that are virtually effortless, and have proved to be the catalyst in creating laws to protect animals from suffering, torture, neglect and abuse nationwide. I hope people give this film a shot! It is ultimately very positive and inspiring!”
Synopsis:
He was hung by his neck, punched repeatedly, doused with lighter fluid, and set afire. That should have been the last thing a ten-week old puppy named Gucci would ever experience. His last contact with humans. His final moments of life.
But Doug James, standing on his porch nearby, heard the puppy’s cries and ran to help. He scared away the cowardly thugs who had perpetrated this heinous crime, and at the request of Gucci’s 15-year-old runaway owner, took the dog in for the night.
Thus began a 16-year odyssey of devotion and perseverance.
When Gucci was rescued by Doug, it seemed impossible that the badly burned pup would make it through the night. But Gucci, a Chow-Husky-mix, would live for sixteen years as Doug’s companion. As Gucci recovered, Doug did everything in his power to see that the dog’s three assailants were punished. However, the laws in Alabama were not on Gucci’s side. At worst the guilty would receive slaps on the wrists. That was not enough in the eyes of Doug James.
Together with local legislators, and with Gucci always faithfully by his side, Doug would see the “Gucci Bill” passed, changing the laws in Alabama and making domestic animal abuse a felony. He would witness Gucci go from being a survivor . . . to a rock star.
Gucci’s story captivated the state of Alabama in the mid-90s. And now, when every other day a new tale of outrageous animal abuse pops up on the news or on Facebook, we are going to make it a story that captivates the world. We are going to show that one person can make a difference. Especially when they have a tail-chasing pup by their side.
A DOG NAMED GUCCI is a feature-length documentary that will bring the amazing story of Gucci and Doug James to life: from that horrible night of abuse, to the numerous operations to repair Gucci’s severely burned eyelids, to the legislation passed in his name to help prevent such a thing from ever happening again.
We will speak extensively with Doug, Gucci’s human companion for all of those sixteen post-trauma years, and to everyone else involved with the case: from the doctors and veterinarians who helped Gucci recover, to the police officers and investigators who worked the case, to the legislators who helped Doug and Gucci change the virtually non-existent abuse laws in Alabama.
A DOG NAMED GUCCI will also examine the bigger picture of domestic animal abuse in America, the laws in every state, and what you can do to help change them.
Credits:
What Were We Thinking Films presents A DOG NAMED GUCCI
music by DEAN FALCONE shot by SARAH HAJTOL & GORMAN BECHARD
sound by FRANK LOFTUS & TARYN WELKER
animation by SCOTT STORM maps/animated dogs by DOROTHY SCHULTZ
associate producers DIANE WELSH PAUL CLARKSON LARRY FLEMING MARY HUGHES DONNA LAWRENCE JOHN S. LEVY ERIC C. LIN MARJO-RIIKKA MAKELA SOPHIA JOHNSON MUCCINO EVE ROSER STEFANO ZARELLI
co-producers PATRICIA CLARK FRANK LOFTUS JAN RADDER UGO CAVALIER
executive producers LYNN WEBB JAY SMALES SCOTT HUDSON BRANDON McCAW KIMBERLY VENTRE KEVIN CARVELL
produced by GORMAN BECHARD KRISTINE BECHARD
edited/written/directed by GORMAN BECHARD
Please visit our company site to learn more about other films from What Were We Thinking Films. Click HERE