Articulating Advocacy

In the first heart-wrenching minutes of Cynthia Wade's documentary Shelter Dogs, an unfortunate dog is injected with a euthanizing needle and put to sleep. It's not a particularly gratuitous shot, but it was enough to prompt some viewers on last year's festival circuit, to walk out of the theatre. 'We really struggled with that initial [scene of] euthanasia,' recalls Wade. 'Early on, I would wait for that first shot and when people would get up and leave, I'd count them. In some ways, it's a very polarizing film.'

March 1, 2004

In the first heart-wrenching minutes of Cynthia Wade's documentary Shelter Dogs, an unfortunate dog is injected with a euthanizing needle and put to sleep. It's not a particularly gratuitous shot, but it was enough to prompt some viewers on last year's festival circuit, to walk out of the theatre. 'We really struggled with that initial [scene of] euthanasia,' recalls Wade. 'Early on, I would wait for that first shot and when people would get up and leave, I'd count them. In some ways, it's a very polarizing film.'