Flasz On Film

Directed by Paul Crompton, a seasoned documentarian with years of TV work under his belt, Dogspiracy sets out with a clear mission: to raise awareness of the rank cruelty underpinning the booming puppy industry and recount the efforts to shut it down, both in the UK and in the US. And also, as the title suggests, it hints at the existence of sinister forces propping this shady commerce that makes Cruella DeVille’s look positively harmless.  

With the sheen of its production design and the steady hand guiding the unfolding narrative, this film invariably sets itself up for comparison with the most well-known activist documentaries like The Cove or the numerous works of Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 911, Bowling for Columbine). From the outset it becomes clear that the story may be much bigger than the parameters of a feature-length film seemingly edited to fit a broadcast-friendly runtime or to blend in with the activist fare streaming services already overflow with. The narrative is dense and telegraphed so rapidly that losing focus for just a minute may be enough for you to be left out in the cold. The main subjects and the inveterate camera crew traverse the world with incredible speeds while interviewing members of the UK parliament, US senators, and various activists while also interspersing hidden (and not-so-hidden) camera footage obtained while visiting puppy farms and rescuing seriously mistreated dogs.  

Admittedly, Dogspiracy has a lot to say, at least as far as the gravity of their cause is concerned. This aspect of the story they convey with appropriate precision, but then again, it would be a tall order not to elicit an emotional response from the viewer by showing them traumatizing pictures of malnourished puppies treated with next to no dignity by their seemingly secretive breeders and then by reminding them that these are the same puppies they’d pick up from the store while seeking a cute four-legged companion. The movie tugs at the heart strings because only a psychopath would fail to react to what the filmmakers managed to record.  

However, as far as the titular conspiracy is concerned, this is where Dogspiracy falls way short of expectations, especially once you are reminded of the documentary tradition the film seeks to adhere to. While following Marc Abraham on his quest to make sure puppies cannot be purchased in pet shops we are led to believe that there are after all some sinister forces working against his mission. That there’s someone somewhere puppeteering this whole industry and that, just before the credits roll, we’d find out what’s going on. No such luck.  

We hear stories, traumatic accounts of animal cruelty, admirable examples of humanitarian spirit in action, but for a movie hinting at the existence of a false bottom to the thriving existence of the puppy mill industry, we see very few hard-and-fast answers. A lot of questions, maybes and somethingsafoots, but not a whole lot else. Perhaps the filmmakers ought to have borrowed a page or two from Michael Moore and instead of showing us how Abraham writes strongly worded emails and wonders out loud what these sinister vested interests might be, they would have been better off giving him a bullhorn and have doors slammed in his face while trying to get to the bottom of the issue.  

As it stands, Dogspiracy just lacks the necessary oomph to elevate it above a bog-standard piece of polite documentary activism. Sure, it will most likely do its job of getting the public to think twice about getting a puppy from a shady breeder, but it stands no chance of thriving as a timeless work on the subject. It didn’t put the camera in front of people who might have the answers to these central questions, and it surely didn’t do enough to piss in anyone’s cornflakes in the process… which is what Michael Moore would have done if anyone asked him to investigate the puppy mill industry. And even though it might just be that the sinister conspiracy is merely a manifestation of market forces of supply, demand and the corrupting power of money, it would have made the resulting film a much more compelling piece of drama to follow. 

A movie like this needs to have a good bark and a solid bite. Cute puppy dog eyes are just not enough to make a big enough, lasting impact. Slick as it is, Dogspiracy is bound to drown in the sea of conveyor belt documentaries littering streaming platforms despite the subject matter that should have rendered it an indispensable watch.