The Films

9th ANNUAL DFF (100 minutes)

Appropriate for older school-age children. This year’s Service Dog Salute films may be confusing or challenging for younger children because the films deal with the emotionally complicated issues of veterans with PTSD and how their service dogs have saved their lives.

WELLY THE DOG POET by Karen L. Mintz
Three very funny philosophical poems by Welly, a poetic dog.

LUCKY DOG by Donna W. Guthrie 
An animated celebration of a dog who lives what he considers a lucky life in a retirement home, where the residents know and remember him in different ways.

TRAVELING THIS ROAD TOGETHER by Mutual Rescue
A woman and her dog, both cancer survivors, helped each other in their remote Colorado Rockies home through recovery during the pandemic.

LOVE ANOTHER by Diana Rousseau
A fanciful black and white “old timey” film about falling in love with a new dog while grieving another.

TO COMFORT & SERVE -  by Ron & Amy Schmidt [Service Dog Salute]
A close look at the deep bond between three veterans in Vermont with PTSD service dogs, and the woman who founded Paws & Boots, a non-profit to train dogs for these veterans.

PEARL & ARGOT A LOVE STORY by Phil Audibert
A heart-warming fable about three dogs and a cat.

BEFORE US (“ANTES DE NOS”) by Alex Xavier
A sophisticated animation of an adopted dog’s owners trying to imagine how he ended up on the streets.

UNLEASHED by Yayoi Kawahito
A New York City dog walker who brings the pack for hikes in the woods. 

THE WINGMAN - by Nate Bustamante [Service Dog Salute]
Former Air Force General Scott Wiggins shares the profound connection he has with his service dog, Bear, who helps manage his PTSD and is a true wingman to him.

BUFFY & THE BALLOON by John Maslowski
An animated short tale of a dog who meets a special balloon.

ROLLING WITH THE PACK by Garrreth Bird
Dogs and a human in harmony, as two German Short haired Pointers pull their paralyzed owner in an adapted wheelchair-bike in symbiotic thrall!

COMING DOWN IS THE HARDEST THING by Kely Maloney
Cubby, a 3-year old Bernedoodle, is in a funk. When his parents threaten to leave him behind for the first time, he must learn to do the impossible

WHO WANTS A CUDDLE? by Jane Goldman
At the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, the Cuddle Club for (human) senior citizens celebrates 10 years of the Cuddle Club.

A DOG CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE -  by Spencer Matches [Service Dog Salute]
After a profound loss, Carol dedicated her life to training service dogs for veterans with PTSD, providing them practical assistance and a renewed sense of purpose and hope.

EBEN by Josh Greene & Jack Lattin 
A joyful testimonial to Eben, a traveling French Bulldog, who has climbed mountains his whole life and at 12 years old sets out to summit one last peak while battling cancer.

WELLY THE DOG POET  by Karen L. Mintz
Three more poetic musings on life from a philosophical dog. 

FREDDIE BEAR’S LOVELY DAY by Mustapha Khan
Freddie Bear the Goldendoodle joyfully channels Bill Withers’ iconic song on a Hamptons Beach.

Trailers, Promotional Videos and Festivals edited by Tyler Wursta Video