Have you been reading about the NY Dog Film Festival as it travels the country not been able to go? Have you been feeling sad, wishing it would come to your town? Cheer up! Your wait is over! Great news is here: I’ve put together the first 3 On Demand collections of the NY DFF which you can download online and watch anytime, anywhere you want, on any device you want – although I strongly suggest the couch (if your dog will give you enough room up there to sit down with the whole family!)
What’s really thrilling about these themed collections is that they are not the movies people are going to see in the theaters! I’ve picked out these films to work together to bring a really terrific experience of the love between dogs and their people, right to your door. This also means that if you have been lucky enough to see the 1st or 2nd Annual NY DFF in a theater (with or without your dog) you can enjoy these films too, because you won’t have seen them yet.
And this is unique entertainment at your fingertips that does good for others, too. Every download benefits the filmmakers who made these dog-loving films, and also supports the innovative national animal welfare organization Michelson Found Animals, a non-profit that supports pet owners and shelters. Found Animals created the first free national microchip registry, funds research into next generation non-surgical spay/neuter technology, provides affordable high quality products for shelters, and has their own adoption centers in Los Angeles. You’ll see a heart-warming PSA about Found Animals Foundation when you watch the On Demand collections, as well as learn about our partner, DogTV, which is offering a free month of programming for your dog.
Here’s the TRAILER for the “Wonderfully Wacky” Collection of films, which are funny, weird, off-beat and surprising films for more sophisticated tastes (not the one to share with small children, who won’t really “get it” for most of the films, although there’s nothing offensive).
There is also the “New York, New York” collection, which celebrates the challenges and delights of dogs and their people in the great metropolis.
The 3rd collection is a full length film “SNIFF,” which is a hilarious Monty Python-type story that also contains two actual documentaries, one about training a bomb-sniffing dog, and another about teaching a guide dog for a sight-impaired person (and those downloads benefit Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California).
I want to remind everyone that it was Halo, Purely for Pets that was the very first sponsor in 2015 and made the NY Dog Film Festival a reality, and continued to support it. A grant from the Petco Foundation made it possible for me to travel with the NY DFF in 2016 and again this year they are the presenting sponsor, and have made dreams come true for a lot of people (me, especially!) The films in the On Demand collections are a direct benefit of those sponsorships.
Have fun! Please let me know how you like these collections! More coming soon!
Tracie Hotchner is a nationally acclaimed pet wellness advocate, who wrote THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. She is recognized as the premiere voice for pets and their people on pet talk radio. She continues to produce and host her own Gracie® Award winning NPR show DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) from Peconic Public Broadcasting in the Hamptons after 9 consecutive years and over 500 shows. She produced and hosted her own live, call-in show CAT CHAT® on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius/XM for over 7 years until the channel was canceled, when Tracie created her own Radio Pet Lady Network where she produces and co-hosts CAT CHAT® along with 10 other pet talk radio podcasts with top veterinarians and pet experts.
Tracie also is the Founder and Director of the annual NY Dog Film Festival, a philanthropic celebration of the love between dogs and their people. Short canine-themed documentary, animated and narrative films from around the world create a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains. With a New York City premiere every October, the Festival then travels around the country, partnering in each location with an outstanding animal welfare organization that brings adoptable dogs to the theater and receives half the proceeds of the ticket sales. Halo was a Founding Sponsor in 2015 and donated 10,000 meals to the beneficiary shelters in every destination around the country in 2016.
Tracie lives in Bennington, Vermont – where the Radio Pet Lady Network studio is based – and where her 12 acres are well-used by her 2-girl pack of lovely, lively rescued Weimaraners, Maisie and Wanda.