Favorite Flicks: Benji Off the Leash

© 2004 Mulberry Square Productions
Running time: 98 minutes
Rated PG
Written, produced, and directed by Joe Camp

 

 

PLOT

Fourteen-year-old Colby lives with his mother and his stepfather, Mr. Hatchett, who runs a puppy mill in their backyard. When Hatchett leaves a newborn pup to die, Colby manages to secretly save the puppy and raise him in his hideout in the woods. Hatchett, however, discovers Colby’s fort—and the puppy, who comes to be known as Benji, gets loose. Meanwhile, another dog is abandoned nearby and dubbed “Lizard Tongue” by the animal control officers who can’t seem to catch him. Benji and Lizard Tongue team up to free Benji’s dying mother, who is still caged by Hatchett as his prize breeding dog.

HUMANE MESSAGES & OTHER GOOD POINTS

• Raises the issue of puppy mills and shows the inhumane, neglectful treatment that dogs receive in these mills. Hatchett keeps the dogs in small cages, with an inadequate food and water supply and no exercise or veterinary care. He cares only about the profit that the dogs can bring him.

• Shows that animals can suffer both physically and emotionally and fosters empathy for animals. Benji is distraught when he is separated from his mother. Later, Benji’s mother is clearly ill and in pain, and Benji is upset that he can’t help her.

• Depicts people defending and speaking up for animals. Colby repeatedly stands up to his stepfather in the interest of the dogs and does his best to give them the love and attention they need. Zachariah Finch, an eccentric old man who eventually adopts Lizard Tongue, clearly cares for the dog and is concerned when he thinks Lizard Tongue is missing. The animal control officers and sheriff show concern for the puppy mill dogs and want to shut down Hatchett’s operation.

• Features animals and human characters who cooperate and help one another. Lizard Tongue helps Benji free his mother. Eventually, Colby, the dogs, the animal control officers, and the sheriff all work together to send Hatchett to jail and shut down the puppy mill.

• Emphasizes the importance of a stable, loving family in the lives of both people and animals. Lizard Tongue and Zachariah Finch find companionship in each other, Benji ultimately finds a loving family when he's picked to be a movie star, and once Hatchett is out of the picture, Colby and his mom have the chance to re-establish a caring home.

• Sends the message that animal shelters are the best place to find a pet. Viewers learn that the canine stars of the movie came from shelters, and the Benji Buddy Foundation has been established to promote the adoption of shelter animals. For more about the foundation, visit www.benjisbuddies.net.

• Demonstrates the link between violence toward animals and violence toward humans. Although violence is kept to a minimum in the film, there is one scene in which Hatchett throws a puppy across a room. In another, he tosses a sack, presumably with a puppy in it, into a creek. Hatchett treats Colby roughly throughout the movie, and the sheriff mentions that Hatchett has a police record for abusing Colby and his mother. For more on the connection between animal cruelty and human violence, visit www.hsus.org/firststrike.

POINTS TO PONDER

From a humane perspective, few movies are perfect. Following are potential problems with the film that you may wish to address with your children or students.

• Colby has a pet cockatoo who resides in his secret fort. Although it is made clear that Colby got the bird at an animal shelter, it should be stressed to children that exotic birds are better off in their natural habitats and do not make good pets.

• As the title suggests, the dogs in this movie are frequently shown running loose throughout the town and surrounding woods. Dogs allowed to roam face many dangers, including cars, wildlife, leghold traps, and disease. Remind children that dogs should be walked on leashes or kept within a fenced area for their own safety and for the protection of other people and animals.

• Physical abuse of both humans and animals is implied, but Joe Camp takes care to make sure the film is family-friendly, and even young children will probably not be upset.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Have a Benji bonanza. Benji Off the Leash is only the latest of several Benji movies. The series started in 1974 with the original Benji, also written and directed by Joe Camp. Benji the Hunted follows Benji’s adventures as he rescues orphaned cougar cubs. The world’s most huggable hero also stars in For the Love of Benji and Oh, Heavenly Dog. Readers of all ages can enjoy the many Benji books. Check your local library for the book series and movies.

Read up on puppy mills. Cynthia DeFelice’s The Ghost of Cutler Creek is about puppy mill dogs and three sixth-graders who rescue them. To learn more about the book and other recommended reading, click here.

The puppy mill problem. Older students may be interested in knowing more about puppy mills and what the HSUS is doing to combat them. Students can visit www.stoppuppymills.org to get more information and learn how they can help.

To read Joe Camp's KIND News interview click here.