It's a Dog's Life

Gr 1–4—A dog's life can be frustrating, but not in the way you might think. This short animated film follows a long-suffering bulldog who just wants to read the paper, which contains an exciting article about Mars. However, his family continually thwarts his literary aspirations as they keep treating him like…well…a dog. Everything here is from a dog's point of view—a world of shoes and knees and under-the-table dangers. The children may complain about having peas for dinner, but the dog gets the brunt of those rolling, unwanted vegetables. A constant babble of human conversation is the background, and it's intelligible, but the tale's focus is all on the dog, who, unfortunately, ends up out in the rain. The look in his eyes as lightning flashes and thunder booms is resigned and priceless. Maybe they've discovered life on Mars, but on Earth, life isn't much to write home about.