Pick of the Litter Parent Guide

Any movie that stars puppies is guaranteed to make you feel good. And when those puppies are training to become guide dogs for the blind, the power of those big, doggy eyes is magnified tenfold. I’m not an animal person but even my cynical critic’s heart softened at the sight of those soulful eyes.

In my opinion, guide dogs are the Olympians of the dog world, demonstrating incredible intelligence, focus, and dedication. What this documentary shows us is that each guide dog also represents the sacrifice of scores of humans who have invested time, emotion, and expertise in training the animal.

Early on, Pick of the Litter shows staff at Guide Dogs for the Blind assessing five newborn puppies. The three males – Patriot, Potomac, and Phil – and the two females – Poppet and Primrose – will start their training immediately. Training for these animals is rigorous and at a few months old they are sent to the homes of “puppy trainers” who are responsible for exposing them to the world and helping the dogs learn to form a relationship bond. After 14 months, the dogs will return to the GDB office for ten weeks for intensive training and testing. Throughout the process, GDB staff will monitor the dogs and determine which of three streams the dogs are suited for: guide dog, breeder, or a career change out of the system.

The movie follows each of the dogs on their training program, but its focus also expands to the people who care for them. There are puppy trainers who have fostered ten dogs and the teenage novice trainer who brings Patriot to high school. There’s the trainer who volunteers because her father is blind and she feels passionate about the program. And there’s the vet who can’t work due to PTSD but who trains dogs because they keep him grounded. We also meet the blind people waiting for dogs: Janet who lost her sight in middle age due to retinitis pigmentosa and Ron whose eyes were removed as a toddler when he developed retinoblastoma, an inherited form of ocular cancer. All these lives and stories intersect with the five dogs and viewers will find themselves caring about both the human and animal characters and hoping desperately that the dogs will succeed in their training.

Parents need not worry about watching this documentary with their kids. There is no negative content and an abundance of positive messages. This film overflows with stories of people helping others, sacrificing their time and effort on behalf of people they don’t even know. And, of course, the dogs are adorable, with big eyes, frantically waving tails, and obvious intelligence. This film shows us the best of both the canine and human worlds and for that reason it’s worth watching. It’s hard to lose faith in humanity after finishing Pick of the Litter.