A Dog Named Gucci

This award-winning documentary by German director Bechard deals with the difficult and emotional topic of animal abuse in a way that eschews sensationalism and shock value. Instead, the viewer is introduced to a series of dogs and individuals who demonstrate the power of compassion and love, truth and persistence, to make significant changes in the legal system. In Mobile, AL, in April 1994, Professor Doug Jones witnessed a dog apparently on fire falling from a tree. The chow/husky mix puppy was owned by a 15-year-old runaway. Her pet was targeted by a gang of older males because she refused to go out with them. Gucci was tied up in the tree, his head and face soaked with lighter fluid and then ignited. The story of Gucci's survival (amazingly he lived to be 16) is remarkable, and, more important, through Jones and others, the dog became a canine "spokesperson" for laws making animal abuse a felony.