The Champions (2015)

watched on Netflix June, 2016

This is a great documentary.  I almost did not watch for fear that violence or carnage would be shown.  However, it was not, which makes me respect the creators of this documentary. There is mention  of the Michael Vick case in which these dogs were considered evidence, but were this a book that would be the prologue.  The subsequent "chapters" include the rescue, the growth and the forever homes that some of the dogs were able to join.  There is a brief, but descriptive report done by the USDA (2007) that investigated this case with documentation by eyewitnesses.  That report is the most shocking portion of this movie, but is brief. Most of this movie concerns what happened after the 2007 court case. The interviews with the caregivers of the dogs and the adoptive families was edited and filmed expertly.  The scenery was gorgeous and the families were articulate.  This film was released in 2015, with the Michael Vick investigation occurring in 2007, sadly this abuse of animals and breed prejudice continues.  There are several videos in the end credits which should not be missed. The only negative in this documentary is the lack of any interviews or notification of a refusal,  with PETA (which declares that all fighting dogs should be immediately euthanized) and Michael Vick (whom a interviewee in this film tried to get a statement from, but was ignored). One individual in this movie referred to the dogs as champions.  I would like to expand the movie's title to include not only the dogs, but the people who saved them and the adopters who included these dogs as part of their families.