The red, white and blue patriotic movie Max, about a military service dog suffering from PTSD, is a wonderful story about loss, love and loyalty that recently hit theatres for the summer.
The film is touching, pulling at your heartstrings at just the right moments and making your heart swell at others, causing you to leave the theatre cheering for Max and dogs like him everywhere. . . and wanting a dog like Max. And therein lies the problem with the glorification of animals in movies. That acute endorphin-induced adoration spurs a desire to acquire such a dog without any common sense or forethought.
Every time a particular breed of dog is featured as some sort of hero in a movie, that breed suffers at the hands of thoughtless humans who make the uninformed, uneducated assumption that the dog's behaviour in the movie represents what the dog is like in real life and they go and get one. Nine months later, when they realize how challenging and difficult the breed is, these dogs are then dumped at local shelters and rescues by the hundreds, many left to be euthanized after living only months of their expected 10- to 15-year lifespans.
This is such a common quandary that there is a term for it: the 101 Dalmatians effect. The trend to acquire a "movie star dog" started after that particular film came out and everyone wanted a Dalmatian. Less than a year later, shelters where brimming with these dogs as people realized they were nothing like the movie portrayed them to be.
This phenomenon also occurred after the Air Bud movies featuring golden retrievers and after Snow Dogs featuring Siberian huskies - basically any movie that portrays dogs in a way that glorifies them or turns them into superheroes.
Let me assure you that Max is just an ordinary dog, not a superhero. In the movie itself, all of the dog's seemingly intuitive reactions and behaviours are nothing more than trained stunts. On set, the dog had no less than three handlers/trainers directing it to perform all of those behaviours that stole your heart once the final editing of the movie was done.
I encourage everyone to watch "Max: Behind the Scenes Making of Dog Movie" on YouTube to see how those tricks were trained.
But also, let me assure you that a Belgian Malinois is not an ordinary dog. The Belgian Malinois is not for first-time dog owners. In fact, it isn't even for second-time dog owners. This is a very powerful breed and not for the inexperienced or faint of heart. There is a reason they are used by the military.
The Belgian Malinois is a tough dog. It is strong, agile, incredibly quick, intently focused, highly predatory driven and, in uneducated and inexperienced hands, can be dangerous. Bite inhibition is not one of its strongest qualities.
It is an extremely high-energy dog. Take the physical energy and mental focus of a Border Collie and multiply that by at least 50 and you have a Malinois.
One of the reasons I think people are attracted to the breed after seeing the movie is the degree of loyalty the dog bestows on his deceased handler and then the subsequent family members who take over his care.
But that kind of loyalty is not born into a breed, it is made. Having the pleasure of working with police service dogs for a number of years in the past, I can say that the type of human-dog relationship depicted in Max does exist. But it is created, because the bond that develops is a bond based on mutual trust between the human and dog formed from living together 24/7. These dogs live the pack life in its truest form. What that means is that no one, other than the handler, walks the dog, feeds the dog, trains the dog or plays with the dog on any given day. These dogs live with routine and consistent boundaries every day. These dogs learn to rely on their handler for everything and in return reward them with unprecedented loyalty.
Service dogs are not walked by a dog walker, nor do they go to doggie daycare or dog parks. They don't get away with breaking rules and boundaries and they don't get rewarded with cuddles and treats because they are cute.
A breed of dog won't give you the loyalty depicted in the movie Max. Only time and effort will.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for more than 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her through her website k9kinship.com.
