The story follows the perilous journey to freedom when a young boy and his dog attempt to escape a concentration camp during World War II. When Kaleb, a beautiful German Shepherd, is taken away from his Jewish family, he is captured by an SS Officer, and trained to help round up and terrorize Jewish prisoners. But when Kaleb’s former master, young Joshua, arrives at the camp, the dog rediscovers his unwavering loyalty. Together, the pair attempt to escape the camp and begin a journey to freedom.
Firstly, I must disclaim the fact that I am not a big fan of dog movies. I love dogs, but I find that movies revolving around dogs tend to be a bit emotionally manipulative. However cute the dog may be, I just have a hard time connecting to the animal through the screen.
Unlike usual dog movies that are set in modern-day, “Shepherd: The Hero Dog” is a film that takes place in Germany during the 1940s. It is a Holocaust film that only scratches the surface about the horrors faced by Jewish people during this time. But it would serve as good exposure to young kids just learning about that time.
Kaleb, a German Shepherd, loves being with his family more than anything. When Kaleb is firstborn, the young boy, Joshua (August Maturo), instantly feels a connection to the pup. However, Joshua and his family are Jewish, and Kaleb must be given away when a new law states that Jewish people are not allowed to have pets.
While Kaleb is given to another owner, he is not loved like he was before and runs away. Kaleb is eventually taken in by a Nazi and is trained to sniff down Jews. Kaleb does exceedingly well at his new job and is considered the best hunting dog that they have. It is only by chance that Joshua recognizes Kaleb when he is taken to a concentration camp, and they are reunited. But they have done so in very dangerous circumstances and they have to rely on each other in order to reach safety.
There is no voiceover for Kaleb and while I am not a fan of the talking dog trope used in animal movies, it is harder to connect with Kaleb. The dog is not very expressive, so it is hard to know what he is feeling. The only time I could tell what Kaleb was feeling is when he is separated from his family. Nonetheless, Kaleb goes through an extraordinary journey in this film, and that is something I was impressed by.
Unfortunately, none of the human characters, except Joshua, were memorable, even though the central relationship of the movie is between Joshua and Kaleb. Joshua is absent during at least a third of the film. The lack of character depth and sub-par acting kept me from being wholly invested in the film, though I think the story is interesting enough.
If you are a fan of dog movies, then “Shepherd: The Hero Dog” is worth checking out due to its incredible story. However, the film itself failed to make much of an impression on me since I had a difficult time connecting to Kaleb. And while it is certainly not a bad film by any means, I would rather spend my time watching a World War II film that has compelling characters and leaves more of an impact on me.
Available on Digital HD June 29th
