Calling all dog lovers!!
Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to help educate our movie going public. Your deadline for the mission is December 18th. Your countdown begins now. While this current mission is targeting those who may be interested in a specific breed, it benefits anyone considering a dog. How? Because it helps to educate people about the need for breed research BEFORE getting a dog "just like the one they saw" in a movie. This in turn hopefully helps cut down on the amount of mismatched dogs to owners. Not every breed of dog is right for every home after all. What might be the best match for you may be a nightmare for your best friend and vice versa.
The steps for this mission are simple.
1) Go to this website http://www.akitaclub.org/ and download and print a copy of the file "Is the akita the right dog for you?"
2) Take the handout to your local Staples store and make a bajillion copies.
3) Take the bajillioon copies to your local movie theaters on December 17th and ask if they will share them with every ticket buyer to the movie "Hachi".
4) If you have a blog please consider passing this information on. All agents need to be activated for this one my friends.
The advanced agents, and you know who you are, may even stay to pass out the handouts personally or set up a booth at the theater (with permission of course) showing off their own well trained akita or shiba. (shibas are also featured in the movie as they used some of them in place of the akita as a puppy. Here is a link to "Is the Shiba for you" to add to the flip side of your handout: http://www.northeastshibarescue.com/right.html ) You can even go to your areas akita rescue website and print off a list of akitas needing homes to add to a poster.
A "dogs in movies" set up with other breed information for those who are extra creative to leave at the theater is also an idea. This isn't the first breed this has happened to, nor will it be the last. It is also a great opportunity to reach alot of people about positive training for trainers who want to participate with their own trained dogs. Have a pile of handouts on the akita/shiba and another on positive training. The ones we can't reach with the breed info will certainly need the training info later.
The mission is an important one. It may be met with resistance. A back up plan my be required. Consider recruiting your local pet supply stores. They may agree to passing out handouts if your theater won't participate or be willing to host a breed education table. Posters are also welcome in the fight. Ask the local theater for copies of the movie poster, take it for display to your local pet supply store, and add the akita handout. Or your local shelter would like to be involved. It never hurts to ask.
Check out the Hachi movie trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaS37E3gKOU
I want to thank all the DEAR members (dog education action responders) for their participation in this mission. (Psst - that's you dear reader) I look forward to all feedback. Got any other ideas to help us in this endeavor? Share them with me in the comments section.
(The photo is of the real Hachi Ko, the akita the movie is based on. Originally a Japanese story.)
