Benji: Off the Leash! (2004)

Benji: Off the Leash!: Directed by Joe Camp. With Nick Whitaker, Nate Bynum, Chris Kendrick, Randall Newsome. Lost and alone on the streets of a small Mississippi town, Benji struggles to save his mom from a backyard puppy mill, avoiding two dopey dogcatchers and an unwanted sidekick.

“DO NOT TAKE YOUNG CHILDREN TO THIS MOVIE! I took my 2 young children, 6 and 3 along with a another mom and her 2 children, same ages…anxious to see a cheerful, cute Benji adventure like we were kids was a far cry from what this movie portrayed…the first scene where the alcoholic, clearly child and animal abusive father angrily tossed the Benji puppy across the floor and verbally hoped that he died was only the start…Iu0026#39;m a former employee of the SPCA of Texas so I know the message of animal abuse, puppy mills all too well…I can support educating adults and children on this but this was too strong for young children by far. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJoe Camp used the Benji name to draw parents in to get his message across. He should have made a G rated one as well that we could enjoy and not feel sick about…itu0026#39;s not the way I want to spend an afternoon with my kids. The abusive father was a great actor, you hated him more than life itself and wanted to kill him the way he did to the dogs he abused, i.e. the puppy he placed in a tied up bag then tossed into a river simply b/c he didnu0026#39;t want it. Thanks Joe. I hope youu0026#39;re taking the proceeds to animal charities for what our children went through today.”