War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend (2017) User Reviews

Not for the faint of heart

[cqmcnamara · 9/10 · 29 November 2022]

When my parents and I decided to.watch this documentary, we expected a heartwarming tale of courageous canines saving the day. Boy, were we wrong. I am quite an emotional viewer, but this film had my whole family in tears. It's gut-wrenching. This is by no means a way to scare you away from the film - rather, just a warning so you know what you're watching beforehand. Treat it more like a film about war, not cute animal heroes. If you love dogs like me, the movie might be even harder to get through simply because of all the terrible situations the dogs and their handlers are forced to go through. This movie does not hold back from saving the saddest stories for the end.

Now that that's out of the way, it's a very good film. "Good" in the more objective sense, as in quality and direction, not in terms of enjoyment. It's an amazing, emotional film. But if you don't like those sad films where the dog dies at the end, you better skip this one.

Very emotional documentary

[crissttigaldames · 9/10 · 19 February 2023]

Didn't catch it right from the beginning. It's the stories of war dogs and their handlers. And the eternal bond they share. These are for the most part very sad stories, be prepared.

It's especially upsetting how the mishandling of things by whoever was in charge caused so much grief and pain to a soldier who served his country and who almost died in battle. How could they promise him his dog back and then not fulfill that promise is beyond understanding. They instead put two families in an impossible situation. Why didn't they just give him his dog back right away?

While you understand the value dogs are in war, it really makes you question the ethics of it too. The danger for the dogs and the pain it can cause the human soldiers as well.

really touches your emotions

[suzanne-sellers · 19 November 2017]

After watching this documentary I felt beaten up emotionally and felt a sense of loss and separation, in sympathy with the soldiers shown in the film. I felt that way for a few days and thought I could never watch that film again. But part of me knew I needed to watch it again in order to deal with the strong feelings of loss and grief I felt for those soldiers and dogs. I won't go into those stories, because you should watch it, but let's just say if you love animals or love our military and what they do for our country, you will cry many tears from the beginning to the end of this film. It will affect you and you will learn something.

I will give one spoiler and say that the military lied to one soldier about getting his dog back and that never happened, causing this soldier a tremendous amount of grief, pain and loss. I cried for him and what he went through trying to get his dog back. It shouldn't surprise me that our government lies, but they SHOULDN'T lie to a soldier who has risked so much for his country, when it would be so easy to fulfill that promise. That's all I can say.

This is an amazing documentary, 10/10

[jcbuckel · 10/10 · 13 November 2017]

War Dog is perhaps one of the greatest documentaries that I have ever seen. It hits you in ways that you rarely ever feel, highlights the struggles many veterans face adjusting to civilian life, and showcases the human experience. Seriously, I appreciated what I heard listening to the words shared in this film.

Thank you to all that were involved in making this film. This is truly excellent and inspiring as it digs deep into human emotion and the eternal bond between man and dog.

Thank you all for your service.

much more than a dog story

[aforman1-2 · 10/10 · 25 November 2017]

disclaimer: I am a feline person don't have anything against dogs & this film certainly gives insight into why folks hold them in such esteem

what makes this motion picture so extraordinary, is the perspective of warriors and how they adjust to life after the 3 vignettes are all superb

Deborah Scranton did stellar work & kudos to HBO

Simple in form, Devastating in impact.

[robkingsley · 10/10 · 18 January 2019]

Not easy to watch, especially for those who have deployed with MWDs. For me the beauty of these warriors (dogs) is in the contrast between being on the job and off. Equally as affectionate (with their handler) as they are ferocious and dedicated on mission. They truly love their profession.

The Dogs of War

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 12 December 2017]

This documentary is a tribute to the canines who have fought as soldiers in recent conflicts. It focuses on the relationships between three soldiers and their dogs of war. Two of the dogs died on their tour of duty. One dog was injured and later developed PTSD.

One handler felt let down as his war dog was promised to him after the dog's retirement with the police service.

I felt that this would be an interesting look at the dogs on the battlefield but it felt rather shallow to me, concentrating more on their handlers than the dogs themselves.

Proves two things: that humans don't deserve dogs and the humanity is doomed

[peterkowalski · 5/10 · 25 July 2023]

It's definitely not a documentary for the faint of heart - especially the dog lovers. It's also not focusing that much on the actual dogs - showing stories of warriors and their canines, often injured in battle.

The strongest voice here is the one telling a heartbreaking story of how the dogs are used for their unique ability to be trained to attack some and be faithful to their owners, essentially fighting battles they never chose to fight - getting injured or dead in the process. Everyone who's against war even in the slightest will resent that deeply, and perhaps rightfully so. It doesn't really help how the surviving dogs are called heroes, put on the covers of magazines, and celebrated. I'm not a dog, but I doubt it means anything to them - an ability to walk, to be healthy physically and mentally would probably mean a lot more.

It also shows the emotional/intelligence of the soldiers themselves - you can hear on of them saying how watching "Grey's Anatomy" was one of the favorite things of his dog, and when they took it off the air, it "almost killed her". No, Trent. It was the war that almost killed her. You know, the war us, humans decided to fight and took the loyal friends along for the ride.