The Plague Dogs

Based on the novel of the same name, The Plague Dogs is a wonderfully dark animated film. The film tells the story of two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, who escape from an experimental laboratory that conducts animal experimentation. The film starts off with Rowf who is swimming in a large water tank, which he soon drowns in. After being revived by the scientists, it is revealed that Rowf is used to experiment endurance capabilities. The beginning of the film delivers the vary blunt message of animal cruelty through graphic images of experiments being conducted on animals. As Rowf and Snitter escape the facility they bear witness to the treatment of the other animals as they see many monkeys strapped down to tables and enclosed in metal tanks. After escaping Rowf and Snitter cause trouble as they try to find a master who will treat them right. It is soon revealed to what Snitter was used for. Snitter was used for an experimental brain surgery that throughout the film distorts his reality and causes him to inadvertently kill a man after trying to jump on the man, who Snitter believes is his old master who he blames himself for killing also, and accidentally stepping the trigger of the man’s shotgun, blowing his face off. The film takes a dramatic turn as it is discovered that the dogs may be infected with an experimental plague virus. The film shows the dark side to animal experimentation with the recurring narration of the scientist who talk about the dogs and what they were used for. The film ends on a somber tone as the dogs escape from the hunters, the military, and the scientists; yet, is somehow happier that it actually is. The Plague Dogs is a terrific and wonderfully somber film that is worth the watch.