2026 NY Dog Film Festival

Director: Tracie Hotchner Run Time: 113 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2026 Country: United States Language: English About the festival: The NY Dog Film Festival is an annual philanthropic celebration of the love between dogs and their people. The Festival is a two-hour medley of animated, documentary and narrative short films from around the world with a canine theme. The Festival premieres every year in New York City, then travels to theaters across the United States with 10% of every ticket benefiting a local dog rescue. The 10th Annual NY Dog Film Festival features two prize-winning films in the Service Dog Salute category, sponsored by Purina Dog Chow, which provided cash prizes for these films about veterans whose lives have been positively impacted by the specially trained PTSD service dogs by their sides. The 15 films in the 10th Annual Dog Film Festival were chosen from 64 submissions from the United States as well as Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland and the UK. We continue a decade of celebrating the relationship between people and dogs in short films that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Total run time 113 minutes All the films are appropriate to delight and inspire all members of the human family. Running Late (Hannah Porter) (2 min) An animated view of a dog’s perspective as he waits hopefully for his owner to come home. Following Flame (Marc Jeffrey) (7 min) A PURINA SERVICE DOG SALUTE WINNER Seen from the dog Flame’s point of view, we experience how a “career change” from being a herding dog to being a specially trained service dog, allows her to positively transform the life of her veteran, who suffers from PTSD. The Golden Retriever Bachelor (Kathy Alexander) (10 min) As a spoof on the reality TV show, three older women compete for the affection of a senior dog, Cooper – a tongue-in-cheek story meant to encourage adoption of senior dogs. Jamtland Dogs (Carl-Philipp von Limburg) (9 min) A documentary following two women dog sled racers preparing for an international dog sledding competition in Northern Sweden. The Funeral (Enrique Gill Lastra) (2 min) A moving memorial service given by a family who want to honor the dog they loved. Brought Back to Life (Mutual Rescue) (4 min) A retired firefighter who has lost his purpose in his life finds it again with a search-and-rescue dog who is rescued from a shelter. A Touch of Romance (Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, Australia) (3 min) A woman is so caught up reading stories of love, she is oblivious to a man who has fallen in love with her – but his dog figures out how to orchestrate “a touch of romance.” Chocolate Retriever (Paige Meakin) (2 min) A claymation rendering of what a woman does to rescue her dog from the toxic-for-dogs chocolate bar he has ingested. Lessons from the Life and Death of Clifford (Julia Rue, Samuel Taylor) (6 min) A sweet, sad philosophical contemplation about what death is like for our dogs and what it might be for us. The Tube (Fangfang Han) (2 min) An animated rendition of the London Underground or “tube,” imagining the passengers as canines. Hustle and Run (Jonny Maderson, Jono Stevens) (18 min) A documentary about a scrappy band of “everyday” women from a small town in England, who compete as the underdogs with their canine pack in Flyball (a competition known as “the F1 of dog sports”) and go all the way to Crufts, the renowned British dog show. Companions for Life (Zach Putnam) (6 min) A documentary that is a testimonial about how a trained service dog has opened up his person’s world. The Singular Affair of the Missing Ball (John Semper) (20 min) An animated tale of the canine sleuth, Sherlock Whippet, who solves a mystery with the help of his intrepid companion, Dr. Woofson, a Bulldog. One Mind (Les Owen) (5 min) A PURINA SERVICE DOG SALUTE WINNER A glimpse into the life-changing freedom and love provided by Holly, a specially trained PTSD service dog who became a lifeline and soulmate for her veteran with PTSD, who had previously been housebound and suicidal. I’m Still Here: A Dog’s Purpose Forever (Cathryn MIchon) (11 min) A poetically artistic rendering of Michon’s spiritual, uplifting book by the same name, reminding us that when our dogs die they never leave us. About the Festival Director: Tracie Hotchner is a nationally acclaimed pet wellness advocate, the author of THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. Recognized as a unique voice for pets and their people, she was honored as a Pet Age Woman of Influence in 2018. Since 2006 she has been producing and hosting her own hour-long radio show DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) from WLIW-88.3 FM, the only NPR station on Long Island, interviewing pet experts and authors around the world.The 15 films in the 10th Annual Dog Film Festival were chosen from 64 submissions from the United States as well as Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland and the UK. We continue a decade of celebrating the relationship between people and dogs in short films that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Total run time 113 minutes All the films are appropriate to delight and inspire all members of the human family. Running Late (Hannah Porter) (2 min) An animated view of a dog’s perspective as he waits hopefully for his owner to come home. Following Flame (Marc Jeffrey) (7 min) A PURINA SERVICE DOG SALUTE WINNER Seen from the dog Flame’s point of view, we experience how a “career change” from being a herding dog to being a specially trained service dog, allows her to positively transform the life of her veteran, who suffers from PTSD. The Golden Retriever Bachelor (Kathy Alexander) (10 min) As a spoof on the reality TV show, three older women compete for the affection of a senior dog, Cooper – a tongue-in-cheek story meant to encourage adoption of senior dogs. Jamtland Dogs (Carl-Philipp von Limburg) (9 min) A documentary following two women dog sled racers preparing for an international dog sledding competition in Northern Sweden. The Funeral (Enrique Gill Lastra) (2 min) A moving memorial service given by a family who want to honor the dog they loved. Brought Back to Life (Mutual Rescue) (4 min) A retired firefighter who has lost his purpose in his life finds it again with a search-and-rescue dog who is rescued from a shelter. A Touch of Romance (Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, Australia) (3 min) A woman is so caught up reading stories of love, she is oblivious to a man who has fallen in love with her – but his dog figures out how to orchestrate “a touch of romance.” Chocolate Retriever (Paige Meakin) (2 min) A claymation rendering of what a woman does to rescue her dog from the toxic-for-dogs chocolate bar he has ingested. Lessons from the Life and Death of Clifford (Julia Rue, Samuel Taylor) (6 min) A sweet, sad philosophical contemplation about what death is like for our dogs and what it might be for us. The Tube (Fangfang Han) (2 min) An animated rendition of the London Underground or “tube,” imagining the passengers as canines. Hustle and Run (Jonny Maderson, Jono Stevens) (18 min) A documentary about a scrappy band of “everyday” women from a small town in England, who compete as the underdogs with their canine pack in Flyball (a competition known as “the F1 of dog sports”) and go all the way to Crufts, the renowned British dog show. Companions for Life (Zach Putnam) (6 min) A documentary that is a testimonial about how a trained service dog has opened up his person’s world. The Singular Affair of the Missing Ball (John Semper) (20 min) An animated tale of the canine sleuth, Sherlock Whippet, who solves a mystery with the help of his intrepid companion, Dr. Woofson, a Bulldog. One Mind (Les Owen) (5 min) A PURINA SERVICE DOG SALUTE WINNER A glimpse into the life-changing freedom and love provided by Holly, a specially trained PTSD service dog who became a lifeline and soulmate for her veteran with PTSD, who had previously been housebound and suicidal. I’m Still Here: A Dog’s Purpose Forever (Cathryn MIchon) (11 min) A poetically artistic rendering of Michon’s spiritual, uplifting book by the same name, reminding us that when our dogs die they never leave us. About the Festival Director: Tracie Hotchner is a nationally acclaimed pet wellness advocate, the author of THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. Recognized as a unique voice for pets and their people, she was honored as a Pet Age Woman of Influence in 2018. Since 2006 she has been producing and hosting her own hour-long radio show DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) from WLIW-88.3 FM, the only NPR station on Long Island, interviewing pet experts and authors around the world.