Rescue on the rise

An independent film opening Friday at Village Center Cinemas in Lewiston stars a rescue dog, and people who buy tickets will help support adoptable animals in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.

The Lewis Clark Animal Shelter will receive 5% of net receipts from the show’s Lewiston run, set for at least two weeks, according to a news release from the Los Angeles-based public relations firm promoting the film.

The dog at the heart of “The Year of the Dog,” a Siberian husky named Caleb, performs alongside human actors, including Rob Grabow, also a producer, writer and co-director on the film, Jon Proudstar (“Reservation Dogs”) and Michael Spears (“Dances with Wolves,” “Reservation Dogs,” “1923”).

The movie, described as the story of “a loner alcoholic struggling to maintain sobriety and a rescue dog with an unusual athletic gift,” was shot on location in Montana, Grabow’s home state.

He called Caleb the “true star” of the film, noting many of the dogs featured are rescues.

“The producers agreed that it was important to support and champion a local animal shelter since it was clear that what others saw as Caleb’s imperfections — his high energy, his playfulness, his stubbornness — are precisely what make Caleb special and why he was able to carry so much of this film,” Grabow said. “Caleb’s story exemplifies how finding purpose and making connections can heal.”

Depending on the film’s success in Lewiston, it is tentatively scheduled to open in Moscow in the coming weeks, with a percentage of sales going to the Humane Society of the Palouse.

More information is at theyearofthedogmovie.com.