— SELECT PRESS —
The New York Times - Opinion Page
The essay by Margaret Renkl appeared in print on Dec 16, 2022, Section A, Page 23.
The Washington Post
NY1
WCBS News
WCBS segment on the film and local filmmakers.
WCBS News
WCBS segment on the film and local filmmakers.
"A unique and thoughtful take on an ongoing crisis."
~ John Eliot, WCBS
CTV - Canada
NPR
Talking Animals with Duncan Strauss from WMNF.
iHeart
Maria’s Mutts and Stuff with Q104.3 radio DJ Maria Malito.
“Best Friends Animal Society, Human Animal Support Services and other major rescue organizations have been raising the alarm that shelter dogs and cats are at increased risk of euthanasia this year.
So, there’s more need for volunteers, adopters, and donations than ever, [FREE PUPPIES! rescuer Monda] Wooten believes. She’s been pushing for Dade County, where she lives in Georgia, to build a new animal shelter for years and now with Free Puppies! premiering during the current crisis, she hopes it will finally happen.”
~ Film Free Puppies! Highlights Heroism of Animal Rescuers in the Rural South
Jen Reeder for The Dog People
— REVIEWS —
“It’s a deeply felt movie that will appeal to those who care about animals, and I hope that they will see it. I also hope those who are not aware of this issue see it and think about how they can bring about change.”
"Free Puppies! is bursting with appealing canine co-stars, from tiny puppies to veteran hounds. You can completely understand why their plight has captured the hearts of so many humans, and you’ll be hard pressed not to tear up a time or two when their backstories are shared — or when they’re matched with eager adoptive families. It’s dog-gone touching."
- Betsy Bozdech, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
"Like a friendly dog wanting to play a game of tug of war, directors Samantha Wishman and Christina Thomas’ charming documentary Free Puppies! pulls on the viewers’ heartstrings with a truly inspirational story. Best of all, the film is a great testament to grassroots movements who aren’t afraid to tackle a huge cause that they believe in. At a time when America seems so divided politically, one might even consider these folks as ambassadors of goodwill, on some level binding the country together through their love of dogs."
"Warm and inspirational...a joy to behold! Highlights the compassion, determination and decency of the heroic female rescuers. Decency, after all, is a strength, so in many ways this doc is empowering for women as all as for all human beings, young and old, with a moral conscience. You might be inspired to either adopt a rescue dog, to join the rescuers on their mission, or to donate to help keep their mission afloat. Free Puppies! will make you stand up and cheer!"
- NYC Movie Guru
"It would be easy to simply call Free Puppies! one of the truly feel-good docs of 2022, though I can't really say that such a description really describes this absolutely engaging and entertaining feature doc from First Run Features. However, Free Puppies! is a documentary with a mission and that mission comes vividly to life not just in ways that feel good but also in ways that are serious, meaningful, driven, and sometimes even a little sad. There's never a moment when you don't absolutely love these women and their mission."
- Richard Propes, The Independent Critic
"Animal lovers will find a bittersweet watch in Free Puppies!, a documentary on volunteer rescue groups working to adopt dogs in areas of the U.S. that are high in strays. Locals like Monda Wooten have stepped up to rescue stray animals and push for spay-and-neuter services in the absence of an operating animal shelter...the issue of shelter funding is a pervasive one across the Southeast that, coupled with the year-round warm climate and high rates of poverty, has created an environment with too many stray dogs and not enough kennels or homes to keep them in. The film achieves its goal in raising awareness for these volunteer efforts, casting a spotlight on a chronically overlooked crisis."