Hotel for Dogs Gets Paws Up From my Geek Family

Monday was MLK Jr. Day, and as such my kids and my wife (a teacher) had the day off.  Me? No such luck.

So, what does the temporarily dad-less family do on a day off? They go see a kids film. In this case, Hotel for Dogs.

Let me be clear: I have not seen this movie. I am only passing on what my (admittedly geeky, dog-friendly) family said.

Go see this movie with your kids.  It’s a simple tale of older orphans (Jake T. Austin from Wizards of Waverly Place, and Emma Roberts – niece of Julia) who, since losing their parents, have drifted from foster home to foster home because as older kids, they’re not as easy to place; and they have a pet dog they’ve kept secret from each set of foster parents.

One day, they find an abandoned hotel with some stray dogs living in it. They have an idea, and with help from some new friends, they turn it into a home for all the strays they can find.  What results is a relatively typical story of battling with the authorities, ala Home Alone (lots of improvised gadgets) as they fight to keep the hotel and protect the dogs.  But there were lots of laughs, and lots of positive, pro-animal rights messages (along with TONS of Purina product placement, and details on donating to good charities).  Oh, and Don Cheedle plays their social services case worker, who is one of the good guys.

From my younger son: "I thought it was amazing, dad."  Can’t get a better recommendation than that.

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