A Dog's Life
Recordist: Tony Schwartz
Originally aired: 31 March 1957
Plot synopsis: A man gets a dog.
Favourite line: None.
Review: My plot synopsis above pretty much sums up this episode, which is a non-fiction account of a man acquiring his first dog, and if you have no interest in canines you will find very of little interest in it. I'm not a dog person, though I like dogs well enough, but I wonder if even many dog owners will find a great deal here to get excited about. What seems slightly odd is that the subject of the episode seems totally unprepared for pet ownership: only after getting his new dog does he even think about issues like food, the need for a basket, housebreaking the animal etc. Surely, he ought to have thought about these matters beforehand? In fact, the way the episode seems to want to highlight the necessity of thinking about such basics makes it seem, in places, as if it is being pitched at children, or at least, not-very-bright adults. The one aspect some may find interesting is the discussion about the rights and wrongs of docking dogs' tails, a practice which has become less accepted today than it was when the episode was broadcast. However, overall, there simply isn't very much in this episode that is worth listening to, making it one of the series' weakest. (Another documentary-style episode recorded by Tony Schwartz is The Voice of a City.)
Rating: * *
