A Dog’s Journey (2019)

A film review by Dr. Lloyd Sederer

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You happen upon a dog lying peaceably on a porch, somewhere, sometime.  Imagine that dog is in its first, or third, even fifth “reincarnation”. Does it know that? Can it know that? Might it have dog glimpses of times and places past – or even future? Dogs do dream.

Noetics is the science of consciousness. While exploration and speculation about human consciousness have existed for millennia, a growing awareness has been sparked by contemporary writers: in fiction by Dan Brown (The Secret of Secrets, 2026), non-fiction by Michael Pollan (A World Appears, 2026), and science (The Institute of Noetic Science, www.ions.org). Films too are finding consciousness, human and otherwise, a rich source for our imagination, even our illumination.

Fundamental to the growing field of human consciousness is that it is both “focal”, existing in our brains, encased in a cranium, and ”non-focal”, as if a  ‘vapor’, everywhere and of anytime, that can permeate our mind. A ‘vapor’ that contains the past, present, and yes, future.

Consider experiences as mundane as déjà vu, or as otherworldly as out-of-body and extra-sensory perception and non-verbal communication (ESP, telepathy), and as amazing as in pre-cognition (knowing the future, a form of clairvoyance).

A Dog’s Journey (2019, streaming on Netflix)) begins on the Midwestern farm of Ethan (Dennis Quaid) and his wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). It is also the domain of “Boss Dog” Bailey, their Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, who watches over them and their granddaughter CJ (Abby Ryder and Kathryn Presscott).

Soon appearing is CJ’s widowed, alcoholic mother, Gloria (Betty Gilpin) whose life is bursting with anger and despair. What she deeply needs is redemption, to save her and spare her daughter, CJ. The medium for that transformation will be Big Boss, in the form of this incarnation.

Many of we humans dismiss the adventures of our “non-focal” consciousness. But what seems implausible to some of the nay-sayers can stand a better chance when delivered by melt-your-heart furry (or hypoallergenic) four-legged animals, long ago domesticated from their wolverine forbears.

“Big Boss”, someday sires “Molly”, who gives us ”Max”, the trio of the film’s female and male reincarnated canines, each with the features of their different breeds. But all speaking the same language of love.

These are dogs who can ‘fetch’ and a lot more. They think, speak telepathically, and create bridges across the gulfs produced by human foibles, like anger and disappointments. They are angels of affection, draped in fur and embodying kindness, trust, and loyalty.  Cupid is not the only angel inhabiting the earth.

By framing complex noetic concepts through the reincarnated lives of dogs - and their communion with we humans - the film finds its way into our imagination. The selfless kindness, loyalty, and love these canines embody permeates and warms the often otherwise frosty souls of those hurt in their lives, through no fault of their own. 

In A Dog’s Journey the film’s dogs are agents of kindness, generosity, smiles and hugs, loyalty, and love. Dogs have no need to forgive, they keep no grudge. But like humans they too can suffer the wounds of physical and psychic neglect and trauma. Wounds often passed on as the dog continues to exist, with the reincarnations of its consciousness. 

All dogs are adorable when you love them. When you love and adore them their “joyous scale” jumps from 0 to 100 upon seeing you, propelling their tail faster than a windmill in a hurricane. Because their loyalty knows no bounds, they are unable to be fickle, a common human condition.

More wondrous is your dog’s ability (no Cesar Millan “Dog Whisperer” required) to transport you to a state of love, freed, however briefly, of the foibles of humanity – like envy and jealousy.

Mind you, I am not saying they are always darlings, and certainly not saying they follow all your commands (even when you dangle a treat before them). But those are small matters when we consider how a dog can nourish our soul, evoking the goodness and kindness we can surprise ourselves having. I can see how dogs “merit” reincarnation - if its “ticket” is delivering the deeply nourishing gifts of selfless kindness, freely given loyalty, and unqualified love.

A healthy life long lived is the product of enduring, trustworthy attachments (The Harvard Study of Longevity https://longevity.bwh.harvard.edu/the-longevity-study/). Not wealth and power - but don’t refuse them if they come your way.

What cannot be bought is a life fully lived in communion with our fellow human beings, dogs, and other living creatures - on earth and abounding in a universal, non-focal, consciousness (www.ions.org), a consciousness that can permeate our minds and hearts, when we can allow that to happen.

“A Dog’s Lives” is a lovingly told story about a dog, the animal most evolved to live with and love the likes of us.

When you have a dog as part of your home, hailing from today or a vast past, they want to make you happy. What else do you know that has that as its primary mission in life?

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Lloyd I Sederer MD is a psychiatrist, public health doctor and non-fiction writer.

www.askdrlloyd.com