In the landscape of Christmas-themed telemovies, 12 Dog Days Till Christmas breaks the usual mould. Still feelgood, daytime fare, it avoids the usual unlikely romance trope (for the most part.)
When Jack’s temper sees his latest entrepreneurial efforts backfire to the point of his arrest, his parole officer assigns him to community service at a local animal shelter – the only no-kill shelter in town. Smooth-talking Jack (Vincent Giovagnoli) initially plays along, claiming to be out to impress the pretty shelter volunteer Hillary (Chandler Parnell.) When the volunteers learn that the shelter is set to close for good at Christmas, the volunteers have a deadline of twelve days to rehome the twelve remaining shelter dogs, and Jack finds his bond with the animals growing, and also with Hillary’s sister, Ryan (Grainne McDermott.)
Although light-hearted, the story touches on more serious themes, with Jack’s life in foster care, his relationship with his alcoholic mother, and interactions with his parole officer (Reginald VelJohnson) all given screen time. Interestingly, real rescue dogs were featured in the film, and rehomed during the making of the movie.
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