Directer Andy Mitchell getting footage of soon-to-be service dogs.
Emmy Award-winning director Andy Mitchell is preparing to launch his latest film, Inside the Mind of a Dog, on Netflix next month. And he wants the subjects of the movie — lots of them — to show up to a special screening in Middlebury.
Mitchell is hoping at least 220 canines will attend the August 10 event at the Memorial Sports Center in order to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark of "most dogs to attend a film screening." The current record of 219 pups was set last year in Los Angeles at an outdoor showing of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
"I have to give full credit to my 13-year-old son, Billy," for the idea, Mitchell said. He noted that the previous event had Hollywood support, while Middlebury's "homegrown, grassroots version" has an exciting opportunity to take the crown.
Mitchell, 49, worked as a wildlife cinematographer for a decade at National Geographic and later went freelance to continue pursuing "adventure filmmaking" in harsh climates: the Arctic, the Sahara Desert and underwater. Many of the documentaries are animal-related, including his previous Netflix film, Inside the Mind of a Cat. That movie is similar to his latest 75-minute flick, which follows a group of service dogs as they are trained. Mitchell weaves in tidbits about canine history and psychology, as well as tricks to understand what's on a dog's mind. It's a mix of "feel-good and informative," he said.
Many Middlebury folk are playing a role, including the Homeward Bound animal shelter and a fleet of volunteers who will help keep the dogs safe, supply treats and provide free popcorn for the humans. Mitchell's arts nonprofit, Middlebury Underground, is presenting the event. Doors open at 3 p.m.
Mitchell is hoping the pups settle down for the required 10 minutes of "watching time" needed to get the record.
Among those planning to go? The director's golden retriever, Boone, who will "have the time of his life," Mitchell said.
Bio:
Leah Krason was a summer culture staff intern at Seven Days in 2024. At which time, she was a junior at Wellesley College, studying English and studio art. At Wellesley, she works with the journal of campus life, Counterpoint Magazine.
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