"MAX" Coming Soon to Theaters

MAX 

Rated PG
(action violence, peril, brief language and some thematic elements)

Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

In Theaters: June 26, 2015

MAX is about a military dog who serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, Kyle Wincott, a U.S. Marine. But when things go terrible wrong Max loses not only his handler, but his best friend. Traumatized by this loss, Max is unable to remain in service and is shipped stateside.

Max has a hard time adjusting. The only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle's teenage brother, Justin. So Max is adopted by Kyle's family. Justin has issues of his own and, at first, isn't interested in taking responsibility for Max.

Justin grows to trust Max and the two find an unlikely new best friend in each other.

“Max” stars Josh Wiggins (“Hellion”) as Justin Wincott, Lauren Graham (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” TV’s “Parenthood”) as his mom, Pamela, and Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways”) as his dad, Ray.  

You can watch the official trailer here.

One of the major topics this movie addresses is PTSD in dogs. We hear about soldiers suffering from PTSD but rarely hear about how war affects animals, in particular dogs. This movie gives parents the opportunity to talk with their children about PTSD in both humans and dogs.

Here is some information about PTSD in dogs.

• Who can be affected: 
• PTSD can affect military dogs as well as household dogs.
• Causes/Triggers of PTSD:
• Violent personal assaults
• Natural or human-caused disasters
• Accidents
• Loss of a care taker
• Military Combat
• Signs and Symptoms of PTSD:

• Change in behavior
• Nervousness
• Weight loss
• Aggression
• Shaking or whining
• Fearful behavior
• Avoiding places or things that remind them of the traumatic event.
• Treatment
• Retraining them to be comfortable again in tense situations is the number one form of treatment.
• Training is usually done with a certify/qualified trainer.
• Military dogs who show signs and symptoms of PTSD are taken out of service.
• Medications are generally not used since they mask the symptoms instead of helping/training the dog to cope/adapt to stressors.

On Tuesday, my humans are going to an advanced screening. I look forward to hearing and sharing their experience with this film!

A big thanks to Kenn Bell from Dog Files for all of his hard work in sharing and promoting this movie.

Today I'm joining the Monday Mischief blog hop hosted by:
Alfie’s Blog, Snoopy’s Dog Blog, My Brown Newfies.