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A Dog’s Journey Ending Explained

UPDATED: November 11, 2023

Title: A Dog’s Journey: A Heartwarming Tale of Love, Loyalty, and Reincarnation

Introduction:

A Dog’s Journey is a heartwarming film that follows the journey of a loyal dog named Bailey as he reincarnates into multiple lives to fulfill his purpose of protecting and guiding his beloved owners. Directed by Gail Mancuso and based on the novel by W. Bruce Cameron, this movie beautifully explores the themes of love, loyalty, and the unbreakable bond between humans and their furry companions. In this article, we will delve into the ending of A Dog’s Journey, highlighting its emotional impact and the messages it conveys.

Plot Summary:

The movie begins with Bailey, a lovable and mischievous dog, living with his owner Ethan and his wife Hannah. As Bailey grows older, he passes away but is soon reincarnated as a different dog, Molly, who finds her way into the life of Ethan and Hannah’s granddaughter, CJ. Throughout the film, Bailey continues to be reborn into different dogs, always finding his way back to CJ, who faces various challenges and struggles in her life.

Ending Explanation:

In the final act of the movie, CJ, now a young adult, faces a difficult decision regarding her future. She has been offered a job opportunity in New York City, which would mean leaving behind her boyfriend Trent and her beloved dog, Max, who is actually the reincarnated Bailey. CJ is torn between pursuing her dreams and staying with her loved ones.

As CJ contemplates her decision, Max/Bailey senses her inner turmoil and decides to take matters into his own paws. He escapes from CJ’s house and embarks on a journey to find her estranged mother, Gloria. Max/Bailey believes that reconnecting CJ with her mother will help her find the guidance and support she needs to make the right choice.

Max/Bailey eventually finds Gloria and leads her back to CJ. The reunion between mother and daughter is emotional and cathartic, as they both express their regrets and desire to rebuild their relationship. This pivotal moment allows CJ to gain a newfound perspective on life and the importance of family.

With her mother back in her life, CJ realizes that she doesn’t need to sacrifice her dreams to maintain her relationships. She decides to accept the job offer in New York City, but not before making arrangements for Max/Bailey to stay with her boyfriend Trent, ensuring that he will be loved and cared for.

The film concludes with CJ bidding a tearful farewell to Max/Bailey, expressing her gratitude for his unwavering love and support throughout her life. Max/Bailey, having fulfilled his purpose of protecting and guiding CJ, peacefully passes away, knowing that he has left a lasting impact on her life.

Themes and Messages:

The ending of A Dog’s Journey beautifully encapsulates the film’s central themes and messages. Firstly, it emphasizes the power of love and loyalty. Max/Bailey’s unwavering devotion to CJ, even across multiple lifetimes, showcases the unconditional love that dogs have for their owners. This theme resonates with audiences, reminding them of the special bond they share with their own pets.

Secondly, the ending highlights the importance of family and forgiveness. CJ’s reconciliation with her mother symbolizes the healing power of forgiveness and the ability to mend broken relationships. It serves as a reminder that family bonds can be repaired and strengthened with time and understanding.

Lastly, the ending conveys the message of pursuing one’s dreams while maintaining meaningful connections. CJ’s decision to accept the job offer in New York City demonstrates that it is possible to follow one’s aspirations without sacrificing the love and support of loved ones. This message encourages viewers to find a balance between personal growth and maintaining strong relationships.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the ending of A Dog’s Journey is a poignant and emotionally satisfying conclusion to a heartwarming tale. It showcases the power of love, loyalty, and forgiveness, leaving audiences with a renewed appreciation for the special bond between humans and their furry companions. The film’s messages of pursuing dreams while maintaining meaningful connections resonate deeply, reminding viewers of the importance of cherishing their loved ones. A Dog’s Journey is a must-watch for anyone seeking a heartwarming and uplifting cinematic experience.

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“A Dog’s Journey”Explained: What’s Up With the Ending?

Pros: Funny dogs appear in the film; in the second half the film becomes more interesting Cons: too naive script; one-note characters from A Dog’s Journey

Genre comedy, drama Directed by Gail Mancuso Starring: Dennis Quaid (Ethan), Marge Helgenberger (Hannah), Betty Gilpin (Gloria), Kathryn Prescott (CJ), Abby Ryder Fortson (CJ as a child), Henry Lau (Trent), etc. DreamWorks, Walden Media, Amblin Entertainment Year of release 2019 IMDB page

A Dog’s Journey continues the story of a dog who, at the end of his life, is reborn over and over again to be with the person he has become attached to. The first film, called A Dog’s Purpose, was released in 2017. The basis for the two films were the novels of American writer Bruce Cameron, who also participated in writing the script.

In A Good Dog’s Journey, a dog named Bally enjoys a happy life on a farm. She spends her days next to her owner, Ethan, and finds another friend in his newborn granddaughter, Ceejay. But not everything is so smooth. Relationships in the family are not going well, the widowed daughter-in-law takes the child and leaves in an unknown direction. Ethan misses his granddaughter and asks his dog to look after Sija. As the dog approaches its final days, it is reborn and remembers a new purpose in life. Now Bally, having received a new body, must find Sij at any cost.

The plot of “The Good Dog’s Journey” can be easily understood without watching the first film. The dog (in the original voiced by actor Josh Gad) comments on what is happening with all the immediate details. You need to get used to it – this is the format of a family film. In addition, things are such that the viewer will find a large number of naive (well, very naive) episodes. In the second half of the film, when the main character grows up, the plot becomes much more interesting. And by this time you already get used to the dog’s comments.

Dogs in the film evoke only good emotions. They are touching and friendly – you can look at them forever. I only want to complain about the work of screenwriters who divide the world exclusively into “black” and “white,” “evil” and “good.” Negative characters can be identified in a few seconds. They act badly in absolutely everything, without being able to express their feelings, this is reminiscent of stories from old cartoons. But “The Good Dog’s Journey,” in theory, is not only intended for children: it reveals the difficulties and problems of fully grown people.

Despite the obvious shortcomings of the film, while watching it you still manage to become attached to it. As with all funny dogs. The four-legged character Bally illustrates the idea that dogs give people their unconditional love. They are always there, especially when the owner needs support. The main idea is clear from the trailer, and the film shows this in every detail through the example of the growing up of Sij, played by Kathryn Prescott.

Actress Katherine Prescott is known for her roles in the TV series Skins. The younger version of her character is played by Abby Ryder Fortson, who is recognizable as Scott Lang’s daughter from the Ant-Man film adaptation. The most famous actor in the movie “The Good Dog’s Journey” is Dennis Quaid, who played the role of Ethan. Now the artist has switched to the simple film format, and years earlier he starred in the drama Far from Heaven, which was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

The make-up artists did a good job on Dennis Quaid and actress Marge Helgenberger, who played his wife. The writers used the imprint of age on the faces of their characters and the transience of time as another technique with which to touch the audience.

“A Good Dog’s Journey” is one of those films that goes out of its way to create goodwill through its use of dogs and good characters. Its creators would have done it much better if the tape had not been filled with platitudes.

Conclusion:

You can watch the film without knowing the backstory. It is suitable for family viewing and will appeal to those who enjoy seeing dogs on the big screen.

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Cast & crew
User reviews

A Dog's Journey

A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets. A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets. A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.

Gail Mancuso
W. Bruce Cameron
Cathryn Michon
Maya Forbes
Dennis Quaid
Kathryn Prescott
201 User reviews
63 Critic reviews
43 Metascore
2 nominations

Young Trent

Trent's Mother
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia The dog breeds that Bailey is in each life are an elderly St. Bernard/Australian Shepherd, a female beagle named Molly, a male English Mastiff named Big Dog, and a Yorkshire Terrier named Max.
Goofs A Mr. Sub sign is visible, and Shane happens to be an employee of the restaurant. However, the Mr. Sub chain is only available in Canada.

Bailey : I had a lot of lives, all different. Sometimes I was big, and sometimes, I was small.

Crazy credits Shortly into the end credits the message "A Few of Our Forever Friends" is shown, followed by more than 50 photos of dogs, presumably of the cast and crew.
Connections Featured in Projector: A Dog's Journey (2019)
Soundtracks Crazy World Written by Peter Haycock , Colin Cooper, Derek Holt , and John Cuffley Performed by Climax Blues Band Courtesy of CBB Music

User reviews 201

May 19, 2019
How long is A Dog's Journey? Powered by Alexa
May 17, 2019 (United States)
United States
Official Site
La razón de estar contigo: Un nuevo viaje
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Dreamworks Pictures
Walden Media
Reliance Entertainment
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$16,000,000 (estimated)
$22,782,371
$78,871,103

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 49 minutes
Dolby Surround 7.1

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, a dog's journey.

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Is “A Dog’s Journey” one of the sweetest canine films out there, or one of the meanest? While I generally favor the latter reading, the gentle sniffling mixed with occasional awws and chuckles that broke out during my screening suggests the majority of the audiences will understandably lean otherwise, as they did with the film’s 2017 predecessor, “A Dog’s Purpose.” In theory, this unconditional affection seems mighty unjust for a shameless family franchise that kills an average of four to five dogs per movie, sometimes, in unspeakably wretched fashions—seriously, where is John Wick when you need him? And yet, as visually uninspired and ideologically conservative as it may be, there seems to be something beguiling about the series that keeps one (including myself, admittedly) on a short leash. Turns out, very few are immune to the sneaky suggestion that certain dogs and humans are meant for each other for life.

This is indeed the philosophy behind TV veteran Gail Mancuso ’s “A Dog’s Journey,” which follows in the paw prints of its Lasse Hallström-directed ancestor with its assembly line of doggie fatalities. (Every dog-loving cinephile’s most cherished website “DoesTheDogDie.com” must be having a field trip with these films.) And before you cry out “spoiler alert,” know that spelling out the mounting corpses of our four-legged furry pals in these tearjerkers is not exactly a wrongdoing. Adapted from W. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling novels, the pair of syrupy films follows a Buddhist philosophy, imagining a world in which a dog’s spirit reincarnates in the body of a new adorable puppy (somehow, voiced by Josh Gad even when it’s a female) and pursues its original human to eternity.

“Journey” picks up where “Purpose” had left off, dropping us on a tranquil Midwestern farm ran by the impossibly wholesome couple Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ) and his wife Hannah ( Marg Helgenberger ). Their carefree “Boss Dog” Bailey, a handsome Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, runs around the picturesque fields and happily chases his own tail, while keeping a watchful eye on Ethan and Hannah’s baby granddaughter CJ (affably played by Abby Ryder and Kathryn Presscott in later ages), parented by the couple’s heavy-drinking widowed daughter-in-law Gloria ( Betty Gilpin ). Bailey exits the picture soon enough—poor Boss Dog has a cancerous lump—but returns promptly in the body of Molly the mischievous Beagle, reuniting with the 11-year-old CJ to keep a promise he’s made to Ethan. Now living away from her grandparents with the negligent Gloria, CJ finds the kind of comfort and support every child needs in Molly.

Our determined pooch returns again and again as Bailey drops dead in a continuous loop: once, as the African Boerboel Big Dog living on a roadside convenience store (or, “a house made of snacks,” as he calls it), and then as the snippy Terrier Max. Meanwhile, CJ goes through her own transformation and finds herself in the unforgiving streets of New York City as a budding musician with a severe case of stage fright. A series of mean boyfriends—one, a dangerous stalker responsible for Molly’s horrific death—doesn’t help with her insecurity, until she stumbles upon her beloved childhood friend Trent ( Henry Lau ) and falls in love. (Guess what wet-nosed character masterminds the reunion with a paw shake and tail wag?)

Rest assured, there is sufficient amount of cuteness to go around in “Journey,” complete with dutiful canine humor around pooping, face licking, and the perpetual pursuit of food. But while the film engages with the sadness and despair of certain life crises head-on—an unexpected case of terminal illness is especially well-conceived in that regard—it strangely falls short of treating others with the empathy and seriousness they deserve. Written by Cameron, Maya Forbes , Cathryn Michon and Wallace Wolodarsky , the story is outright hostile to Gloria, a paper-thin character whose mourning and alcoholism receives a cruel one-dimensional treatment. A gold-digging ex-girlfriend of Trent suffers in the hands of a similar caricaturized vision. And yet, no one comes to a film like this, where the world is divided into absolute goods and evils, for nuance or subtlety. If you can look behind the flat visuals and prescriptive pleasantries of “Journey,” you might just get on board with its compelling-enough tale of lost souls, found and lifted up by their forever-loyal pooches. On this earth and beyond.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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A Dog's Journey (2019)

Rated PG for thematic content, some peril and rude humor.

120 minutes

Dennis Quaid as Ethan

Betty Gilpin as Gloria

Josh Gad as Bailey (voice)

Abby Ryder Fortson as Young CJ

Marg Helgenberger as Hannah

Kathryn Prescott as CJ

Ian Chen as Young Trent

Daniela Barbosa as Liesl

Jake Manley as Shane

Gail Mancuso

Writer (book)

W. Bruce Cameron
Maya Forbes
Cathryn Michon
Wallace Wolodarsky

Cinematographer

Rogier Stoffers
Robert Komatsu

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A Dog's Journey

Where to Watch

Josh Gad (Bailey) Dennis Quaid (Ethan) Kathryn Prescott (CJ) Marg Helgenberger (Hannah) Betty Gilpin (Gloria) Henry Lau (Trent) Abby Ryder Fortson (Young CJ) Ian Chen (Young Trent) Emma Volk (Toddler CJ) Johnny Galecki (Henry) Jake Manley (Shane) Daniela Barbosa (Liesl) Conrad Coates (Big Joe) Arlene Duncan (Hilda) Kevin Claydon (Barry) Victoria Sanchez (Andi) Cherissa Richards (Joan) Shiong-En Chan (Trent's Mother)

Gail Mancuso

A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.

More about A Dog's Journey

<i>A Dog’s Journey</i> is weapons-grade tearjerker material for dog lovers

A Dog’s Journey is weapons-grade tearjerker material for dog lovers

No one likes to see a dog die. In fact, most people are so averse to even fictional depictions of canine mortality …

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‘a dog’s journey’: film review.

In 'A Dog's Journey,' a sequel to 'A Dog's Purpose,' Kathryn Prescott joins the ensemble as a troubled young woman whom Bailey, the frequently reincarnated canine, keeps coming back to help.

By Leslie Felperin

Leslie Felperin

Contributing Film Critic

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Centered on the soul of a loyal mutt (amiably voiced by Josh Gad ) who has the spiritual equivalent of a season ticket that keeps sending him back to earth after several deaths, A Dog’s Purpose and now its sequel, A Dog’s Journey, serve up a sugar-coated, bastardized form of Buddhism for pet lovers. They’re easy films to sneer and snark at, especially given that both, and the first one especially, trade in a certain kind of wholesome, backlit, wheat-field-swathed image of America (actually shot in Manitoba, Canada).

Even worse, both films are ruthlessly efficient when it comes to jerking tears. Some prideful viewers are likely to feel resentful over how well the pain of losing a beloved animal companion is evoked. The tools are nothing more complicated than a likable cast (that goes for the dog and human actors); competent direction (Gail Mancuso, who oversaw episodes of Modern Family and Gilmore Girls , takes charge of the leash in Journey from Purpose ‘s Lasse Halstrom); a surging score by Mark Isham to punch up the plangency; and some corny but hugely relatable plot devices. Ivan Pavlov himself (the original guy who taught dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell) would be impressed.

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DVD & Streaming

A Dog’s Journey

Comedy , Drama , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

May 17, 2019
Voice of Josh Gad as Bailey the dog; Kathryn Prescott as C.J.; Betty Gilpin as Gloria; Marg Helgenberger as Hannah; Dennis Quaid as Ethan; Henry Lau as Trent

Home Release Date

August 20, 2019
Gail Mancuso

Distributor

Universal Pictures

Movie Review

As Bailey sits in the kitchen, in his favorite spot by his favorite chair, the aging St. Bernard can’t help but think that life is good on his little farm. His boy, Ethan, well, isn’t quite a boy anymore. And his girl, Hannah, isn’t so girlish either. But that’s OK. There’s still sunshine to lie in, chores to help with, golden fields to romp through and a purpose to fulfill. Oh, and … bacon.

Yeah, bacon is definitely good.

And that’s why the littlest member of their pack, C.J., is one of Bailey’s favorites. That toddling girl is good at playing and snuggling. But she’s great at bacon. All Bailey has to do is wait by her chair at meal times, like now, and any number of treats will drop to the floor and into his domain. Yum. Good C.J.

Now C.J.’s mother, Gloria, isn’t so much fun. Or good. Or nice, even. But since she’s the one who brought CJ into the pack, everything else is forgiven.

Maybe it’s the fact that Gloria sleeps so long or talks endlessly into that tiny box in her hand. Maybe that’s what keeps her so unhappy. Maybe it’s that stuff she drinks that makes her smell funny most of the time. Or maybe it’s that Ethan and Hannah’s son hasn’t come home. He has been gone a long time it seems. (Of course, time is something a dog like Bailey doesn’t really understand very well.) It’s probably bacon. Gloria just needs more bacon. She ought to spend more time around C.J.

Bailey would share.

As Bailey sits and looks lovingly on, though, he can sense that things aren’t so good for the humans he protects and loves. And that feeling is soon proved out as Gloria starts to yell and begins to wave her arms anxiously and grabs C.J. out of her chair.

Then, before you know it, Gloria and little C.J. leave. And this leaves Ethan and Hannah so very sad. Bailey can sense their sorrow as plainly as he can remember the taste of bacon he’s no longer eating.

But soon, Bailey gets sick with a strange lump in his belly. And before Ethan can say, “Good boy, Boss Dog,” things have gotten worse. The lump hurts. Bailey isn’t hungry, even for bacon, anymore. He’s pretty sure that he’ll be leaving soon, too.

Ethan holds Bailey’s head and looks lovingly into his eyes and says nice, soothing things as the doctor lady sticks him with a small, sharp needle. And his time—that thing that dogs know so little of—runs out. “If you come back. You look out for our C.J. You hear me?” Ethan says as he strokes Bailey’s fur.

Bailey understands completely.

You see, this isn’t the first time Bailey has had to leave. He’s left and come back many times before in the form of one canine or another. He always returns and seeks after his purpose. But now, Bailey has a new purpose, a new goal.

Bailey will come back. He’ll come back for little C.J., whatever that takes. He’ll protect her. He’ll help her.

That’s his purpose now. And guiding C.J. as she grows up will be a remarkable journey for both of them.

Positive Elements

One of the biggest positives in this film is Ethan and Hannah’s loving relationship. It’s not that they don’t have their share of worry or disappointment and pain in life. They do. But throughout all of those many ups and downs, they display a consistent love and support for each other and for their family members. They even make repeated attempts to reach out to their estranged daughter-in-law, Gloria, after she leaves with little C.J.

That kind of unconditional consistency is very much a part of Bailey’s character, too. “Loving people is my purpose,” the beloved dog declares, voicing his narrator-like internal monologue throughout the film. He even wants the best for unlikeable people, wishing that Gloria might find a dog someday. “She needs love,” he opines—accurately. And the film likewise emphasizes that intention to see the best in others, to love and be loved, as valued aspirations for dogs and humans alike.

Through most of the film, Gloria is in desperate need of that loving lesson. She makes a number of self-destructive choices that drive an adult C.J. away. But eventually, Gloria comes to understand her failings and takes steps to clean up her life and to reconcile with her daughter.

C.J.’s long-lasting relationship with a friend named Trent is also a great representation of self-sacrificial love and consistency. At different stages, these two both step forward to support and care for each other, through sickness, health and ongoing storms in their respective lives.

There are certainly sad moments here as both beloved pets and beloved people pass away . But through those painful losses, the film gently reminds us that grief is a natural part of life—especially when you love someone. Loss is something we must face, embrace and learn from, it tells us.

Spiritual Elements

This film gently hints at a heaven and a reunion with loved ones after death. The spiritual message here isn’t well defined, but at the end of the film, in the doggy hero’s apparent last passing, Bailey runs to join a loving human who’s waiting for him in an open golden field, representing paradise.

Before that final passing, though, Bailey comes back over and over again, reborn repeatedly into the bodies of different kinds of dogs. Each rebirth is prefaced with him running through that golden field of grass. Bailey’s consciousness, however, is always the same, and he retains memories from previous existences.

How that rebirthing process works or what it means is never explored. What’s more, it’s never hinted at or insinuated that humans might have those same rebirthing experiences. In fact, Bailey’s meeting with a deceased beloved human in that heavenly field, would suggest just the opposite.

Sexual Content

Gloria wears a few cleavage-baring outfits. And while C.J. is only a young girl of 11, Gloria leaves her on her own as she heads out on late-night dates. In one case we see that she has brought the guy back home, and that he’s apparently slept over. Another brief relationship implies that a guy has moved in with Gloria. And later, a twentysomething C.J. is living with her boyfriend, though we never see them in any intimate moments.

After Bailey gets reincarnated the first time, he recognizes that he is now a girl puppy (played in a humorous way). We see couples kissing, something Bailey repeatedly describes as people “licking each other.”

Violent Content

We see various incarnations of Baily’s doggy selves die on several occasions. Once, it’s from cancer: he winces and comments about the pain he feels, and his painful decline prompts Ethan to (mournfully) have their vet put him to sleep. In another life, Baily and a teen C.J. are in a car chase that ends with C.J.’s vehicle being purposely rear-ended by another vehicle. Their car crashes and flips, and Bailey is critically injured (though bloodlessly so).

A toddler C.J. wanders into a horse paddock and is in danger of being stomped by a rearing horse before she’s saved by Bailey and Ethan. As both a teen and an adult, C.J. is grabbed roughly by two different guys. In the earlier incident, her shirt is ripped and it appears she might be physically harmed (or perhaps sexually assaulted) before Bailey bites the guy’s leg so that C.J. can pull away and run off.

One of Bailey’s incarnations is a small dog that tends to bite peoples finger’s to keep them at bay.

Crude or Profane Language

We hear one clearly voiced “oh god” as well as another potentially unfinished usage of that profanity. Characters also exclaim “oh my gosh” a couple of times. Trent mentions that his father got angry about something and did a lot of “swearing in Mandarin.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Gloria drinks heavily, repeatedly downing multiple glasses of chardonnay before and after leaving her 11-year-old daughter to fend for herself. We see her quite drunk in one scene and passed out in another, and it’s obvious that her relationships with her boyfriends are all alcohol related. A sleepover boyfriend fixes drinks for breakfast, for instance, etc. In fact, a teen C.J. reports that her mom is “drunk half the time.” And Gloria justifies her inebriated choices as being something that’s perfectly acceptable for an adult.

Eventually, though, Gloria assesses all that her choices have caused her to lose—including a relationship with C.J.—and she takes steps to get sober and fix her broken life.

In spite of her experience with her mom, C.J. agrees to go to a party with a boy she likes. The house is full of underage people drinking beer. The guy tries to coax her into drinking as well, but she’s not at all interested and is very uncomfortable being at the party. We also witness the sale of some kind of illicit drug at the party, a transaction that C.J.’s boyfriend is a part of. Before C.J. can leave the party, the police raid it and arrest her.

As mentioned, a veterinarian injects Bailey, who’s suffering from the growth of a tumor, with a chemical to put the animal to sleep.

Other Negative Elements

Plenty of dog-centric giggles involve backside sniffing, doggy destruction of property, dogs peeing and defecating on things.

Gloria repeatedly illustrates what a bad mom looks like: abandoning, emotionally abusing and even stealing from her daughter.

Like its predecessor, A Dog’s Purpose , this tear-jerking flick avoids nasty content as determinedly as the average mutt scorns a bath. In fact, this canine sequel is unquestionably of the same breed and straight out of the same litter as the original.

That being so, the story’s unexplained doggy reincarnation is likely the biggest issue that parents of faith will have to navigate with little viewers. Some critics have dog-tagged that pup-to-pup soul transfer as “Buddhism for beginners,” but this aspect of the film is actually handled in a pretty non-theological way: It’s simply used as a plot device to help move a somewhat nonsensical tale forward. In addition, the movie’s depiction of heaven as a dreamy golden field of grass could be a great way to talk to kids about what Christian families actually believe when it comes to the things of life, death and the afterlife.

Other than that, there’s a bit of car-crash peril, a struggle with alcoholism, an attempted assault and the sad deaths of both human and canine characters. It’s the sort of unsettling stuff that could ruffle the fur of the youngest dog lovers in your pack.

But if you can make it past those relatively minor barks and growls, you’ll find a warm story here. It not only speaks of the bonds between people and their pets, but it also takes the time to deal with very real issues of bereavement, brokenness, addiction, reconciliation and family commitment.

A Dog’s Journey is a sweet, loving and endearing pic. And it will certainly make you smile a little bigger when you get back home to your own joyous, tail-wagging buddy.

Like Bailey, we can make a strong commitment to love our family well and to help them through the ups and downs. For some ways to add a bit more bark or a little wag to your family, check out these Focus on the Family resources:

Building Family Identity

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Score One for the Family

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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'A Dog's Journey' Review: Another Syrupy Tale of Canine Reincarnation

You know things are bad for women in Hollywood when there’s one female dog featured in canine cutefest “A Dog’s Journey,” and it still gets to be voiced by Josh Gad. That is, admittedly, an unavoidable consequence of this family franchise’s curious Buddhism-for-beginners premise: the idea that one mind and soul can be carried through the bodies of multiple mutts over the course of eternity, with Gad as our perky spiritual ferry through repeated rounds of Rover reincarnation. As if to compensate, Gail Mancuso ‘s blandly agreeable sequel to the boy-focused 2017 hit “A Dog’s Purpose” reorients its human narrative around a young woman’s troubled road to love and self-fulfilment — via the trusty companionship of various devoted pups.

That aside, fans of the first film will be delighted to find the formula pretty much untweaked, with a steady stream of corn-syrup sentiment binding what would otherwise amount to a feature-length montage of adorable doggy reaction GIFs. Like the first film — which grossed over $200 million worldwide despite early controversy over on-set animal treatment — “A Dog’s Journey” largely succeeds in spite of its own ickiest instincts. Even as its storytelling hovers on the border between capable and risible, the film knows exactly which dog-lover buttons to push, particularly those nearest the tear ducts. Replacing “Purpose” director Lasse Hallström (who retains an executive producer credit) to make a rather anonymous debut feature, Emmy-winning TV veteran Mancuso (“Modern Family,” “Roseanne”) offers less prettified styling and more sitcom-style beats. Commercially, it should bark up equivalent numbers to its predecessor.

Once more drawn from a novel by W. Bruce Cameron — who has a hand in the screenplay, along with three other writers — the new film picks up more or less where the previous one left off, with Bailey, a regal St. Bernard-Australian Shepherd cross, living out his golden years on an idyllic Michigan farm with doting master Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ) and his wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). New to the family are Gloria (Betty Gilpin, fresh from her breakout in TV’s “Glow”), the (gasp) dog-agnostic widow of Hannah’s late son, and her infant daughter CJ, whose future upbringing is a bone of contention between Gloria and her oppressively wholesome in-laws. When Gloria finally leaves, whisking CJ off to Chicago, Bailey dies not long after: In the dog’s final moments, and certainly the film’s most unabashedly weepy scene, Ethan orders its wandering spirit to look after his granddaughter.

While this franchise steers clear of any clear political affiliation, conservative family values predominate: Single motherhood, in particular, gets an unfortunate bad rap as Gloria, having turned her back on Ethan and Hannah’s heartland haven, swiftly turns into an abusive, daytime-drinking harpy. Good thing Bailey — now in the guise of eager beagle Molly — is on hand to help 11-year-old CJ through her adolescent years, complete with bad boyfriend trouble, burgeoning singer-songwriter ambitions and the steadfast support of best friend Trent (played as a child by Ian Chen, and later by K-pop heartthrob Henry Lau). (He loves dogs himself, just in case it weren’t entirely clear that he’s The One.)

After finishing school and falling out with her mom, it’s off to New York City for CJ, now played by appealing Brit actress Kathryn Prescott, of “Skins” fame. There, a different Bailey carrier — feisty Yorkshire terrier Max — sees her through assorted personal crises, all while nudging proceedings toward their plain-as-day, home-sweet-home conclusion. Along the way, the rather cluttered script goes through some high-stakes narrative pivots that subsequently leave almost no mark at all: A sudden, momentary shift into stalker-thriller territory is jarring, while the brisk introduction and resolution of a whole cancer subplot in ten minutes flat must be some kind of industry record.

Still, these are the few adult-oriented elements of Cameron’s novel that have survived the stringently PG-minded adaptation; darker, more intriguing themes of suicide and eating disorders have been shed like a dog’s winter coat. After all, it’d be hard to write pooch-perspective wisecracks about such matters, and harder still for Gad to deliver them in his constant, mollifying tone of aw-shucks optimism. Cameron’s books may not have been for children, but their film versions know on which side their doggy biscuits are buttered. That’s probably for the best, given the overall glibness of the human drama here, though Gilpin deserves credit for trying to carve some emotional complexities into her lightly drawn villain.

Otherwise, the bounding canine ensemble takes the prize for, well, best in show: The endless quips about bacon and butt-sniffing may wear thin, but it’s hard to take no joy in a film that treats a jowly boerboel chasing after a receding car much like a melodrama heroine left yearning on a train platform, as Mark Isham’s thick, stringtastic score slobbers away in the background. One wishes the film were a bit more inventive with its dog’s-eye view: the odd ground-level action shot aside, there isn’t much to cinematically suggest how animals see the world differently. (Surely a sequence that places one of Bailey’s incarnations in a recovery cone is crying out for a POV-based visual gag.) Mostly, however, “A Dog’s Journey” is content simply to point out how our furry friends are so like us — or, at the very least, a lot like Josh Gad.

Reviewed at Cineworld Wood Green, London, May 4, 2019. Running time: 108 MIN.

Production: A Universal Pictures release of an Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment presentation of a Pariah production in an association with Alibaba Pictures Group, Walden Media. Producer: Gavin Polone. Executive producers: Seth William Meier, Lasse Hallström, Luyuan Fan, Wei Zhang. Co-producers: Holly Bario, Ian Dimerman.
Crew: Director: Gail Mancuso. Screenplay: W. Bruce Cameron, Maya Forbes, Cathryn Michon, Wallace Wolodarsky, adapted from the novel by Cameron. Camera (color, widescreen): Rogier Stoffers. Editor: Robert Komatsu. Music: Mark Isham.
With: Josh Gad (voice), Kathryn Prescott, Betty Gilpin, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger , Abby Ryder Fortson, Henry Lau, Ian Chen, Conrad Coates, Jake Manley, Daniela Barbosa, Kevin Claydon.

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A Dog's Journey

2019, Kids & family/Comedy, 1h 48m

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Critics Consensus

A Dog's Journey is as sentimental as one might expect, but even cynical viewers may find their ability to resist shedding a tear stretched to the puppermost limit. Read critic reviews

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A dog's journey videos, a dog's journey photos.

Bailey is living the good life on the Michigan farm of his boy, Ethan and Ethan's wife Hannah. He even has a new playmate: Ethan and Hannah's baby granddaughter, CJ. The problem is that CJ's mom, Gloria, decides to take CJ away. As Bailey's soul prepares to leave this life for a new one, he makes a promise to Ethan to find CJ and protect her at any cost. Thus begins Bailey's adventure through many lives filled with love, friendship, and devotion.

Rating: PG (Some Peril|Rude Humor|Thematic Content)

Genre: Kids & family, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Adventure

Original Language: English

Director: Gail Mancuso

Producer: Gavin Polone

Writer: W. Bruce Cameron , Cathryn Michon , Maya Forbes , Wallace Wolodarsky

Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 2019 wide

Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2019

Box Office (Gross USA): $22.5M

Runtime: 1h 48m

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Production Co: Pariah, Walden Media, Alibaba Pictures Group

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Bailey Voice

Kathryn Prescott

Betty Gilpin

Dennis Quaid

Marg Helgenberger

Abby Ryder Fortson

Young Trent

Conrad Coates

Jake Manley

Daniela Barbosa

Kevin Claydon

Johnny Galecki

Gail Mancuso

W. Bruce Cameron

Screenwriter

Cathryn Michon

Maya Forbes

Wallace Wolodarsky

Gavin Polone

Seth William Meier

Executive Producer

Lasse Hallström

Rogier Stoffers

Cinematographer

Robert Komatsu

Film Editing

Original Music

Eric Fraser

Production Design

Patti Henderson

Costume Design

John Papsidera

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A Dog’s Journey Review: Live, Die, Repeat… Like a Boss

There isn’t much to say about any of the adaptations of W. Bruce Cameron’s series of books about the trials and tribulations that canines have on the human spirit. You know what you are going to get when walking into your local Cineplex when you watch the thing; you are going to be manipulated with a heavy hand that will be spread thicker than Jiffy. Though, when it comes to movies about dogs (and those glorious 90 seconds in Mulholland Drive ), I’m only a man, and a weak one at that. By the time A Dog’s Journey ‘s credits began to roll, I had already overdosed on cuteness.

A Dog’s Journey is a sequel to the surprise mild hit, 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose , with Dennis Quaid reprising his role as Ethan Montgomery. Josh Gad is back and plays his Boss-Dog, which is the voice of Bailey (and the subsequent reincarnations), an older St. Bernard who loves his owner and his wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). Bailey now looks over their grandchild, CJ, like his little sister, a new addition to their clan. CJ’s mother, Gloria ( GLOW’s Betty Gilpin), the widow of Ethan and Hannah’s son, is struggling with life without him and doesn’t seem to appreciate that her in-laws have taken them in with open arms because that’s what family does.

The film was directed by Gail Mancuso ( Gilmore Girls, 30 Rock, Modern Family ), a notable Emmy-winning television director. Her film is the best in the series, including A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Way Home . That doesn’t mean the movie is setting the family film genre on fire; it doesn’t. Especially when you combine the shameless manipulation that’s more saccharine than Splenda, this film will be trampled on by the snobby mob social media mentality types (cough, Film Twitter, cough) that is spread like a disease. This film isn’t meant for them; it is intended for family audiences, parents to get their kids out of the heat with no pool insight and/or to relax then forget about the world for an hour or two. In short, not all entertainment has to be an art form.

The cuteness overload continues the same formula as the original; different reincarnations bring us several adorable dog breeds. Besides Beethoven’s love child Baily, you get a cute female Beagle named Molly, a slobbery Mastiff who is a big ball of joy named Big Dog. Then there’s Max, an aggressive, ankle-biting Yorkshire Terrier who might have been Chris Harrison in another life. This all is a gluttony buffet of canine proportions.

The ace up its sleeve is Dennis Quaid, a self-assured star who can be put in most any supporting role. Josh Gad might not exhibit Bryce Dallas Howard’s childlike wonderment in Purpose , but his impeccable comic timing does serve the film well here. Kathryn Prescott does a fine job carrying the back end of the film as the adult CJ. While I usually love Betty Gilpin, I found her performance as an alcohol-soaked washout over the top here. However, Henry Lau wins the booby prize here as CJ’s best friend and potential love interest.

When it is all said and done , A Dog’s Journey ‘s “Live Die Repeat” narrative structure is just like the original but told with an approach that is not as ham-fisted as other chapters in the series. The film, if anything, is a pleasant way to spend 90 minutes with the family or yourself, but is only worth rental prices or if you can sneak in all your refreshments and a bag of your popcorn.

Article by Marc Miller

Marc Miller (also known as M.N. Miller) joined Ready Steady Cut in April 2018 as a Film and TV Critic, publishing over 1,600 articles on the website. Since a young age, Marc dreamed of becoming a legitimate critic and having that famous “Rotten Tomato” approved status – in 2023, he achieved that status.

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Meet the dog thespians of 'A Dog's Journey,' a mutt method-acting masterclass

Spoiler alert! What follows reveals key plot points in "A Dog's Journey," though not the ending. You might want to see the movie before reading.

The pooch ensemble in "A Dog's Journey" (in theaters Friday) has serious acting chops.

These skills are required in the saga, a continuation of 2017's "A Dog's Purpose," which follows the spirit of Bailey as he's reincarnated into pup after pup (all voiced by Josh Gad ) before eventually passing to heaven.

The circle of life requires the full spectrum of canine emotion – from cuddly to consequential. Director Gail Mancuso, who has five dogs of her own, pulls Oscar-worthy performances from her canine thespians in a movie where there's a pooch in every scene.

For your consideration, we present the leading contenders:

Buddy brought the beautiful heartbreak early.

Boss dog Buddy (a Great Pyrenees/Bernese Mountain dog mix) was played by three lookalike dogs, but mainly Odin, the film's primary star.

Odin was tasked with dying in the lap of Buddy's beloved owner Ethan (Dennis Quaid), which happens early in the film. It was already a Kleenex moment before Odin lifted his head for a final, soulful look into Quaid's eyes and faded. "That look was pure magic," Mancuso says. "That moment resonated with me, as I have experienced my own dog looking at me during our goodbye. It's a special bond."

'A Dog's Way Home': How Shelby went from junkyard stray to Hollywood star

Molly was more than adorable energy.

The energetic Molly, who steps in to support the movie's human heroine CJ when her mom moves her away, was played by two Beagliers (a beagle crossed with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel). Lead dog Lemy showed parkour skills, bounding through backyard obstacles (down stairs, over a gate) to jump into young CJ's arms (played by Abby Ryder Fortson). "And then started licking my face all over," Fortson says.

But Lemy had to get tough later and "bite" the leg of the film's villain (Jake Manley). Dog trainer Bonnie Judd first taught Lemy to tug with a toy, then placed a pouch of meat in Manley's pant leg. "It's kind of like a pinata," Judd says. "The more they go at it, the more they get."

Firefighter says goodbye to rescue dog in viral post: Dog owners can relate because pets are family

Parting is such sweet sorrow for Big Dog.

Big Dog, played by an African Boerboel named Phil, has a small role, portraying a chance meeting with his spiritual owner CJ, now an adult played by Kathryn Prescott, in a roadside store. Phil hit his marks, and gave a hearty paw-shake. But the soulful-eyed dog hit dramatic paydirt when he bid farewell forever to CJ.

"When he's saying goodbye as he's leaving, it's so sad that it made me cry," Prescott says.

Related: The 25 most heroic dogs in America

Buddy and an adorable toddler make giddy magic.

Emma Volk was 2 when she shot her screen debut as Buddy's kid friend (and Ethan's granddaughter) in "A Dog's Journey." But her giggling chemistry with Odin's Buddy is magic, with dog and toddler clearly happy together in a way that goes beyond acting. "Emma just really loved the big brute, and it looks natural," Judd says.

Max's exit scene was tough even for the dog actor.

Rescue dog Max, CJ's adulthood dog, was played by four Biewer terriers. Belle, the character's primary actor, was so invested in her death scene, she had trouble letting Prescott's CJ tearfully sing to her.

"The first time, Belle really wanted to kiss her tears away, but after that she kept her head down and closed her eyes each time," Judd says. "It's a tough scene for any dog but Belle was still a super-hyper puppy. Yet she did exactly as I asked over and over again. On each cut, she would quickly kiss CJ and play."

clock This article was published more than 4 years ago

‘A Dog’s Journey’ will make you cry, but it does not earn those tears

“A Dog’s Journey” tries to prove that it’s possible to make an uplifting movie in which a dog dies — repeatedly. That’s not a spoiler; it’s literally the plot of the film.

“Journey” rests on the same conceit as its 2017 predecessor, “A Dog’s Purpose.” In both films, based on best-selling books by W. Bruce Cameron, a dog named Bailey (voice of Josh Gad) gets repeatedly reincarnated, each time to protect someone important. The previous film focused on a character named Ethan. Now it’s Ethan’s granddaughter, C.J. (Kathryn Prescott.)

We first meet her as a toddler (Emma Volk), living with her grandparents (Dennis Quaid and Marg Helgenberger), whose son was killed in a car accident before C.J. was born. The son’s widow, Gloria (Betty Gilpin), lives with her daughter C.J. — rather tensely — on the family farm. When a major conflict arises, Gloria and C.J. head to Chicago, where Gloria is planning to pursue a singing career. Through the course of four lifetimes and various dog breeds and genders, Bailey is always there to protect C.J. from danger, including a less than desirable home life and abusive boyfriends.

There’s nothing wrong with a good cry at the movies. But a bad cry is emotionally manipulative and, well, just mean. “A Dog’s Journey” is the latter.

Because the story belongs to Bailey, we have to watch him die, over and over. At these moments, it feels like the entire film is structured to get the audience from one death to another. Although there are some very nice scenes between Gloria and the adult C.J. (as well as with the tween version, played by Abby Ryder Fortson), how can we appreciate them if there’s always this looming sense of doom? Is it even possible to enjoy Gad’s charming performance while we’re waiting for the next time Bailey goes to doggy heaven — a place that looks like the field Russell Crowe glowered over in “Gladiator”?

A movie should earn our tears. And it does that by giving us complex characters to whom we can relate. It doesn’t have to take long: “Up” did it in a near-silent opening montage that covered the span of a married life in just minutes. Here, nearly all the characters are underwritten. When it comes to Gloria, it’s just vicious. Gilpin manages to add some nuance in early scenes, where it’s clear that her anger and selfishness come from grief at the loss of her husband. But eventually, the script falls back on an old trope: she’s a bad mother because she drinks wine (admittedly too much), wears leather pants and has her own headshots hanging on the wall.

There are laughs; many of them come from the fact that dogs sniff rear ends and relieve themselves in inappropriate places. Cleverer moments show up from time to time, though they’re few and far between.

“A Dog’s Journey” plays on one of the rawest nerves humans have: the one triggered by our bond with dogs. (If you want to add tension to any scene, just put a dog in jeopardy). The love we share with our canine companions is one of the simplest emotions there is, and to build an entire film around manipulating that love is lazy storytelling. If you want to cry at the movies, “A Dog’s Journey” will achieve that. If you want to have a satisfactory cry — one that comes from empathy and not cheap emotional manipulation — stay home and watch “Up.”

PG. At area theaters. Contains mature thematic elements, some peril, rude humor, drinking and minor drug use. 108 minutes.

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Here Are All the Ways the Dog Dies—and Almost Dies—in A Dog’s Journey

If you saw A Dog’s Purpose two years ago, then you already have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting into with the movie’s new sequel: the corny dialogue, the contrived plot, the butt-clenching sense of dread …

Oh, what’s that? You thought A Dog’s Purpose was supposed to be an uplifting, family-friendly adventure, not a horror movie? Allow me to refresh your memory, then. The premise of A Dog’s Purpose is that a dog named Bailey is reincarnated over and over, in an endless cycle of suffering, while trying to figure out his reason for living. Inspiring? Perhaps. But this dog also dies so many times over the course of those two hours —from old age, euthanasia, even a gunshot wound—that dog lovers in the audience can only live in fear of what will kill Bailey next.

This vicious cycle continues into A Dog’s Journey , where this time Bailey’s mission is to protect CJ, the perpetually imperiled granddaughter of his most beloved owner from the first movie, Ethan. This proves just as harrowing as the events of the original, so if you’re going to subject yourself to this, you may want to read up on all the ways that Bailey dies (or very nearly dies), so you can be sure you’re up for every agonizing moment.

All the Ways the Dog Dies

1. The first dog, a St. Bernard/Australian shepherd mix named Bailey, is the same dog who survived the end of A Dog’s Purpose . He is euthanized in the barn by a vet after Ethan finds a lump on his belly.

2. The second dog, a beagle named Molly, dies after CJ’s no-good ex-boyfriend runs her car off the road, causing it to flip over. There’s no blood, but Molly doesn’t exactly die instantly, either.

3. The third dog, a droopy mastiff named Big Dog, wanders into a patch of forest to die of old age out of the sight of his owner, Joe.

4. The fourth dog, a Biewer Yorkshire terrier named Max, dies of natural causes surrounded by his loving family, finally having fulfilled his purpose.

Near-Death Experiences That the Dog Survives

1. Bailey (the St. Bernard/Australian shepherd mix) is almost kicked by an ornery horse.

2. A wheezing voice-over warns that when CJ hugs Molly (the beagle), she squeezes a little too tight, which had me worried that the dog might suffocate in her overeager owner’s arms.

3. When teenage CJ is arrested at a party where alcohol is being served, Molly gets sent to doggy jail, and I was paranoid that she might be euthanized as a result.

4. Big Dog (the mastiff) runs into the street to chase after CJ’s car. Thankfully, it’s an empty street.

5. Max (the Yorkie) easily has the most near-death experiences in the movie. The first is when he races into a busy New York City street while chasing CJ and a truck drives right over him—but he’s so small that the vehicle clears him, with Max passing narrowly between the tires.

6. Max rushes into an elevator, where his leash gets caught in the doors as the elevator begins ascending, nearly strangling him.

7. A dog rescue worker tells CJ that Max is scheduled to be euthanized the next day if he’s not adopted.

8. Max is part of a gang of dogs that are so much larger than he is I feared one might step on him.

9. Max develops a mysterious itch on his leg, which, given the earlier belly lump, was ominous enough to make the lady in the seat in front of me say, “Uh-oh.”

'A Dog's Journey' Review: It Sure Is Ruff To Sit Through This Tearjerker

We don't deserve dogs. Lovable, loyal companions that want nothing more than to be by our side (and eat our food), dogs are too good for this cruel, stupid world. While we don't deserve dogs, dogs definitely don't deserve movies like A Dog's Journey , the weepy, manipulative, upsetting sequel to the surprise hit A Dog's Purpose . Once again, audiences will be forced to watch dog after dog roll over and play dead, all in the name of telling some sort of half-assed spiritual story about reincarnation. Are the pups on screen cute? They sure are. Is that enough to make this movie worth seeing? Absolutely not.

I love dogs, and I love seeing dogs in movies. One thing I don't love, though, is watching those movie dogs die. For instance: if there happens to be a dog in a horror movie, and said canine meets an untimely end, I get very upset. That same movie could be filled with countless scenes of humans getting murdered in gruesome ways, and I won't even flinch. Kill a dog , though? Then we've got problems.

Which probably means a movie like A Dog's Journey is not for me. Because this is nothing but dogs dying. Okay, yes, other things happen too. But the general set-up dictates that the dogs on display have to get bumped-off to further the plot. In the previous film, A Dog's Purpose , audiences met Bailey, voiced with persistent cheeriness by Josh Gad . Bailey spent that movie dying, over and over again, only to be reincarnated in another dog body. The story ended when Bailey caught back up with his original owner Ethan, who had grown from a boy into an adult, played by Dennis Quaid .

At the start of A Dog's Purpose , Bailey is living the good life on Ethan's farm. Ethan is a real salt of the earth guy, seemingly always wearing work gloves or trucker caps, or always leaning against picket fences or tractors. These early moments are cheerful enough, but don't get used to them – misery awaits. Gloria ( Betty Gilpin ), daughter-in-law to Ethan's wife Hannah ( Marg Helgenberger ), is living on the farm as well, along with her daughter, Ethan and Hannah's granddaughter, toddler CJ. The grandparents dote on CJ, but are constantly butting heads with Gloria. After a particularly pointless argument, Gloria whisks CJ away, which upsets Ethan and Hannah. As if that weren't bad enough, Ethan almost immediately notices a lump in poor Bailey.

It turns out the dog has cancer, and has to be put down in a scene that made me immediately want to leave the theater. We're not even a full half-hour in yet, and a dog is already getting put to sleep on screen. "I remember this from before...," Bailey narrates while being killed. "A tiny sting...And then my pain melted away..." The implications are nightmarish. Not only does Bailey have to die again and again, but he also remembers each death.

Before Bailey slips off to doggy heaven, which is presented as the type of big, sprawling wheat field that would make Terrence Malick salivate like a dog catching a whiff of bacon, Ethan rather selfishly asks the dying Bailey dog a favor: look after CJ. You see, Ethan is aware that Bailey can come back from the dead over and over again, and he just knows that the dog will end up in a new body and protect his granddaughter.

And that's what happens.

Ethan's request is like a binding contract. Bailey can't enjoy the afterlife as long as he has a mission (or a purpose, if you will), and that mission is to find and protect CJ. Which means Bailey is quickly whisked out of dog heaven and into a new body, that of a female dog named Molly (Gad still does the voice over for this dog, and gets to immediately make a joke about how he notices this new body doesn't have a penis). Sure enough, Bailey quickly finds a slightly older CJ, and ends up going home with her. This sets up a repetitive chain of events: Bailey's new dog body eventually dies, and then Bailey comes back again to find CJ. Each time he returns, CJ is a little older.

As far as set-ups go, this isn't a terrible idea. At the very least, it's a clever way to jump through time in order to further the story. But the act of watching one dog after another meet its demise begins to wear on you, to the point where you're not sure how much more dog death you can take. It doesn't help that all the human drama isn't very interesting. CJ's storylines fail to connect – we simply don't care about her, even though Kathryn Prescott – who plays CJ in her final form – does her best. Everyone here is doing their best, I suppose – but they have nothing to work with. Poor Betty Gilpin , so wonderful on GLOW , is stuck playing a generic mom from hell. How do we know she's a bad mom? Because she's either always on the phone or chugging white wine, that's how. Not even the usually dependable Quaid can rise above this maudlin junk.

Gail Mancuso 's direction is fit for the Hallmark Channel, and the twinkly, stirring score from Mark Isham and Emily Bear is tailor-made to pull on your heartstrings and your tear ducts. None of this is great, but can we really fault A Dog's Journey for it? After all, this is exactly what the film is trying to do. It wants to manipulate its viewers into crying fits, and on that front, it succeeds (despite my distaste for the movie, I'll admit I wept several times).

If you're hoping to spend almost two hours looking at some very cute, funny, entertaining dogs, I suppose A Dog's Journey will do the trick. But this is one reviewer who definitely isn't sitting up and begging for more sequels.

/Film Rating: 5 out of 10

StringersHub

Disabled owner's dogs show remarkable loyalty in Manila, Philippines

Posted: April 1, 2024 | Last updated: April 1, 2024

This footage was filmed and produced 25 March 2024. On March 25, 2024, in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, a heartwarming scene unfolded as captured in a video shared by @hustinaaaaa_. The footage showcased two dogs faithfully trailing their disabled owner, who was navigating the streets in a wheelchair. The caption accompanying the video highlighted the owner's compassionate care for the dogs despite their disabilities

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Hamas Took Her, and Still Has Her Husband

The story of one family at the center of the war in gaza..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

I can’t remember the word, but do you know the kind of fungi connection between trees in the forest? How do you call it?

Mycelium. We are just — I just somehow feel that we are connected by this kind of infinite web of mycelium. We are so bound together. And I don’t think we really realized that until all this happened.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

It’s quite hard to explain, to me in a sense, because some people would say, oh, I’m so hoping your father will come, and then everything will be OK. And it’s very hard to explain that really this group of people decided to bring us up together, shared all their resources over 75 years, grow into each other, fight endlessly with each other, love and hate each other but somehow stay together. And their children will then meet and marry and make grandchildren.

And there’s so many levels of connection. And I’m sitting here in the room, and I see their faces, some of them. And we are incredibly — it’s hard to explain how much these people are missing from our kind of forest ground. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

From “The New York Times,” I’m Sabrina Tavernise, and this is “The Daily.”

It’s been nearly six months since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and took more than 200 people into Gaza. One of the hardest hit places was a village called Nir Oz, near the border with Gaza. One quarter of its residents were either killed or taken hostage.

Yocheved Lifshitz was one of those hostages and so was her husband, Oded Lifshitz. Yocheved was eventually released. Oded was not.

Today, the story of one family at the center of the war.

It’s Friday, March 29.

OK, here we go. OK.

Good morning, Yocheved. Good morning, Sharone.

Good morning.

Yocheved, could you identify yourself for me, please? Tell me your name, your age and where you’re from.

[SPEAKING HEBREW]

OK, I’ll translate. My name is Yocheved Lifshitz. I’m 85 years old. I was born in 1938. When I was 18, I arrived at kibbutz Nir Oz. I came alone with a group of people who decided to come and form and build a community on a very sandy territory, which was close to the Gaza Strip.

And my name is Sharone Lifschitz. I am 52 years old. I was raised in kibbutz Nir Oz by my mom and dad. So I lived there until I was 20. And I live for the last 30-something years in London.

And, Sharone, what do you have next to you?

Next to me I have a poster of my dad in both English and Hebrew. And it says, “Oded Lifshitz, 83.” And below that it says, “Bring him home now.” And it’s a photo where I always feel the love because he is looking at me. And there’s a lot of love in it in his eyes.

And why did you want to bring him here today, Sharone?

Because he should be talking himself. He should be here and able to tell his story. And instead, I’m doing it on his behalf. It should have been a story of my mom and dad sitting here and telling their story.

The story of Oded and Yocheved began before they ever met in Poland in the 1930s. Anti-Semitism was surging in Europe, and their families decided to flee to Palestine — Yocheved’s in 1933, the year Hitler came to power, and Oded’s a year later. Yocheved remembers a time near the end of the war, when her father received news from back home in Poland. He was deeply religious, a cantor in a synagogue. And he gathered his family around him to share what he’d learned.

And he said, we don’t have a family anymore. They’ve all been murdered. And he explained to us why there is no God. If there was a God, he would have protected my family. And this means that there is no God.

And suddenly, we stopped going to synagogue. We used to go every Saturday.

So it was a deep crisis for him. The shock and the trauma were very deep.

Abstention.

Abstention. Soviet Union? Yes. Yes. The United Kingdom? Abstained.

Yocheved’s father lived long enough to see a state establish for his children. The UN resolution of 1947 paved the way for a new country for Jews. And the next spring, Israel declared its independence. Yocheved remembers listening to the news on the radio with her parents.

The General Assembly of the United Nations has made its decision on Palestine.

We had a country. So now we’ll have somebody who’s protecting us. It’s a country for the people, to rebuild the people. This was the feeling we had.

In other words, if God could not protect you, this nation maybe could?

Yes. But the next day, it was already sad.

Israel was immediately forced to defend itself when its Arab neighbors attacked. Israel won that war. But its victory came at a great cost to the Palestinian Arabs living there. More than 700,000 either fled or were expelled from their homes. Many became refugees in Gaza in the south.

Suddenly, Yocheved and Oded saw themselves differently from their parents, not as minorities in someone else’s country, but as pioneers in a country of their own, ready to build it and defend it. They moved to the south, near the border line with Gaza. It was there, in a kibbutz, where they met for the first time.

The first time I met him, he was 16, and I was 17. And we didn’t really have this connection happening. But when we arrived at Nir Oz, that’s where some sort of a connection started to happen. And he was younger than I am by a year and a half. So at first I thought, he’s a kid. But for some reason, he insisted. Oded really insisted. And later, turned out he was right.

What was it about him that made you fall in love with him?

He was cute.

He was a cute kid. He was a cute boy.

What’s so funny?

He was a philosopher. He wrote a lot. He worked in agriculture. He was this cute boy. He was only 20, think about it.

And then I married him. And he brought two things with him. He brought a dog and he brought a cactus. And since then we’ve been growing a huge field of cacti for over 64 years.

What did it feel like to be starting a new life together in this new country? What was the feeling of that?

We were euphoric.

And what did you think you were building together?

We thought we were building a kibbutz. We were building a family. We were having babies. That was the vision. And we were thinking that we were building a socialist state, an equal state. And at first, it was a very isolated place. There were only two houses and shacks and a lot of sand. And little by little, we turned that place into a heaven.

Building the new state meant cultivating the land. Oded plowed the fields, planting potatoes and carrots, wheat and cotton. Yocheved was in charge of the turkeys and worked in the kitchen cooking meals for the kibbutz. They believed that the best way to live was communally. So they shared everything — money, food, even child-rearing.

After long days in the fields, Oded would venture outside the kibbutz to the boundary line with Gaza and drink beer with Brazilian peacekeepers from the UN and talk with Palestinians from the villages nearby. They talked about politics and life in Arabic, a language Oded spoke fluently. These were not just idle conversations. Oded knew that for Israel to succeed, it would have to figure out how to live side by side with its Arab neighbors.

He really did not believe in black and white, that somebody is the bad guy and somebody is the good guy, but there is a humanistic values that you can live in.

Sharone, what was your father like?

My father was a tall man and a skinny man. And he was —

he is — first of all, he is — he is a man who had very strong opinion and very well formed opinion. He read extensively. He thought deeply about matters. And he studied the piano. But as he said, was never that great or fast enough for classical. But he always played the piano.

[PIANO MUSIC]

He would play a lot of Israeli songs. He wound play Russian songs. He would play French chansons.

And he had this way of just moving from one song to the next, making it into a kind of pattern. And it was — it’s really the soundtrack of our life, my father playing the piano.

[PLAYING PIANO]:

[CONVERSATION IN HEBREW]:

[PLAYING PIANO]

So one side of him was the piano. Another side was he was a peace activist. He was not somebody who just had ideals about building bridges between nations. He was always on the left side of the political map, and he actioned it.

[NON-ENGLISH CHANTING]:

I remember growing up and going very regularly, almost weekly, to demonstrations. I will go regularly with my father on Saturday night to demonstrations in Tel Aviv. I will sit on his shoulders. He will be talking to all his activist friends. The smoke will rise from the cigarettes, and I will sit up there.

But somehow, we really grew up in that fight for peace.

Yocheved and Oded’s formal fight for peace began after the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. Israel had captured new territory, including the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip. That brought more than a million Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Oded immediately began to speak against it. Israel already had its land inside borders that much of the world had agreed to. In his view, taking more was wrong. It was no longer about Jewish survival. So when Israeli authorities began quietly pushing Bedouin Arabs off their land in the Sinai Peninsula, Oded took up the cause.

He helped file a case in the Israeli courts to try to stop it. And he and Yocheved worked together to draw attention to what was going on. Yocheved was a photographer, so she took pictures showing destroyed buildings and bulldozed land. Oded then put her photographs on cardboard and drove around the country showing them to people everywhere.

They became part of a growing peace movement that was becoming a force helping shape Israeli politics. Israel eventually returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Whenever there is a movement towards reconciliation with our neighbors, it’s almost like your ability to live here, your life force, gets stronger. And in a way, you can think of the art of their activism as being a response to that.

And why did he and your mother take up that fight, the cause of the land? Why do you think that was what he fought for?

My father, he had a very developed sense of justice. And he always felt that had we returned those lands at that point, we could have reached long-term agreement at that point. Then we would have been in a very different space now. I know that in 2019, for example, he wrote a column, where he said that when the Palestinians of Gaza have nothing to lose, we lose big time. He believed that the way of living in this part of the world is to share the place, to reach agreement, to work with the other side towards agreements.

He was not somebody who just had ideals about building bridges between nations. Two weeks before he was taken hostage, he still drove Palestinians that are ill to reach hospital in Israel and in East Jerusalem. That was something that meant a lot to him. I think he really believed in shared humanity and in doing what you can.

Do you remember the last conversation you had with your father?

I don’t have a clear memory which one it was. It’s funny. A lot of things I forgot since. A lot of things have gone so blurred.

We actually didn’t have a last conversation. The last thing he said was, Yoche, there is a war. And he was shot in the hand, and he was taken out. And I was taken out. I couldn’t say goodbye to him. And what was done to us was done.

We’ll be right back.

Yocheved, the last thing Oded said was there’s a war. Tell me about what happened that day from the beginning.

That morning, there was very heavy shelling on Nir Oz. We could hear gunfire. And we looked outside, and Oded told me, there are a lot of terrorists outside. We didn’t even have time to get dressed. I was still wearing my nightgown. He was wearing very few clothes. I remember him trying to close the door to the safe room, but it didn’t work. He wasn’t successful in closing it.

And then five terrorists walked in. They shot him through the safe room door. He was bleeding from his arm. He said to me, Yoche, I’m injured. And then he fainted. He was dragged out on the floor. And I didn’t know if he was alive. I thought he was dead. After that, I was taken in my nightgown. I was led outside. I was placed on a small moped, and I was taken to Gaza.

And we were driving over a bumpy terrain that had been plowed. And it didn’t break my ribs, but it was very painful.

And I could see that the gate that surrounds the Gaza Strip was broken, and we were driving right through it.

And as we were heading in, I could see so many people they were yelling, “Yitbach al Yahud,” kill the Jews, slaughter the Jews. And people were hitting me with sticks. And though the drivers on the moped tried to protect me, it didn’t help.

What were you thinking at the time? What was in your mind?

I was thinking, I’m being taken; I’m being kidnapped. I didn’t know where to, but this decision I had in my head was that I’m going to take photographs in my mind and capture everything I’m seeing so that when I — or if and when I am released, I’ll have what to tell.

And when I came to a stop, we were in a village that’s near Nir Oz. It’s called Khirbet Khuza. We came in on the moped, but I was transferred into a private car from there. And I was threatened that my hand would be cut off unless I hand over my watch and my ring. And I didn’t have a choice, so I took my watch off, and I took my ring off, and I handed it to them.

Was it your wedding ring?

Yes, it was my wedding ring.

After that, they led me to a big hangar where the entrance to the tunnel was, and I started walking. And the entrance was at ground level, but as you walk, you’re walking down a slope. And you’re walking and walking about 40 meters deep underground, and the walls are damp, and the soil is damp. And at first, I was alone. I didn’t know that other people had been taken too. But then more hostages came, and we were walking together through the tunnels.

Many of whom were from kibbutz Nir Oz. These were our people. They were abducted but still alive. And we spoke quietly, and we spoke very little. But as we were walking, everybody started telling a story of what had happened to him. And that created a very painful picture.

There were appalling stories about murder. People had left behind a partner.

A friend arrived, who, about an hour or two hours before, had her husband murdered and he died in her hands.

It was a collection of broken up people brought together.

So you were piecing together the story of your community and what had happened from these snapshots of tragedies that you were looking at all around you as you were walking. What’s the photograph you’ll remember most from that day?

It would be a girl, a four-year-old girl. People kept telling her — walk, walk, walk. And we tried to calm her down. And her mom tried to carry her on her arms. It was the most difficult sight to see a child inside those tunnels.

What were you feeling at that moment, Yocheved?

Very difficult.

Where did they lead you — you and your community — from Nir Oz.

They led us to this chamber, a room, that they had prepared in advance. There were mattresses there. And that’s where we were told to sit.

I saw people sitting on the mattresses, bent down, their heads down between their hands. They were broken. But we hardly spoke. Everybody was inside their own world with themselves, closed inside his own personal shock.

Yocheved was without her glasses, her hearing aids, or even her shoes. She said she spent most days lying down on one of the mattresses that had been put out for the hostages. Sometimes her captors would let her and others walk up and down the tunnels to stretch their legs.

She said she was given a cucumber, spreading cheese, and a piece of pita bread every day to eat. They had a little bit of coffee in the morning and water all day long.

One day, a Hamas leader came to the room where she and others were being held. She said she believes it was Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, who is believed to be the architect of the October 7 attack. Two other hostages who were held with Yocheved also identified the man as Sinwar, and an Israeli military spokesman said he found the accounts reliable.

He came accompanied with a group of other men. He just made rounds between the hostages, I suppose. And he spoke in Hebrew, and he told us not to worry, and soon there’s going to be a deal and we’ll be out. And others told me, don’t speak. And I said, what is there for me to be afraid of? The worst already happened. Worst thing, I’ll be killed.

I want to say something, and I spoke my mind. I told Sinwar, why have you done what you just did to all of the same people who have always helped you? He didn’t answer me. He just turned around and they walked off.

Were you afraid to ask him why Hamas did what it did, to challenge him?

I wasn’t afraid.

I was angry about the whole situation. It was against every thought and thinking we ever had. It was against our desire to reach peace, to be attentive and help our neighbors the way we always wanted to help our neighbors. I was very angry. But he ignored what I said, and he just turned his back and walked away.

In this entire time, you had no answers about Oded?

What was the hardest day for you, the hardest moment in captivity?

It’s when I got sick. I got sick with diarrhea and vomiting for about four days. And I had no idea how this will end. It was a few very rough days. And probably because of that, they decided to free me.

They didn’t tell me they were going to release me. They just told me and another girl, come follow us. They gave us galabiya gowns to wear and scarves to wear over our heads, so maybe they’ll think that we are Arab women. And only as we were walking, and we started going through corridors and ladders and climbing up we were told that we’re going home.

I was very happy to be going out. But my heart ached so hard for those who were staying behind. I was hoping that many others would follow me.

It’s OK. Let’s go. It’s OK. Let’s go.

You go with this one.

Shalom. Shalom.

There was a video that was made of the moment you left your captors. And it seemed to show that you were shaking a hand, saying shalom to them. Do you remember doing that?

I said goodbye to him. It was a friendly man. He was a medic. So when we said goodbye, I shook his hand for peace, shalom, to goodbye.

What did you mean when you said that?

I meant for peace.

Shalom in the sense of peace.

An extraordinary moment as a freed Israeli hostage shakes hands with a Hamas terrorist who held her captive.

I literally saw my mom on CNN on my phone on the way to the airport. And it was the day before I was talking to my aunt, and she said, I just want to go to Gaza and pull them out of the earth. I just want to pull them out of the earth and take them. And it really felt like that, that she came out of the earth. And when she shook the hand of the Hamas person, it just made me smile because it was so her to see the human in that person and to acknowledge him as a human being.

I arrived in the hospital at about 5:30 AM. My mom was asleep in the bed. And she was just — my mom sleeps really peacefully. She has a really quiet way of sleeping. And I just sat there, and it was just like a miracle to have her back with us. It was just incredible because not only was she back, but it was her.

I don’t know how to explain it. But while they were away, we knew so little. We were pretty sure she didn’t survive it. The whole house burned down totally. So other homes we could see if there was blood on the walls or blood on the floor. But in my parents’ home, everything was gone — everything. And we just didn’t know anything. And out of that nothingness, came my mom back.

It was only when she got to the hospital that Yocheved learned the full story of what happened on October 7. Nir Oz had been mostly destroyed. Many of her friends had been murdered. No one knew what had happened to Oded. Yocheved believed he was dead. But there wasn’t time to grieve.

The photograph she had taken in her mind needed to be shared. Yocheved knew who was still alive in the tunnels. So she and her son called as many families as they could — the family of the kibbutz’s history teacher, of one of its nurses, of the person who ran its art gallery — to tell them that they were still alive, captive in Gaza.

And then in November came a hostage release. More than 100 people came out. The family was certain that Oded was gone. But Sharone decided to make some calls anyway. She spoke to one former neighbor then another. And finally, almost by chance, she found someone who’d seen her father. They shared a room together in Gaza before he’d gotten ill and was taken away. Sharone and her brothers went to where Yocheved was staying to tell her the news.

She just couldn’t believe it, actually. It was as if, in this great telenovela of our life, at one season, he was left unconscious on the floor. And the second season open, and he is in a little room in Gaza with another woman that we know. She couldn’t believe it.

She was very, very, very excited, also really worried. My father was a very active and strong man. And if it happened 10 years ago, I would say of course he would survive it. He would talk to them in Arabic. He will manage the situation. He would have agency. But we know he was injured. And it makes us very, very worried about the condition in which he was — he’s surviving there. And I think that the fear of how much suffering the hostages are going through really makes you unable to function at moment.

Yocheved, the government has been doing a military operation since October in Gaza. You have been fighting very hard since October to free the hostages, including Oded. I wonder how you see the government’s military operation. Is it something that harms your cause or potentially helps it?

The only thing that will bring them back are agreements. And what is happening is that there are many soldiers who have been killed, and there is an ongoing war, and the hostages are still in captivity. So it’s only by reaching an agreement that all of the hostages will be released.

Do you believe that Israel is close to reaching an agreement?

I don’t know.

You told us that after the Holocaust, your father gathered your family together to tell you that God did not save you. It was a crisis for him. I’m wondering if this experience, October 7, your captivity, challenged your faith in a similar way.

No, I don’t think it changed me. I’m still the same person with the same beliefs and opinions. But how should I say it? What the Hamas did was to ruin a certain belief in human beings. I didn’t think that one could reach that level that isn’t that much higher than a beast. But my opinion and my view of there still being peace and reaching an arrangement stayed the same.

You still believe in peace?

Why do you believe that?

Because I’m hoping that a new generation of leaders will rise, people who act in transparency, who speak the truth, people who are honest, the way Israel used to be and that we’ll return to be like we once were.

I go to many rallies and demonstrations, and I meet many people in many places. And a large part of those people still believe in reaching an arrangement in peace and for there to be no war. And I still hope that this is what we’re going to be able to have here.

Bring them home now! Bring them home now! Bring them home now! Bring them home now! Bring them home! Now! Bring them home! Now! Bring them home! Now! Bring them home!

Yocheved is now living in a retirement home in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. Five other people around her age from Nir Oz live there too. One is also a released hostage. She hasn’t been able to bring herself to go back to the kibbutz. The life she built there with Oded is gone — her photographs, his records, the piano. And the kibbutz has become something else now, a symbol instead of a home. It is now buzzing with journalists and politicians. For now, Yocheved doesn’t know if she’ll ever go back. And when Sharone asked her, she said, let’s wait for Dad.

So I’m today sitting in this assisted living, surrounded by the same company, just expecting Oded, waiting for Oded to come back. And then each and every one of us will be rebuilding his own life together and renewing it.

What are you doing to make it a home for Oded?

We have a piano. We were given a piano, a very old one with a beautiful sound. And it’s good. Oded is very sensitive to the sound. He has absolute hearing. And I’m just hoping for him to come home and start playing the piano.

Do you believe that Oded will come home?

I’d like to believe. But there’s a difference between believing and wanting. I want to believe that he’ll be back and playing music. I don’t think his opinions are going to change. He’s going to be disappointed by what happened. But I hope he’s going to hold on to the same beliefs. His music is missing from our home.

[SPEAKING HEBEW]:

[SPEAKING HEBREW] [PLAYING PIANO]

I know that my father always felt that we haven’t given peace a chance. That was his opinion. And I think it’s very hard to speak for my father because maybe he has changed. Like my mom said, she said, I hope he hasn’t changed. I haven’t changed. But the truth is we don’t know. And we don’t the story. We don’t know how the story — my father is ending or just beginning.

But I think you have to hold on to humanistic values at this point. You have to know what you don’t want. I don’t want more of this. This is hell. This is hell for everybody. So this is no, you know? And then I believe that peace is also gray, and it’s not glorious, and it’s not simple. It’s kind of a lot of hard work. You have to reconcile and give up a lot. And it’s only worth doing that for peace.

[PIANO PLAYING CONTINUES]

After weeks of negotiations, talks over another hostage release and ceasefire have reached an impasse. The sticking points include the length of the ceasefire and the identity and number of Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged for the hostages.

[BACKGROUND CONVERSATION IN HEBREW]:

Here’s what else you should know today. Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday, capping an extraordinary saga that upended the multi-trillion-dollar crypto industry. Bankman-Fried, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering last November.

Prosecutors accused him of stealing more than $10 billion from customers to finance political contributions, venture capital investments, and other extravagant purchases. At the sentencing, the judge pointed to testimony from Bankman-Fried’s trial, saying that his appetite for extreme risk and failure to take responsibility for his crimes amount to a quote, “risk that this man will be in a position to do something very bad in the future.”

Today’s episode was produced by Lynsea Garrison and Mooj Zaidie with help from Rikki Novetsky and Shannon Lin. It was edited by Michael Benoist, fact checked by Susan Lee, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, Diane Wong, Elisheba Ittoop, and Oded Lifshitz. It was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. The translation was by Gabby Sobelman. Special thanks to Menachem Rosenberg, Gershom Gorenberg, Gabby Sobelman, Yotam Shabtie, and Patrick Kingsley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you on Monday.

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March 18, 2024 • 23:18 Your Car May Be Spying on You

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It’s been nearly six months since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, when militants took more than 200 hostages into Gaza.

In a village called Nir Oz, near the border, one quarter of residents were either killed or taken hostage. Yocheved Lifshitz and her husband, Oded Lifshitz, were among those taken.

Today, Yocheved and her daughter Sharone tell their story.

On today’s episode

Yocheved Lifshitz, a former hostage.

Sharone Lifschitz, daughter of Yocheved and Oded Lifshitz.

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Yocheved Lifshitz was beaten and held in tunnels built by Hamas for 17 days.

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IMAGES

A Dog's Journey
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey (2019) Movie Photos and Stills
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey 2019 / A DOG'S JOURNEY Trailer (2019)

VIDEO

A Dogs Journey (2019) Police at the Party Scene
A dog’s journey: CJ meets her grandparents

COMMENTS

A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey - All Dogs Go to Heaven: Bailey/Molly/Big Dog/Max (Josh Gad) finally passes and reunites with their master (Dennis Quaid).BUY THE MOVIE: http...
a dog's journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey (2019) - Max's Death and Ending - YouTube. Watch the emotional finale of the heartwarming movie about a dog's reincarnation and his bond with his human family. Will you cry or ...
A Dog's Journey Ending Explained
A Dog's Journey is a heartwarming film that follows the journey of a loyal dog named Bailey as he reincarnates into multiple lives to fulfill his purpose of protecting and guiding his beloved owners. Directed by Gail Mancuso and based on the novel by W. Bruce Cameron, this movie beautifully explores the themes of love, loyalty, and the ...
A Dog's Journey Ending
A dog's journey is owned by Universal Pictures nothing you see in the video is owned by me and is considered "Fair Use" Universal Pictures may monetize the v...
"A Dog's Journey"Explained: What's Up With the Ending?
IMDB page. A Dog's Journey continues the story of a dog who, at the end of his life, is reborn over and over again to be with the person he has become attached to. The first film, called A Dog's Purpose, was released in 2017. The basis for the two films were the novels of American writer Bruce Cameron, who also participated in writing the ...
A Dog's Journey (film)
A Dog's Journey is a 2019 American family adventure comedy-drama film directed by Gail Mancuso in her feature film directorial debut and written by W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes, and Wally Wolodarsky.The film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Cameron and is the sequel to the 2017 film A Dog's Purpose.The film stars Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, Betty ...
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey: Directed by Gail Mancuso. With Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Kathryn Prescott, Marg Helgenberger. A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.
A Dog's Journey movie review & film summary (2019)
Written by Cameron, Maya Forbes, Cathryn Michon and Wallace Wolodarsky, the story is outright hostile to Gloria, a paper-thin character whose mourning and alcoholism receives a cruel one-dimensional treatment. A gold-digging ex-girlfriend of Trent suffers in the hands of a similar caricaturized vision. And yet, no one comes to a film like this ...
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets. Powered by Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 Advertisement
'A Dog's Journey' Review
In 'A Dog's Journey,' a sequel to 'A Dog's Purpose,' Kathryn Prescott joins the ensemble as a troubled young woman whom Bailey, the frequently reincarnated canine, keeps coming back to help.
A Dog's Journey
As Bailey sits in the kitchen, in his favorite spot by his favorite chair, the aging St. Bernard can't help but think that life is good on his little farm. His boy, Ethan, well, isn't quite a boy anymore. And his girl, Hannah, isn't so girlish either. But that's OK. There's still sunshine to lie in, chores to help with, golden fields ...
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey - I've Loved You Forever: CJ (Kathryn Prescott) gives in to her heart.BUY THE MOVIE: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/a-dog-s-journe...
Film Review: 'A Dog's Journey'
Editor: Robert Komatsu. Music: Mark Isham. With: Josh Gad (voice), Kathryn Prescott, Betty Gilpin, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger , Abby Ryder Fortson, Henry Lau, Ian Chen, Conrad Coates, Jake ...
A Dog's Journey
Movie Info. Bailey is living the good life on the Michigan farm of his boy, Ethan and Ethan's wife Hannah. He even has a new playmate: Ethan and Hannah's baby granddaughter, CJ. The problem is ...
A Dog's Journey Review: Live, Die, Repeat… Like a Boss
A Dog's Journey is a sequel to the surprise mild hit, 2017's A Dog's Purpose, with Dennis Quaid reprising his role as Ethan Montgomery. Josh Gad is back and plays his Boss-Dog, which is the voice of Bailey (and the subsequent reincarnations), an older St. Bernard who loves his owner and his wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger).
'A Dog's Journey': Meet the pups in this animal-acting masterclass
Big Dog, played by an African Boerboel named Phil, has a small role, portraying a chance meeting with his spiritual owner CJ, now an adult played by Kathryn Prescott, in a roadside store. Phil hit ...
'A Dog's Journey' review: This melodrama about the human-canine bond
"A Dog's Journey" plays on one of the rawest nerves humans have: the one triggered by our bond with dogs. (If you want to add tension to any scene, just put a dog in jeopardy). The love we ...
A Dog's Journey (2019)
Bailey (voiced again by Josh Gad) is living the good life on the Michigan farm of his "boy," Ethan (Dennis Quaid, returning from the first film) and Ethan's wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). He even has a new playmate: Ethan and Hannah's baby granddaughter, CJ. The problem is that CJ's mom, Gloria (Betty Gilpin), decides to take CJ away.
A Dog's Journey (2019)
A Dog's Journey - Run off the Road: Shane (Jake Manley) runs CJ (Kathryn Prescott) and Molly (Josh Gad) off the road.BUY THE MOVIE: https://www.fandangonow.c...
A Dog's Journey: Here's every dog death in the A Dog's Purpose sequel
Near-Death Experiences That the Dog Survives. 1. Bailey (the St. Bernard/Australian shepherd mix) is almost kicked by an ornery horse. 2. A wheezing voice-over warns that when CJ hugs Molly (the ...
'A Dog's Journey' Review: It Sure Is Ruff To Sit Through This
Each time he returns, CJ is a little older. As far as set-ups go, this isn't a terrible idea. At the very least, it's a clever way to jump through time in order to further the story. But the act ...
A Dog's Journey (2019)
Some friendships transcend lifetimes. Picking up where A DOG'S PURPOSE left off, Ethan's (Dennis Quaid) beloved dog Bailey (voiced again by Josh Gad) finds a...
Disabled owner's dogs show remarkable loyalty in Manila, Philippines
This footage was filmed and produced 25 March 2024. On March 25, 2024, in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, a heartwarming scene unfolded as captured in a video shared by @hustinaaaaa_. The ...
Hamas Took Her, and Still Has Her Husband
Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence. It's been nearly six months since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, when militants took more than 200 hostages into Gaza.
A Dog's Purpose (2017)
A Dog's Purpose - Bailey Comes Home: Buddy (Josh Gad) tries to convince Ethan (Dennis Quaid) that he has come back to him decades after his past life.BUY THE...

A Dog’s Journey Ending Explained

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Film Review: ‘A Dog’s Journey’

Reviewed at Cineworld Wood Green, London, May 4, 2019. Running time: 108 MIN.

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