THE NEW BARKER  49
www.TheNewBarker.com
The Best 
Place 
to Be 
A Dog
A safe haven for dogs, Donte’s Den is a 501(c)(3) 
non-profit charitable organization that comes to 
the aid of  abandoned or mistreated dogs. Our 
state-of-the-art facility, situated on 50 pristine 
acres of  peace and quiet, provides medical care 
and all the comforts of  home.
6801 283rd Street East, Myakka City, Florida 34251 
941.219.3730 – Office@DontesDen.org 
www.DontesDen.org
Open to the Public for
Open to the Public for 
Boarding & Daycare
Boarding & Daycare 
Catering to discerning dog parents in Manatee, Sarasota, 
& DeSoto counties for 11 years. 
Long and short term packages available.
Sanctuary Programs Include:
Sanctuary Programs Include: 
l Lifetime Care  
Caring for dogs whose owners 
are no longer able to care for them. 
 
l Semper Paw 
Caring for dogs until their owners 
return from military deployment.  
 
l Adoptions 
Finding forever homes for our adoptable dogs.
HangDog The film, released digitally in October 2025, 
was directed by Matt Cascella and written by Jen Cordery. It 
stars Desmin Borges (Only 
Murders in the Building), Kelly 
O’Sullivan (Ghostlight) and 
Mr. Tibbs (a former rescue 
dog turned actor). 
     After moving to Portland, 
Maine with his girlfriend 
Wendy, Walt feels out of 
place. Without a job or a plan, 
and a new dog competing for 
Wendy’s affections, he has 
reached peak anxiety. When 
Wendy leaves town for the 
most important business trip 
of her career, she entrusts 
Walt with just one task: taking care of Tony, their dog. After a 
careless mistake (that the viewer sees coming right away) 
Tony is stolen. While embarking on a wild goose chase to 
find Tony, Walt connects with locals Marianne (Barbara 
Rosenblat,Orange is the New Black), a wisecracking noncon-
formist, and Brent (Steve Coulter, Oppenheimer), a recent 
widower. They force Walt to confront his anxieties and 
embrace human and canine connections.  
 
Caramelo 
We stumbled upon this 2025 Brazilian film, directed by Diego 
Freitas, earlier this year. With ingredients that include haute 
cuisine, romance, a mixture of 
drama and comedy (like real 
life), and of course a dog, what’s 
not to like? 
     Pedro (played by Brazilian 
actor Rafael Vitti) is given 
his dream promotion of chef 
at a respected restaurant.  
Simultaneously, the film intro-
duces its audience to a stray 
dog (played by a former 
street dog named Amendoim – 
Portuguese for peanut). The 
dog’s life is depicted as one of 
constant struggle for survival 
and food. Their paths intersect when the dog attempts to steal 
sausages from a market, and Pedro steps in to protect him from 
the butcher. A little later in the film Pedro finally brings the 
dog home, bathes him, and names him Caramelo – a Brazilian 
term for the caramel-colored street dogs, informally considered 
a national symbol of Brazil.  After receiving a life-changing 
diagnosis, Pedro manages to find strength, hope and humor 
through Caramelo. It’s a gentle uplifting, film about who 
catches us when life throws curveballs at us.
MOVIES... (the dogs don’t die)
U

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