Causing a Scene at the Video Store – getting dog fighting videos off the shelves

I have company coming tomorrow, and said company has kids – and my house, I need to point out, is not a kid friendly house. It’s a dog friendly house, and I guess some of that translates to kids (no dangling cords, no poisons or plants on floor level, electrical outlets covered up), but for the most part this house is run for the comfort of my dogs. Dog beds litter the hardwood, and nylabones lurk under every table. Gnawed on, glue stinking hooves are wedged in the couch cushions. Dogs lie on the chairs, the floors and the beds, and I’d no more let a toddler crawl across my (albeit frequently scooped) yard than I would make a salad out of the greens that grow there.

Let me admit something else here, while we’re at it – some of my dogs are lacking in the kid friendly manners department. Friendly? You bet, if friendly includes boisterous jumping. Delilah’s idea of friendly is to land-shark the socks off of anyone foolish enough to walk past her, and I’m told most parents frown on that sort of activity. So, the dogs – some of them, at least – will have to spend the day locked up, and I’ll spend my day trying to remember that you don’t pat babies on the head like puppies.

In preparation, Sean and I went to the local video store to grab some toddler-distraction video fodder (that leaves out Grindhouse, right?). While searching through the shelves, we ran into this charming little gem – Ghetto Dawg 2 – Out of the Pits

The plot synopsis is:

Life in the ghetto can be much like a dog pit- brutal, short and pointless. Donte, a conflicted black teenager seems to be headed for the Pit. A year after his brother’s murder, Donte has revenge on his mind. His target is a vicious gang of Dominican thugs who are notorious for running the local dog fighting pits, led by the psychotic Angel. Realizing he needs help in order to exact his revenge, Donte enlists the help of Jojo, a professional killer with little for a conscience. As things spin out of control, Donte is torn between wanting to start over clean and his obligation to avenge his brother’s death. Ultimately, his decision is made at the last moment when he descends into the belly of the beast and fends off against Angel at the dog pits.

Let’s be blunt – this movie is an excuse to show images of dog fights. Removed from numerous video stores and online sites after customer complaints, Amazon still carries this flick, along with a selection of other dog fighting movies. I might not be able to get Amazon to change their stocking policies, but I can certainly try when it comes to my local Jumbo Video.

I did my best to make my complaints calmly to the store manager, along with promises to turn this into a concerted letter writing campaign if I didn’t manage to get the film removed from their shelves. She did actually pull it, and promised to call head office, as well.

Not a huge difference, but one that made me feel slightly better about the world.

If you’d like to let Jumbo video know how you feel about them carrying the Ghetto Dawg series of movies in their stores, write to them at:

Jumbo Video
6455 Jean-Talon Street East, # 500
Saint-Leonard (Quebec) H1S 3E8
Canada

Or phone, fax or write to them:

Phone: 514-259-6000
Fax: 514-259-3232
Email: info@jumbovideo.com