DVD Review: Firehouse Dog

(andPOP) - Sometimes, even a Hollywood director can't get over his childhood experiences. At least that's what Todd Holland did when he took the directorial job of "Firehouse Dog" as a tribute to his childhood canine best friend, Rosebud. And Holland swears this was the "single most challenging thing" he had ever directed.

A film about a dog's riches to rags story, "Firehouse Dog" tells the tale of Rexxx, a Hollywood heavyweight more popular than Lassie, Beethoven and Tinkerbell. Rexxx encounters a tragedy when his stardom is abruptly put to an end as he accidentally stumbles upon the career of being a firehouse mascot. Unaccustomed to a normal suburban lifestyle, Rexxx faces the challenges of eating (gasp!), dog food and dealing with messy roommate and owner Shane Fahey (Josh Hutcherson).

Though the leading character's name consists of three X's, the movie floods with family fun and humour, perfect for anyone under the age of 13. Not surprisingly, the best actor award goes to the four-legged animal. Rexxx, who is actually played by four different Irish terriers named after Lord of the Rings characters, performed most of his own stunts and offered the cutest facial expressions any dog owners and lovers won't be able to resist.

The DVD is also packed with 10 categories of bonus features, from a Humane Society Public Service Announcement to a montage of 200 dogs that won Fox's photo contest. (Another 200 pictures of dogs were also shown during the credits as part of the same contest.)

If anything, the special features alone are enough for any future dog owner to buy the DVD. The section offers tips on buying the right dog by a 1-800-save-a-pet.com representative as well as three deleted scenes. But the best parts of this package are the parody of "E! True Hollywood Story" highlighting the life of none other than Rexxx and a poster gallery of the infamous Hollywood dog, including posters for movie titles such as "The Fast and Furriest" and "Canines of the Caribbean: At Leash's End."