New Film Asks 'Why Are More Animals Euthanized In The South Than The Rest Of The US?'

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Oct. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- The facts are startling  ̶  approximately 3 to 4 million companion animals are euthanized each year throughout the United States with a dramatically disproportionate number of these occurring in the South. That boils down to over 9,000 animals every day, 399 every hour and over 6 animals per minute. That’s too many.

But what is the solution?  A Southern Fix is a documentary film focused on finding an answer.

The filmmakers are sitting down with politicians, breeders and clubs to discuss the issue. They'll spend time with advocates like Pam Grier, Prince Lorenzo Borghese and Karen Talbot of Animal Aid USA, Jean Harrison of Big Fluffy Dog Rescue and Debi Boies of Pilot-N-Paws to hear from those on the frontline of this battle.

Do mandatory sterilization laws work? Can education be the key? Is it a matter of cultural mindlessness? Why does one state differ in euthanasia numbers so drastically from another? The primary question A Southern Fix addresses is, "How can we stop this slaughtering of millions of animals? "

During the filming of their recent documentary, Tales In Flight, the producers of A Southern Fix met an amazing group of dedicated pilots, rescue groups, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to find unwanted animals homes throughout the country. Over and over again, they heard the question, “How great would it be if we weren’t needed?”

A Southern Fix is committed to helping them find out.

For more information or to contribute to  A Southern Fix, visit the film's Kickstarter campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/talesinflight/a-southern-fix.

What  others are saying about A Southern Fix

Karen Talbot, Co-Founder Animal Aid, USA:  "We created this over-population problem.  They're not property.  They're family.  They are our life."

Prince Lorenzo Borghese, Co-Founder Animal Aid, USA and CEO Royal Pet Club:  "To walk into a shelter and know that a dog's going to be killed or a cat's going to be killed is an awful feeling and I don't want that."

Pam Grier, Animal Rights Advocate, Actress:  "We now have too many animals because people won't spay or neuter."

Debi Boies, Co-Founder Pilots N Paws:  "So far, Pilots N Paws has saved over 50,000 animals.  But that's hardly a drop in the bucket next to the approximately 3 million that are euthanized each year."

Jean Harrison, Founder Big Fluffy Dog Rescue: "I wake up everyday knowing I'm going to fail.  But we are duty-bound to save these animals.  We must."

Monica Brown, Executive Director, Young Williams Animal Shelter:  "We can talk about education.  We can talk about legislation.  But we can't adopt our way out of this and we can't euthanize our way out of this."

The Filmmakers

This film is a continuation of earlier success with Tales in Flight, and is, of course, a labor of love. While making documentaries is always a challenge, this one is even more so due to its topic. There are people who just don't want this made. They don't want to talk about the millions of animals slaughtered each year. They don't want to think about animal rights legislation and sterilization laws.

And to that we say, "too bad." This needs to be done.

Michael Samstag and Josh Gildrie are full-time filmmakers with over fifteen years of experience and hundreds of video and film credits. They are experts at putting together high production value at minimal cost.

Samstag is best known for his work directing and producing special features for the first three Harry Potter DVDs and the Van Helsing DVD. Samstags' work on Van Helsing was featured in an article by American Cinematographer Magazine and his documentary War & Truth was featured in The American Prospect. His documentary feature film, War & Truth won Best Documentary at the Annapolis Film Festival in November 2005 and the Director's Choice Award at the Secret City Film Festival in 2007. In 2005, he directed 30 shows for the Telly Award winning Backyard Habitat series for Discovery Network ‘s Animal Planet Channel. The team’s earlier documentary, Tales In Flight is currently available on DVD and On Demand.