Show Dogs to be re-edited after uproar over inappropriate sex abuse message

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Starring Will Arnett and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, SHOW DOGS finds Detective Frank (Arnett) pairing up with K-9 partner Max (Ludacris) in order to go undercover at the world's most exclusive dog show to thwart an animal smuggling ring. It's another talking animal movie which parents will suffer through while their children quickly forget it, but the family comedy has recently been in the news after it came under fire from certain groups over a "troubling" scene which sends the wrong message about inappropriate touching.

In the PG-rated film, Max goes undercover as a show dog and is taught how to behave during the inspection of his genitals which will be performed by the judges. When he protests at being inappropriately grabbed, he's told to go to a "zen place" in order to control his discomfort. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation have compared these scenes to the tactics which sexual predators use to groom children. As a result, Global Road Entertainment has told Deadline that they will be re-editing the film.

Responding to concerns raised by moviegoers and some specific organizations, Global Road Entertainment has decided to remove two scenes from the film Show Dogs that some have deemed not appropriate for children. The company takes these matters very seriously and remains committed to providing quality entertainment for the intended audiences based on the film’s rating. We apologize to anybody who feels the original version of Show Dogs sent an inappropriate message. The revised version of the film will be available for viewing nationwide starting this weekend.

The filmmakers responded to the concerns yesterday, saying, "It has come to our attention that there have been online discussion and concern about a particular scene in Show Dogs, a family comedy that is rated PG. The dog show judging in this film is depicted completely accurately as done at shows around the world; and was performed by professional and highly respected dog show judges. Global Road Entertainment and the filmmakers are saddened and apologize to any parent who feels the scene sends a message other than a comedic moment in the film, with no hidden or ulterior meaning, but respect their right to react to any piece of content." It seems that they've now gone a step further in order to appease critics by removing the offending scenes.

In a statement, The National Center on Sexual Exploitation said:

[SHOW DOGS] sends a troubling message that grooms children for sexual abuse…It contains multiple scenes where a dog character must have its private parts inspected, in the course of which the dog is uncomfortable and wants to stop but is told to go to a ‘zen place.’ The dog is rewarded with advancing to the final round of the dog show after passing this barrier. Disturbingly, these are similar tactics child abusers use when grooming children—telling them to pretend they are somewhere else, and that they will get a reward for withstanding their discomfort. Children’s movies must be held to a higher standard, and must teach children bodily autonomy, the ability to say ‘no’ and safety, not confusing messages endorsing unwanted genital touching.