The white zone is for immediate loading
and unloading of passengers only.
No parking.
Hello. Wait, wait, wait.
Who is this?
Richard,where are you?
What's going on?
Richard,I'm at the airport.
- What are you doing there? - I'll explain later.
I need to know if you're doing the book.
Richard, I'm not...
Where's the book?
I'm not gonna write it. I'm not gonna...
I'm not gonna give them what they want.
You have a contract, Jon. You have to do it.
Think about the contract.
Hey, they can take the house.
They can sue me. I don't care.
Grow up, Jon. Write the book.
We'll talk about it later. I gotta go. Bye.
I was keeping the crate here until you claimed him.
Thought he might be dangerous.
Thanks. Devon?
Let's get a look at you, boy.
That's a leash.
I'm gonna put this on you now.
That's it.
- I'm gonna open the door. I'm coming in. - Don't open the door.
What?
Would everybody please keep back?
I don't like dogs.
- Excuse me, excuse me. - Whose dog is that?
Ma'am, ma'am, you have to stay calm.
- Is this your dog? - Yes, yes.
Get a leash on him, please.
- All right. - If he bites someone, it is your responsibility.
That's very helpful. I appreciate that. Come on now, Devon.
be still, ma'am.
Sit, Devon.
- Would everyone please step back? - Okay. Okay.
Devon, Devon, Devon.
Sir?
Devon, Devon, Devon. Devon, Devon. Devon, okay.
- Sir, you can't go up there! - Okay.
Come on now. Sit, Devon.
Devon, Devon!
There's a dog running wild, gate 7.
I'm gonna need backup here.
For security reasons, please keep your luggage...
with you at all times. Unattended luggage...
Sorry.
Excuse me. Devon? Devon.
Stay. Stay.
Okay.
Easy now.
Good boy.
It's okay. It's gonna be okay.
I'm Jon Katz.
I'm a writer.
I'm 56.
I have a bad back.
Devon, look.
Devon, I have a treat for you.
Yes, I do. Look.
Devon.
It's good. Look. Take it.
You know? Not good enough for you? Okay.
Stay.
Stay, Devon.
Come here. That's a boy.
Devon, Devon, Devon.
Yes, good boy. We're going home.
Okay. Okay.
No, no, no. We're gonna go home now.
We're gonna go home now.
Okay.
Julius and Stanley are waiting for you at home.
I don't know what you've been through, but I work at home.
I'm gonna stay with you, give you lots of walks,
lots of food, lots of patience.
Come on.
Stanley? Julius?
Here he is, guys.
That's Stanley and Julius.
All right, get back. Coming in.
No, no, no. Come on. Come here.
Come here. Let me see. Come here, come here, come here.
Let me see. That's a boy. Okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah. That's a boy.
What are you doing?
This is Emma's room. She's away at college.
Come on. Hey, hey, hey.
Are you...? You are looking for the missus of the house?
Tough luck, pal. She's gone.
Come on. Come on.
Come here, come here, come here.
Come here!
- Don't even think about it. - Jon?
- Who do we have here? - This is Devon, the dog from hell.
Where did you get him?
This breeder in Texas.
She read one of my books
where I mentioned Julius and Stanley...
Thought I could help this dog.
She tells me that she's rescuing this abused dog
and needs a home for him and, you know.
I said yes. I don't know...
What was I thinking?
Come here. Come here.
Go to town.
So how are you doing?
You know, I'm... I'm alone,
my back is killing me. I'm fine.
It's the dog that's the problem.
His eyes are infected.
- His breath is foul. - Tell me about it.
Got abrasions on his back.
- He has one back here too. - Yep.
Abrasions on his right hind leg.
He's got two on his left hind leg.
You see how his back is hunched and crooked?
Some of his nails are broken.
I've seen that condition before in dogs
who have been locked in cages for months at a time.
Devon?
You know when I see that?
I see that when a dog has been beaten by his owner.
That's why he's pissed off.
He's pissed off at the world.
Okay, Devon. Let's give you a bath.
Read these.
"This is a tireless, high-energy breed."
Tell me about it.
"Without meaningful work, Border Collies
will become bored and depressed...
and may develop behavior problems."
Join the club.
"Border collies have been bred for centuries
to chase things that move."
Says you're supposed to be intelligent.
Trainable?
Well, we'll see, huh?
Come on.
Attaboy.
Okay, okay, okay. Come here, come here.
- Oh, max, you have got to see this. - Let's go, let's go.
Slow down. Devon.
Why would Jon katz want to get a new dog?
Come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
All right, all right.
All right, this isn't working. Come on, come on, come on.
Devon.
All right, get in there.
Come here. Get around, get around. Come here.
Sit now. Sit. Let me see.
Okay, come on.
All right, all right. All right.
Come on, come on.
Jon, you got a new dog.
Come on, come on, come on. Just keep moving.
We don't wanna talk to anyone.
Seriously, what are you gonna do with him?
Seriously, Margo, I don't know.
Come here, come here, come here. Hey. Devon.
No! Devon!
Devon, no!
Shit. Devon.
Devon!
Stop!
Devon!
Stop!
Devon! stop!
Stop!
There's a weird old man running after us.
Stop!
Devon!
What the hell are you doing?
Come here.
How did you do that?
One new message.
Hi, Jon. It's me. Just leaving another message.
I got a call from Margo saying we got a new dog.
Is that true?
I'm trying to give you some space so you can write.
But that means you actually have to write.
I don't think you have any idea what it's
like living with you.
You just check out.
And I can't have a relationship on my own.
It's too lonely.
Have you even changed your clothes, Jon?
Is there anything in the fridge?
Would you call me?
My sister sends her love.
Cleanup in aisle 6.
Hey, Jon.
- No time like the present, right? - Okay.
- Maybe you should talk to him now. - Okay.
Go ahead.
- Hey, Jon, can I talk to you a minute? - No, no, no.
I've got a lot of experience with dogs.
Max has won six blue ribbons.
I don't care how many ribbons your dog has won.
We have been watching the way you walk your dog
and we're trying to help you.
And we're trying to keep the neighborhood safe. Jon.
Jon, you have got to do something about your dog.
I would like to help you.
I could come over and give you some training tips.
Anytime.
My little baby.
Did you miss your mommy?
Hello, Devon.
There you go, there you go.
What's the matter? No pee-pee?
Devon, Devon! Enough now.
- Come on now. - Damn you, Jon.
That dog is dangerous.
Devon, come on. Come on now.
Bad boy, Devon. Bad boy.
That's a doggy. Okay. Okay.
I have...
absolutely no idea.
Oh, god.
Jeez.
Oh, come on.
What?
No, no! How...?
Come here. How did you get up there, huh?
All right, I'm impressed.
Come here. Hey.
Devon?
I know, you're afraid.
Are you hungry?
Come on.
I know. I'm not going to hurt you.
You gotta be brave.
What are you doing?
Hey, dad, it's me. Are you there?
Mom's been having trouble reaching you,
so I wanted to call. I heard you got a new dog?
I'll be coming home this weekend to pick up some stuff.
So can you call me back? I won't make you talk to me.
Just please call so that I know you're okay.
Holly? Jon.
Oh, my savior. How's it going?
-Not good. It's not working. - What? Now,
I thought you were sure-fire...
- Well, because... - Why, Jon?
Because he's the dog from hell, that's why.
But, Jon, I... Jon?
Yeah, I'm sending him back.
I paid to send him to you.
I told you it'd take time.
It's not. You were wrong.
Do you know how much it cost?
Holly, I want you to call the airlines,
make a reservation and call my machine.
Leave word what flight you want me to put him on.
Devon.
What?
Shit.
Devon?
- Yes? - Oh, god, Jon.
Finally. Where the hell are you?
We had a date.
I'm sitting here and women are hitting on me, Jon.
Come on. Get your ass over here.
Richard, hey, I'm sorry.
I couldn't make it.
What are you talking about? We gotta...
Jon, we gotta talk about the book.
I know. Listen...
Come on. Hurry up.
Get over here. You know...
I can't help it. You know, I wanna write something...
- as much as you want me to. - Jon, come on.
- But I... I can't... - Don't do this.
I'm gonna just have to...
find something different.
You're in violation of your contract, Jon.
Or, you know, I'm gonna shoot myself.
Don't say that, Jon.
Are you taking your meds? Are you keeping up?
We all take them.
You know, hey,I ... I'm your agent.
I just want... I want what's best for you.
You know, Jon?
I have no idea what I want to write.
Jon. Jon...
Devon?
Jon, you okay?
I am gonna kill you...
You jerk. You jerk.
Okay. Okay.
- Holly? Holly? - How's it going?
- I'm not sending him back. -Rreally?
- But I paid for the return ticket. - No.
I'm not sending him back.
Are you ready?
How do you like that?
How'd you get to be such a train wreck?
Good boy.
You want some air? There you go.
No. Devon. Devon, Devon.
What are you doing? What are you doing?
No, no, no, no. Devon.
You like that, huh?
You kind of like it, don't you?
Come on! Julius!
Look at you, what an oil painting.
Okay, you guys just stay there then.
It's chow time now.
Okay.
Come here, come here. Hey, hey.
Get away from there. Come here. Come here. Devon.
Sit. Devon. Devon, get down off there.
Come here. Look. Sit. Devon.
Devon, sit.
Devon? Come here.
All right. We're gonna have to work on that.
You know, people used to come to me
for advice on dogs.
I got Julius first from a breeder.
And I got Stanley from the same breeder.
I got the dogs for Emma
But, naturally
they became my dogs.
And my best friends.
And my only friends. All right, you stay there now.
Go on, no, no, no. Come on.
Get out of there! hey, hey!
Are you happy now?
Dad?
Emma?
Hey, what's going on?
Oh, I'm just getting out of the shower. I'll be right down.
Hey. What are you doing home?
- Told you I was coming home. - You did?
So I could pick up some of my stuff.
I like what you've done with the place.
Hey, you wanna see my new dog?
Go outside. Get Stanley and Julius.
I'll meet you out there.
I missed you.
Emma?
- Yeah? - Are they in?
Yeah, yeah. Come on, guys, go in.
Inside. Come on.
Get inside. Good boy.
Stand back. You ready?
Yeah.
Devon, look who's...
Look who's here to see you. It's Emma.
Stand still now. He... he's afraid of people.
He's weird.
Devon.
What's he doing?
He's herding you.
- Why would he wanna hurt me? - No, no.
Herding you. He thinks almost anything that
moves is a sheep. That's his instinct.
That's very interesting, dad.
Look at him. He's so good, huh?
What do you think?
I have no idea what to think.
Jules?
Stanley?
Hey, Jules. Hey.
Stanley?
Hey, buddy. What's the matter?
Dad?
Something's wrong with Stanley.
Stanley is lagging, it turns out,
because his heart rate is way down.
It's far below what it should be.
In fact, he may have already had a small stroke.
And the X-rays confirm severe hip dysplasia.
That's common in labs.
It's become painful for Stanley to run or walk.
I'm surprised he can chase that blue ball.
But it's the decline in heart rate that's the most alarming.
It's probable his heart will give out soon.
Does Devon have anything to do with this?
Oh, god, no. No. This would've happened anyway.
You're gonna have to decide what
you're willing to put Stanley through.
Stan?
Stan, it's your blue ball.
It's your favorite.
Oh, Stan.
I love you.
My sweet guy.
- Dad. Please don't sing that song. - What?
That's their favorite song.
Dad, it's so corny.
Everywhere but on the paper, huh?
Oh, god.
See you tomorrow now.
Okay.
Hey, dad.
Oh, you're still up.
What?
What's going on, dad?
Are you doing any writing?
I've been, you know, journaling.
You're paying more attention to the dog than to your work.
I'm not getting rid of him.
I'm gonna check on the dog.
Mom asked me to come here...
...because we are worried about you.
Emmy. Emmy, Emmy, Emmy.
I miss you, Em.
I know that.
I miss you...
...both.
Okay?
He's gone.
Okay.
Are you ready?
Are you sure about this?
Maybe I should stay.
I'm okay. Are you okay?
Yeah?
All right. Don't miss your classes now.
Don't worry about me.
- Are you sure? - I'm good, I'm good.
Go, go. Come on.
Bye.
Let's go for a walk, Devon.
Oh, my god.
Devon!
No! Devon!
No! no!
Come here. Come here, come here.
Go, go, go!
Go, go!
Goddamn you!
My god, I hate you, you bastard!
We're finished!
Don't you understand?
If you don't change, you can't live here.
So you don't think your roommates are gonna mind?
Julius is a great dog, you know that.
Dad, tell me what's going on.
Why do I have to take Julius?
Look, Devon, he's down in the basement.
He can't come upstairs.
I gotta lock him in the basement, he hates that.
Em, everything's gonna be fine.
I just don't want anything else bad to happen.
What does that mean?
Em, the other line's ringing.
I gotta take this. Hold on now.
Dad...
- Yeah? - Good news, Jon.
It turns out the house is available.
It's a perfect place to write.
Great. Wonderful. Yeah.
- Yeah, I wanna see it right away. - Now?
Yeah, I'm on my way up. I'm getting in the car right now.
Do you want me to find you a hotel?
No, I'm gonna sleep in the car.
This is the place you want.
It's 42 acres.
Been on the market for three years.
The owners are definitely willing to rent...
...if you understand that it's an as-is situation.
Now, the rent is low and the owners are elderly...
...and live in Florida.
So they're not gonna be able to come up here...
- and do any small repairs. - That's okay.
This isn't gonna be permanent.
Will they rent month-to-month?
I think they'd be happy to see
any money come from this place.
Oh, down there is Bedlam Corners.
We can drive down there.
I can introduce you to a few people, if you like.
Oh, no. I don't wanna meet anyone.
You can't get a cell-phone signal on the mountain.
Oh, thank god.
And there's no phone service to the house...
...but I can call the phone company for you.
No, not necessary. I don't want a phone in the house.
Hey, stay in here now.
Sure is good to see someone in the Matthews' farm again.
Coffee?
- Okay. Thank you. - Help yourself.
You can see my farm from your window.
Oh, yeah. The whole town can see your farm up on that hill.
You can see everything?
Yeah, we don't miss anything around here.
What kind of work do you do?
I don't know what I do.
Aren't you the man with that dog?
Yes, I'm the dog man. Thank you.
Oh, that'll be a dollar.
I'm sorry. Yeah.
I never met a writer before.
What was the last thing you wrote?
Who told you I was a writer?
You put anyone's name in a computer,
you can find out what they do.
Come here, come here, come here.
You need any work done on the house?
No.
I can fix anything.
I don't need anything fixed.
- What's this? - I found a woman...
...who can help you with your dog.
Hey, I don't need any help with the dog.
Oh, yes, you do.
What?
- You got a phone call at the store. - All right.
- Hello. - Jon, is that you?
- Paula. - What the hell is going on?
Emma gave me a number for a payphone...
...in the middle of nowhere.
Where are you?
I rented this place in the country.
Why, Jon?
Even for you, this is crazy.
Look, I'll come home.
Let's figure this out. Meet me.
Jon?
Jon, I think I'm losing the connection.
Jon, can you hear me?
Hello?
Hello? Now...
You're not barking.
Who are you?
- Jon Katz. - Right.
You're the man with the abused dog.
This is Joe.
I'm gonna give your dog a test.
- My dog doesn't like tests. - Too bad.
- I don't like tests. - If you're gonna be my student...
...you're gonna take my test. Come on, Joe.
I take my payment for the first session up-front.
It's $200.
I only take cash.
Get your dog.
Border Collies are working dogs.
They've been herding sheep for centuries
in Ireland and Scotland, all over the world.
Pay close attention because you're next.
Get back, Joe.
Step back with your dog.
Out, sheep.
Away to me, Joe.
Lie down.
Walk up, Joe.
Away to me.
Attaboy, Joe.
It's your turn.
I need to see how your dog responds to the sheep.
It's what I call the instinct test. Are you ready?
Come here, come here, come here. Hey, hey, hey.
Devon, Devon. Devon, now, I want you to do good, okay?
Okay? Okay. All right.
- Are you ready? - Yeah.
Out, sheep. Out, sheep.
Unleash Devon.
Go!
Now he should begin to circle around the flock.
Why is he going that way?
Oh, he's circling them.
Do you see the difference between the two dogs?
Where Joe is calm...
...and can move the sheep by eyeing them...
...your dog is struggling. He's lunging.
All right, that's it. Call him in.
Devon? Devon.
Devon. Devon!
Come here. Devon!
Devon!
Oh, you little shit!
Come here!
Why are you such a mess?
Away to me, Joe.
Come here, come here, come here. Devon. Devon, Devon.
Come here!
Away to me, Devon. Come on...
...work with me, Devon.
Come on, come on, come on. Come here.
Away to me, Joe.
Hold still.
Attaboy, Joe.
Just circle the sheep, that's all you were asked to do.
He failed the test, didn't he?
Yes.
You've gotta see this dog for who he is.
He's lost his connection to the world.
He's lost his connection to himself.
He's lost his instinct and you're not helping him find it.
I don't understand what you're talking about.
It's not the dog that's messed up, you're messed up.
This dog is the least of your problems.
Come on, come on.
You paid $200.
I'm gonna give you $200 worth.
I didn't pay $200 for your psychobabble.
- Get back here. - It's my problem?
- Yes. - My problem?
- Yes! - It's me?
Yes. You are one angry son of a bitch.
Come on. Come on!
Come on!
Son of a bitch.
Hello, hi. Don't need any help.
- I don't need any help. - Name's Anthony.
Wonderful, you have a name. What don't you understand...
...about "I don't need help," Anthony?
What's this? Oh, no.
It works better if it's on.
All right, all right, all right.
Yeah.
First-time operator.
- You gotta keep it square. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
All right, all right.
Come here, come here.
I got a shepherd-husky mix.
He doesn't have half the power of this dog.
You married?
Yeah.
- She's not here. - No, she's not.
Separated?
No.
No, we have a great marriage.
We're independent, you know?
We accept short absences from each other.
Sometimes...
...she accepts them with disturbing enthusiasm.
- So let me know how much I owe you. - Yeah.
I'll send you a bill.
Hey, take it easy there, old guy.
All right, Anthony.
That dog's got a lot of energy.
Who is the owner of this crazy dog?
- Be nice. - Here he comes.
- This is my daughter, Ida. - Hi, Ida.
I've been telling her about your dog.
Who are these guys?
They wanted to see him too.
He's running.
What do you feed this dog?
Special dog food.
High in protein, high in fat.
Anthony says you brush this dog's teeth.
His teeth were rotten when I got him.
Hey, how much you spend on feeding this dog?
Forty dollars a week.
I can't spend that much on a cow.
Well, my dog's smarter than your cow.
I'd like to be this guy's dog.
If he's so much trouble...
...maybe you should just get rid of him.
I'm not getting rid of this dog.
I'm not giving up on him.
Leave your dog in the car.
Go take your anger out on that hay.
And when you're finished, come and see me.
The first thing you do...
...is stay calm.
Make eye contact...
...say his name...
...and give him a treat.
- Devon, look here. - No.
Only say his name.
Devon.
Again.
Devon.
Do it again.
Devon.
Do it again.
Devon.
Do it again.
Devon.
- Again. - Devon.
And again.
Devon.
Let's try one more thing today.
Look him in the eye, say his name...
...and then ask him to sit.
Devon...
...sit.
Sit.
Good boy.
Good boy. That's my boy.
- Good boy. - Well, that's about it for today.
That's it?
One small step at a time.
You're welcome to...
...come back and continue whenever you can.
Beginnings are hard.
Come on.
I should've been there when you got there.
I'm sorry.
When are you coming home?
Soon.
- When? - Paula, I...
You know, soon.
Yeah, I'll... I'll...
I'll be home soon.
Devon?
Devon!
Devon?
Oh, shit!
Devon!
Come here.
What's up?
Those are the keys to the farmhouse.
I'm going home.
Good.
I'll be back.
- You're coming back? - Oh, yeah, I'll be back.
Maybe I can get my wife and daughter to come up, you know?
You think you'd be able to take care of the place for a while?
- Yeah. - Yeah?
Glad to.
All right.
You need me to do anything right away?
That faucet in the kitchen,
I could never get that thing to stop leaking.
- I'll take care of it. - Okay.
Thanks, Anthony.
See you.
See you, Devon.
Good boy.
Yeah.