Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)

A scene from "Quill: The Life
of a Guide Dog."

Most dogs are born into this world to eventually become pets, treasured members of the family who provide enthusiastic loyalty and unbridled love to their owners while asking for very little in return. But Quill, the yellow Labrador retriever at the center of the bright and engaging “Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog”—a Japanese film directed by Yoichi Sai, adapted from a novel by Ryohei Akimoto and Kengo Ishiguro, and based on a true story—is poised for a lifetime of important service in helping a blind person to gain a measure of independence.

We follow Quill from puppydom, when it is determined that his distinct curiosity and capacity for individual thought separate him from the pack. The idea is neatly established in a scene in which Quill resists running along in sequence with the rest of his litter; instead, he stays by himself seemingly in quiet contemplation. Along with natural patience, Quill seems to have a unique desire to learn, a couple of integral components in becoming a guide dog.

Quill is born in Tokyo but his first year is spent in Kyoto with a pair of “puppy walkers,” who provide a loving home, care and safety, and lots of exercise for prospective guide dogs. It is the puppy walker’s responsibility, the narrator explains, to teach a dog to trust and feel comfortable around humans, which probably doesn’t sound like much of a challenge to anyone who has ever encountered a lab.

After Quill turns one, he leaves for a training facility to be taught the intricate points of being a guide dog—like knowing when to stop his master at a street curb, letting the owner know when there are obstacles blocking his path, or even when to disobey a master’s command if it puts him in danger (such as crossing a street against the traffic signal).

When Quill is ready to be on his own, he is put in charge of a blind journalist named Mitsuru Watanabe (Kaoru Kobayashi), a mild curmudgeon who gets around using a cane and doesn’t much care for dogs at first. But labs, in addition to being intelligent, are one of gentlest and most affectionate of all breeds, and soon Quill and Watanabe become inseparable friends.

Along with some sad and unapologetically sentimental moments, there is humor in the movie, especially during scenes when Quill is at play. Indeed, he loves his work, because his work involves people. Still, the moments when he is just being a regular dog, getting into childish mischief—like he does at one point in a scene with Watanabe’s young son—are fun to watch and provide an intriguing contrast to the “on the job” scenes.

When you consider this film and how many other things dogs are capable of doing—beagles and bloodhounds sniffing out bombs and drugs, border collies keeping herds of cows and horses in check, German Shepherds doubling as police dogs—it’s not surprising how far ahead they are in the hierarchy of domesticated animals. By being a story of one special dog, “Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog” pays tribute to all of them.