I was hooked into this low budget film after the boat accident. I also have a lab and was impressed with how well trained "Yellow" was. But I gave it a 2 rating based on it completely jumping the shark at the end. Not only will watching a dog fall 127 feet traumatize your kids, the suspension of disbelief that the dog actually survived with only a broken/hurt leg is asking too much. And to end the film begging viewers to believe "Yellow" swam off the island and walked 149 miles back home is pathetic. Quite frankly, I would have given it a higher rating if it had taken the Old Yeller route instead with the same moral of "the dog makes the ultimate sacrifice by trying to protect the boy who would not have survived to that point if not for the dog." But then, children wouldn't watch it a 2nd time in today's world. For the record, I watched Old Yeller at least a few x every year growing up, and understood why it affected people both positively and negatively (which is what good films should inspire to do).
