You dog, you

Last January 225 told the story of one of the most revered, innovative dog trainers in Louisiana—and, arguably, the nation. Now a local filmmaker with hundreds of hours of footage is close to rolling out Dog Man: The Dick Russell Story, a feature-length documentary on the Baton Rouge trainer who died of complications from cancer last year.

“I first met him, and he was in his overalls, stomping and speaking to these dogs, and I thought, ‘Unbelievable! Who else in their 70s would be on their hands and knees on concrete for someone else’s pets? I have to tell his story,’” says award-winning commercial director Richie Adams.

Dog Man traces Russell’s unique methods, his selfless love of animals and their owners and the lasting impact he had on both local families and dog training nationwide.

Beyond key partnerships with Petz Plaza, Raising Cane’s and Zoes Kitchen, Dog Man has been Adams’ self-funded passion project. In April he launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finish the film with a budget for more editing time, music licensing and cross-country travel for interviews with those Russell inspired. The Kickstarter effort ends this month, and Adams hopes to finish the picture for a Baton Rouge premiere this fall.

“I just want the film to do justice to a great man,” Adams says. thedogmanmovie.com