Our continued love affair with our pets ? dogs in particular ? gets another treatment in this stunningly illustrated and moving story about a man that finds companionship with a dog late in life. Based on the 1956 novel by J.R. Ackerley, [My Dog Tulip] hinges on the abandoned search by a middle-aged writer to find true “friendship.” Oddly, he finds exactly that after he adopts a German shepherd despite his apathy towards dogs. Over the course of almost 15 years, the awkward duo manages to learn and grow from and with each other, illuminating the bond between pet and owner. This is not the sentimental melodrama of [Marley & Me], or the slapstick of [Beethoven]. [My Dog Tulip] is a vivid memoir that has as much to say about humanity and nature as it does about dogs, and it does so without over-wrought emotion or mawkishness. Elegantly animated by Paul and Sandra Fierlinger, the film is sensitive, funny, moving, and empathetic. Everything a good dog should be.