Is A Dog’s Way Home Based on a True Story?

‘A Dog’s Way Home’ is a heartwarming film that revolves around a pitbull mix who unwaveringly undertakes an Odyssey after being separated from her human owner. Bella met Lucas when she was just a young pup and found her forever home with him. However, excruciating circumstances end up separating the two. Still, Bella’s loyalty and dedication remain steadfast as she finds herself fearlessly facing the hundreds of miles between him and her family. The journey ends up taking the canine down an unexpected path, as she makes friends with cougars and runs from the literal wolves.

This 2019 Charles Martin Smith film retains a sense of wonder and authenticity all at once as it pitches the Lucas’ four-legged pal at the tale’s center as the protagonist. Consequently, the up-close and personal dive into Bella’s journey keeps the narrative riveting and full of surprises. As such, after following the dog on her adventures, one can’t help but wonder just how much of her story is rooted in reality.

A Dog’s Way Home is Based on a W. Bruce Cameron Novel

By and large, the story that unfolds in ‘A Dog’s Way Home,’ centering around Bella and her precarious adventures, remains a work of fiction. The film is an on-screen adaptation of W. Bruce Cameron’s eponymous 2017 novel, brought to the screen under the creative collaboration of the author, screenwriter Cathryn Michon, and director Charles Martin Smith. Even though the source material tells a fictionalized story, it retains notable connections to real life. Cameron has long been a prolific writer of dog-centric literature, debuting his writing career with ‘A Dog’s Purpose,’ first published in 2010.

As a result, Cameron often received stories about dogs in his e-mail, many of which told tales of devoted pets finding their way back to their owners even after a long separation. These types of instances sparked the author’s interest in the much-documented instance of dogs tracking down their homes all by themselves. However, after discovering a world of theories involving scent-tracking and the sense to find the magnetic north, Cameron came up with his own explanation. He believed that a pull of love and belonging brought these dogs back to their families. Thus, his 2017 book came into existence.

“Couldn’t be possible the real reason that dogs find its way home is from the tug of the invisible leash of love leading her unerringly to her person,” Cameron said in a 2019 conversation with LRM Online. “The impetus for ‘A Dog’s Way Home’ is just my own personal exploration of this phenomenon that we don’t really understand it, as humans.” Furthermore, Cameron went out of his way to study and examine Colorado and its trail to get a first-hand understanding of the geography his literary protagonist would be traversing. As such, even though the author ended up building Bella’s story from the ground up, real stories about real dogs and their similarly fascinating journeys ignited his initial inspiration.

A Dog’s Way Home Infuses Bella’s Narrative With Realistic Elements

Since Charles Martin Smith’s adaptation of ‘A Dog’s Way Home’ remains faithful to the source material, much of the realism in Bella’s literary journey is appropriately translated on the screen. As a result, the film retains relevant themes that root its narrative in real life. For instance, the initial source of conflict in the story emerges from Lucas and Bella’s experiences with breed-specific legislation, which bans pit bulls from Denver, Colorado, with only one warning offered before the implementation of euthanization. The unfortunate rule was indeed a part of Denver’s law, first introduced in 1989. Fortunately, this ban was overturned in 2020. Nonetheless, at the time of writing, many different cities, including Maryland’s Prince George’s County, Iowa’s Council Bluffs, and more, continue to levy a ban on pitbulls.

Therefore, Bella’s tale serves to educate and spread awareness about such breed-specific bans. Inversely, other aspects of the on-screen canine’s story authentically portrays the bright side of dog ownership and its communal benefits. The storyline revolving around Bella’s work as an unofficial therapy dog for veteran support group circles particularly shines a light on this. Director Smith was particularly mindful about bringing this part of the canine protagonist’s story, also lifted from Cameron’s work, to the screen. “We wanted to highlight the value of dogs as therapy dogs,” The filmmaker told The Credits. “They’re being used more and more in hospitals and with veterans with PTSD and so forth. They can be very comforting, and it’s a part of Bella’s personality in the movie that she helps.” Thus, these elements, paired with the film’s decision to use an actual dog for most of the filming, ensured that a sense of realism remained evident throughout the story.