Finding man’s best friend in Alpha

MANILA, Philippines — If you love movies and dogs, Alpha, the “ancient” love story between man and canine, is the newest animal-themed film to watch. 

Set in Europe during the last Ice Age some 20,000 years ago, Alpha has been touted as the origins tale about the “domestication of the dog” — or how dogs came to be known as “man’s best friend.“ The movie runs for 96 minutes only, with most of the screen time devoted to a young, novice hunter named Keda (played by Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee) and a lone wolf he would later name Alpha. It’s a moving not to mention visually stunning story that will enthrall even non-pet owners.

In Alpha, a failed hunting expedition leaves Keda almost dead and hopeless, until he encounters a pack of wolves about to attack him and he injures one to protect himself. He, however, nurses to life the wounded animal, and the “enemies” turn into companions fighting together for their survival against the forces of nature.

Gateway Cineplex held a special screening for Alpha in cooperation with Sony-Columbia Pictures Philippines at the 40-seater Gateway Platinum Cinema on Sept. 4 for select media and celebrity guests. Gateway Cineplex teamed up with Araneta Center’s Pet Pals for a canine-centric effort that also focused on the ties between man and dog.

  Canine life coach Genevieve Reyes with her dog Storm

A highlight of the event was talking to canine life coach Genevieve Reyes. The 26 year old was the first Filipina recruit on world-renowned dog behaviorist Cesar Millan’s National Geographic show Cesar’s Recruit: Asia which aired this year. She was accompanied to the event by her flat-coated Retriever named Storm, interacting with guests and performing some tricks including dancing and even praying for a successful screening.

In a brief chat with STAR, Genevieve shared how she became a dog trainer. Interestingly, like Keda in Alpha, she also nursed her dog ­— then suffering from a fatal virus — to health after adopting her from a breeder.

“It wasn’t really part of my plan to be a dog trainer but I just enjoyed studying dog behavior because I study Psychology at UP. I took an interest in dogs when I had my first dog four years ago. I was a very (late bloomer). Now, I take Storm to my adventures, to Boracay and everywhere I go. She’s really a companion to me,” she said.

“When I had a dog, my parents didn’t really approve because they weren’t really animal lovers, so I got compelled to learning how to train the dog, because I wanted to have a well-behaved dog,” she added. 

She started to post videos and pictures of her adventures with Storm online, which caught the attention of Millan who was looking for Asian trainers for his show. She was surprised that he accepted her because she wasn’t a professional. “I asked him, why did you choose me? He said you have the passion and the heart for it. He kind of mentioned that with regards to skill it can easily be taught but with compassion, not so much. That’s when I found purpose to it, okay, maybe I should do this.”

  Michelle Gumabao and her dog Brie

Perhaps, it also helped that the famed “dog whisperer” had a high regard for Filipinos. “He said, ‘Filipinos are always willing to help other people.’ That’s why he selected three Filipinos, me being the only Filipina. For me, it’s a big honor because the dog training industry, it’s a male-dominated industry. So, I’d like to believe it’s a game-changer that he selected a female.”

Genevieve’s skills have already been sought out even by some celebrities, but she also wonders why there aren’t that many female pet trainors. “I feel that maybe they think if there’s an aggressive dog, the female trainer can’t handle it. That’s what I think because I would always get the same concern from other people whenever I’m given, for example, a difficult case to handle. People would always worry, compared to male trainers na ‘ah kaya niya yan.’ So, I kinda get where they’re coming from. But I’d like to change that, hopefully.”

She is set to further train under Millan from whom she learned that with training dogs, “you have to look within, it’s how you are as a person, ‘coz it has to start with the person really, before you could change the behavior of the dog. For example with dogs, about living simply, about loving unconditionally, about the value of trust and respect even with dogs that are very anxious. It’s very similar to how Alpha is, about the ancient relationship of a dog and a man. It’s not only about the technical skills, it’s about values also.”

The screening and dog activities were supported by Araneta Center’s Pet Pals, the program that introduced Araneta Center as a pet-friendly community. Regular visitors can register their pets at the Gateway Mall, Farmers Plaza, and Ali Mall concierge for their Pet Pals ID so owners can bring them inside stores marked with the Pet Pals logo.

Pet Pals also donated dog food to its partner org DLSU MedVet Organization SAVER/LadySAVER, which is active in conducting mass anti-rabies vaccination in different areas, spay and neuter programs, holding seminars, visiting animal shelters and temporarily adopting strays and finding them shelters.

(Alpha is now showing in cinemas nationwide.)