An updated version will be available nationwide in theaters this weekend.
Following widespread outrage over a perceived message on the grooming of children and sexual abuse, "Show Dogs" has announced in a statement to InsideEdition.com that they will be removing the controversial scenes from the movie.
Global Road Entertainment, the company that is distributing "Show Dogs," said they will be removing two scenes that some parents said encouraged children to accept unwanted touching and apologized to anyone who was offended.
“I’m really glad that the studio took the public’s concerns and listened to them,” Terina Maldonado, an Arizona mommy blogger at Macaroni Kid, told InsideEdition.com.
After seeing “Show Dogs” with her family during an advanced screening, Maldonado said she was concerned that a glaring plot line appeared to portray child grooming and sexual assault.
A rough and tough police dog, Max, voiced by Ludacris, must compete in a prestigious dog show for an assignment. One crucial part in the competition is that each show dog must reluctantly have its genitals touched by the judges, and a former champion show dog teaches Max that the key to getting through the uncomfortable moment is to go to a "Zen place."
Maldonado, a survivor of child sex assault herself, wrote about her criticisms in a blog that has since gone viral, sparking outrage from fellow parents.
"I really just had to wonder with all the controversy that Hollywood is undergoing […] how somebody would not have caught that," Maldonado said. "I have no doubt that if a child had experienced something similar […] that would be very triggering to them."
While she said she is glad for the update, which she believes will make the movie more family friendly, she said she hopes parents will continue to be vigilant about what their children may be exposed to.
“I hope the conversation can now shift from ‘Show Dogs’ and continue in a productive way in helping to protect our children,” she said.
Read the full statement here:
Responding to concerns raised by moviegoers and some specific organizations, Global Road Entertainment has decided to remove two scenes from the film SHOW DOGS that some have deemed not appropriate for children. The company takes these matters very seriously and remains committed to providing quality entertainment for the intended audiences based on the film’s rating. We apologize to anybody who feels the original version of SHOW DOGS sent an inappropriate message. The revised version of the film will be available for viewing nationwide starting this weekend.
RELATED STORIES
