وطن نيوز
LONDON – Kab, a two-year-old Doberman wearing a blue bandanna, is noticeably anxious.
Sometimes called “cupcake,” he is roughly the size and weight of a teenage boy and has the energy to match. At the moment, he is being led around the courtyard of a cinema in East London by one of his owners, Luisa Fulcher, to walk off his jitters and allow for one last bathroom break before he and a handful of other dogs settle in for something unusual: their first moviegoing experience.
Last weekend, Curzon Cinemas, a chain with 16 locations in Britain, began allowing dogs to attend select movie screenings with their owners, starting with Strays” an expletive-laden, live-action comedy that follows a group of dogs (voiced by actors including Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx) that unite to seek revenge on an owner.
London is a paradise for pooches, which are regularly found at the feet of their owners at restaurants, pubs, on trains and in many other public places. Movie theatres may be next to welcome dogs, thanks in part to the pandemic.
In Britain, which has a population of about 67 million people, there are an estimated 11 million pet dogs, according to a report this year by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a veterinary charity. Pet ownership surged during the pandemic, and now that workers are being encouraged to return to the office, some pets and their owners are struggling with the transition.
“A lot of people got dogs during the pandemic, and they want to come and see a film with their dog,” said Jake Garriock, head of publicity at Curzon. He said the new screenings were part of a larger programme designed to let customers watch films in ways that best suit them, such as screenings for infants that feature reduced volume and increased lighting.
For now, Curzon is allowing dogs of any breed at only one screening a week, at only one of the chain’s London locations, Mr Garriock said. (And no, separate tickets are not required for dogs.) They are not allowed on the seats, and their owners must clean up any accidents.
Curzon is not alone in welcoming dogs. Picturehouse Cinemas, another British chain, has offered pup-friendly screenings since 2015, and there are numerous independent movie theatres in Britain that do so. (Most cinemas, however, allow only service dogs.)
Back outside the theatre, Ms Fulcher said she had brought a bone for Kab, who was now whimpering for attention and playfully jumping on a reporter.
“It’s a great idea because nowadays pets are part of the family,” she said of the theatre’s new screenings. “They are not just pets anymore. It’s like your little baby.”
For other dog owners, the screenings provide a new freedom. Ziad Dajani said he and his partner had not been to the movies together in four years because of Tarçin, their eight-year-old Australian labradoodle, who suffers from separation anxiety. “We’re his hostages, basically,” Mr Dajani said. “So we can’t leave him alone for a minute. Someone has to be with him all the time.”
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