"12 Dogs of Christmas" coming to a TV screen near you

Look out for dogs while you do your holiday shopping: The 12 Dogs of Christmas, a new direct-to-video movie, is available at Wal-Marts and other stores near you. The movie, directed by Oscar-winner Kieth Merrill, includes a cast of 100 dogs, 70 children, and familiar faces such as John Billingsley, Richard Riehle, and Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers series--"Send in the FEMBOTS!")

Based on a 1998 bestselling book written by Emma Kragen, the daughter of the movie's Executive Producer, the story is about a town without love because it has banned all dogs. When a 12-year old arrives to the town and sees the mean dogcatcher at work, she decides to save the dogs and ends up saving the town's spirit, as well.

The $1.75 million project was plagued with troubles, as reported by the Monterey Herald. Threatened strikes, uncooperative dogs, permitting problems, and warm weather--the movie is supposed to be set in winter--all made the shoot very difficult. But, all's well that ends well and the movie can now be found in stores. Amazon.com also has it for sale. (Fair warning: While one of the reviews on Amazon.com calls it "SO GREAT!", another says "This movie is dark... and the storyline is definitely not in the Christmas spirit.")

You can learn more on the official site: http://12DogsOfChristmas.com.