A Dog’s Purpose brought many laughs and even a few tears. It was released on January 26, following its week-long delay after a scandal involving the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Adapted from a novel written by W. Bruce Cameron, this flick tugs at every animal lover’s heartstrings.

A Dog’s Purpose follows the adventures of a loyal dog named Bailey, voiced by Josh Gad, and his original owner Ethan, played by Dennis Quaid. Throughout the movie, Bailey is reincarnated into various breeds with new owners every lifetime. He continues to learn more about his purpose as a dog. In each life, Bailey faces heart-wrenching struggles like abuse and neglect. The audience is overcome with tears after each of Bailey’s deaths and immediately feels sad for his owners. A Dog’s Purpose was very similar to the 2008 tearjerker, Marley & Me.

“After watching the movie, I couldn’t wait to come home and hug the life out of my two dogs. The movie was really eye-opening to how dogs can sense their owner’s emotions and judge people’s character,” said freshman Trinity Hofstetter.

A Dog’s Purpose also featured a couple of intense scenes, one of which was subject to investigation by PETA. In a video released by TMZ, a German Shepherd named Hercules seemed to be resisting a trainer trying to force the dog into churning waters.  Actors Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad and Director Lasse Halstrom all spoke out against the abuse of Hercules and expressed their shock at the video.

Due to the negative connotation surrounding the movie, Universal Studios canceled the premiere and moved it back a week. Despite this step, A Dog’s Purpose still opened with PETA protests outside of numerous theaters. Producer of the movie and animal rights activist, Gavin Palone spoke out against the allegations calling the video “misleading.” PETA has since responded to Palone, denying that the video could not be interpreted as anything other than an act of abuse.

The plot of the movie was lost at times and most parts were very predictable. It is unfortunate that the heart-warming film was marred by claims of animal abuse. However, A Dog’s Purpose was a family-friendly movie, which will appeal to the dog lover in you. It deserves six out of ten stars.