Benji The Hunted

In his fourth feature, Benji is separated from his trainer (Frank Inn, his trainer in real life as well) after a fishing accident in the Pacific Northwest. Benji bravely dogpaddles to shore in the wilds and finds himself the unwitting protector of a litter of orphaned cougar cubs. The remainder of this charming movie chronicles Benji's frantic search for food and shelter for himself and the cubs while his trainer searches for him. Filmed in Oregon and Washington, the picture has almost no dialog after an initial 12-minute set-up. Still, once one gets into watching the animals perform, that opening dialog seems long.