Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale 1986

Set in a rural environs outside the town of Raupo in New Zealand, the film centers on sheep and cattle farmer Wal Footrot and his border collie sheepdog Dog. Wal is supported on Footrot Flats by his nature-loving neighbour Cooch Windgrass, by local boy Rangi, and by Wal’s niece Pongo Footrot.

Wal and Cooch find themselves threatened by their troublesome neighbours, the Murphys, led by patriarch Irish Murphy and backed by his two sons Spit Murphy and Hunk Murphy, who try to steal Cooch’s deer and stag. The tension escalates when the Murphys buzz Wal’s shearing shed from their “deer slayer” helicopter, sending Dog into a sheep dip where he nearly drowns. This incident triggers a flashback in which Dog recalls being given as a puppy to Wal by Aunt Dolly and meeting his future girlfriend Jess. The memory ends with Wal saving and reviving him.

Beyond farming, Wal pursues two non-agricultural obsessions: his relationship with his girlfriend, the local hairdresser Cheeky Hobson, and his constant attempts to impress a selector for New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks. Dog initially rails against Wal’s romance with Cheeky, but the dog’s own troubles unfold when Jess is swept away in a flood and winds up at the Murphys’ farm, where she faces danger from rats and ferocious “croco-pigs.” Dog rescues Jess from the rats, yet the two dogs become targets of Irish Murphy’s menace. Meanwhile, Rangi manages to steer Wal away from a rugby game and toward the Murphys’ property. Together, Dog and Jess embark on a perilous raft journey with the fearless cat Horse, who has been shot by Irish. Rangi and Wal race to rescue Jess, but Dog and Horse are swept out to sea. The group returns to the shore, unable to spot the missing dogs, who are presumed dead—only to reappear, riding a giant wave back to land. The story closes with a cheerful note: Dog and Jess are now proud parents, welcoming a litter of puppies.