JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Pets can be like another member of the family. Well, at least that's the way it is in my house. There's no better feeling than when my dog runs to the door to greet me when I get home from a long day of work or when he curls up next to me on the couch when I'm watching a movie. That is exactly how I watched a new documentary directed by Bryce Dallas Howard.
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD: The relationship between humans and animals and that experience of cohabitating and the personalities and the mutual needs, it is a joy to navigate. And man, oh, man, for me, it's been the stuff of life.
SUMMERS: The film is called "Pets," and I started off by asking her what pushed her to take her love of animals and make it the basis for a documentary.
HOWARD: There's a side of people that come out when they're talking about their pets that's very revealing and incredibly human. And so I pitched "Pets" to my producer and he said, sounds bad for my allergies. And now, many years later, he has a dog that he's obsessed with...
(LAUGHTER)
HOWARD: ...And he's totally a pet guy now.
SUMMERS: Well, one of the things that's really remarkable is that this documentary includes pet owners from all over the world. I'd love to know more about one of those specific stories, just to give folks an example. There's a man named Sterling Davis from Asheville, North Carolina, who is a rapper...
HOWARD: Yes.
SUMMERS: ...Who also rescues cats for a living. His beloved cat's name is Rick James. Can you tell us a bit about his story?
HOWARD: Yes, yes. So his kind of way into pet rescue was through his cat, who is no longer alive, but he - you know, he talks about him in past tense and was really, you know, his best friend. And he learned so much about cats and that kind of love, the depth of love. He grew up as a kid kind of in a - he's alluded to kind of not the most sort of, like, loving upbringing on the whole but always would bond with animals.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "PETS")
STERLING DAVIS: I felt voiceless. I felt like I couldn't do anything. So you feel a little helpless, like you don't have nobody. I see the cats the same way.
HOWARD: He has an organization, and he has a really robust Instagram. And he rescues cats and does a lot as well in the education space so that folks know the benefits of not just rescuing cats but also spay and neutering and why it's very important to just be responsible in terms of being a pet guardian.
SUMMERS: This documentary really covers the whole range of what it means to be a pet guardian and that - the love and the joy that our pets give us. And there's also, of course, the sad reality that in most cases, we outlive our pets and then we have to let them go. I'd love to hear you just talk about how you approached that part of our relationship with our pets.
HOWARD: Lifespan sucks (laughter).
SUMMERS: Yeah.
HOWARD: That ratio really sucks, you know. That was something that was important for me to explore but also to explore lightly. I didn't want to go anywhere that I wouldn't feel comfortable kind of talking about with a 6-year-old. And what I found so fascinating was when I did actually talk to all the kids about pet loss, they were so wise.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "PETS")
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: An animal just loving you unconditionally makes a connection you just can't break.
SUMMERS: You and I are both people who have had so many rich and rewarding relationships with animals throughout our lives. But I realize that not everybody is in that camp, and some people might think it's silly or basic to devote so much time to creating art about our pets. Is there a story or a conversation or a part of the documentary that you'd point to, to help them understand what these animals mean to so many of us?
HOWARD: When I was actually kind of coming up with this idea and trying to set it up, I learned that there are more people who have pets than have children.
SUMMERS: Wow.
HOWARD: And that, to me, was really interesting 'cause there's a lot more space for parenting and that conversation and all of that. And people who are really devoted to their pets, there is a perception - maybe, maybe - that that gets a little much for some folks. And I think that's maybe the stigma that hopefully, in a way, if there is one (laughter) - if there is one at all, that, you know, this movie, you see just the variety of relationships and the depth of those relationships and that any sort of eccentricities that come with a person who is obsessed with their pets, you understand the love that is behind that and empathize with - you know, with their humanity.
SUMMERS: (Laughter) Bryce Dallas Howard is the director of "Pets," which is streaming on Disney+. Bryce, thank you.
HOWARD: Thank you so, so much.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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