A Dog's Way Home movie Archives - Over The Top Mommy

I received promotional items in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

As a pet lover and pet owner, I always get excited for anything and everything pet-related! Whether it’s a cute animal coffee mug, a contraption to help me better improve my selfie with my pet, or an animal film. I literally melt for dogs, cats, horses, pigs, you name it! Animals are such kind and gentle creatures and if I could have an entire house and farm full of them, I know I’d be living my best life! Today I’m excited for the release of “A Dog’s Way Home” in theaters everywhere! Watch this cute clip from the movie:

I teared up in a big way just watching that clip of the film. It definitely pulls on your heartstrings. I’ve also already read the book with my daughter, which was a great read too. It’s written by W. Bruce Cameron, who also wrote the screenplay and co-produced the film.
Here’s a synopsis of A Dog’s Way Home:
As a puppy, Bella finds her way into the arms of Lucas, a young man who gives her a good home. When Bella becomes separated from Lucas, she soon finds herself on an epic, 400-mile journey to reunite with her beloved owner. Along the way, the lost but spirited dog touches the lives of an orphaned mountain lion, a down-on-his-luck veteran and some friendly strangers who happen to cross her path.

One of the things my students get excited about in the classroom is art! Anytime they get to draw, color, paint, cut and/or glue, first graders are elated! I know this because it’s almost impossible for them to hide their excitement and keep calm about art, and this makes me happy! During our morning meeting time this week, many of my students have shared how much they were looking forward to seeing “A Dog’s Way Home”. So, I set up an independent work station during our small groups and set out the book that the film was adapted from and let them create their own tiny pet portraits! How cute did this one turn out? “A Dog’s Way Home” is now playing in theaters. Purchase your tickets ahead of time here. You can share your own story about your dog’s journey home by uploading photos, video and your story on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #ADogsWayHome and #ShareMyDogStory. for a chance to be featured on their site too.

I received promotional items in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

Let’s talk about reading , as in reading for leisure. Do you have a book you’re reading right now? Up until recently, I’ll admit that I did not. With the start of a new year, one of the things I’m trying to do more of is leisure reading. I now make a conscious effort to carry a book in my purse so I can just pull it out to read whenever I have a little bit of down time.One of the main reasons I want to read more this year is because I’ve noticed a big decline in the amount of reading my own daughter has been choosing to do “for fun”. As a teacher and a mom, this was starting to concern me. After doing a little bit of research about teens and how much they actually read for pleasure, I found one study that says:

Less than 20 percent of U.S. teens report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure.

That is an eye-opening statistic. Digital media and technology have a lot of influence on kids (and adults as well) and they almost seem to be reducing in the amount they’re reading for pleasure (or at all). So, I decided that I was going to try my hardest to continue fostering that love of reading in my own daughter.I put together a list of useful tips for helping to further a child’s love of reading and I want to share it with you.

Model what leisurely reading looks like – This is a big one. If you’re not reading for fun, your child won’t have that modeling and may not realize just how important it is to be doing so.
Have a “book chat” – I’ve always tried to stay current on the subjects my daughter is studying in school, including the assigned novels she reads for her classes. I also try to have knowledge of books she’s reading on her own. I feel like my showing interest in what she’s reading and even having little “book chats” keeps her more motivated to read independently. It also helps strengthen our mother-daughter bond.
Spend time together at your public library or local bookstore – My daughter and I love to visit our public library together but also find ourselves sitting for hours in a local bookstore. It’s so much fun to get lost in books while sitting side by side.
Set up a cozy reading corner or reading nook at home – When my daughter was really young, she used to have a “reading tent” set up in our family room that she would spend hours at a time inside of, just reading books. She outgrew the tent a few years ago but it’s fun to have an inviting area set up at home, such as a corner with big pillows or a sunny windowseat where you can sit and read comfortably.
Make it fun with some thematic snacks – I feel like having snacks on hand always makes reading better. Thematic ones are even better. We made some adorable dog bone-shaped
Make connections between literature and film – One of my most favorite things to do with my daughter is to find a book we both enjoy, that is being made into a film, and read it together because the film comes out in theaters. After we watched the trailer for “A Dog’s Way Home” a few months ago, I knew this book, written by W. Bruce Cameron, was next on our “to read” list. It’s such a heartwarming story and because we’re big animal lovers in our home, it was a story that made us very emotional. Now that we’ve both read it, we’ll be ready to see it when it hits theaters on January 11th!

“A Dog’s Way Home” chronicles the heartwarming adventure of Bella, a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human. Oh my heart!

You can watch the official trailer here:

This film has an all-star voice cast featuring Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King,
Edward James Olmos, Alexandra Shipp, Wes Studi and Bryce Dallas Howard and will be in theaters in just a couple more days. Will you be heading out to see it? After reading the book, I know we will!

For the latest updates on the film, please visit HERE.

Some images and trailer are property of Sony Picture and used with permission.