Dog Gone Plot Synopsis
Dog Gone starts off with Fielding, a young college student, lamenting a recent breakup. To alleviate his spirits, he ends up adopting a dog from the pound and naming him Gonker. Gonker grows up with Fielding at his university. While the rest of his friends get jobs and move on with their lives, Fielding moves back in with his parents. Initially hesitant, his parents John and Ginny Marshall soon fall in love with Gonker too.
When Gonker falls sick, the family find out that he has Addison’s disease and needs a shot every month. He recovers from that first bout of illness and all seems well, until one day when he runs after a fox and doesn’t come back. Fielding looks for him for hours but can’t find him.
The next morning, the Marshalls kick off a full-blown search plan with Ginny spreading the word from home and John and Fielding going over the Appalachian trail. They have 20 days till Gonker needs his next shot, which means 20 days to find him.
So how does the movie end? Read on to find out!
How do John and Fielding search for Gonker?
John and Fielding search for Gonker over the Appalachian trail, covering ground by day and staying at motels by night. They pass out fliers and spread the news as much as possible. At the same time, Fielding keeps getting stomach aches and avoids eating food, but continues to walk miles and miles every single day. He hides it all from his father so he can keep looking for Gonker.
Over days, the story of Gonker spreads and a lot more people begin to keep an eye out for the Labrador. John and Fielding get a call from a shelter that says they found Gonker, but when they reach it turns out to be another dog. Fielding is even more disheartened and his health deteriorates further.
Do the Marshalls reunite with Gonker?
Seeing Fielding’s weakened state, John makes the decision to go back home. Fielding wakes up in the car and is upset at finding himself in front of his house. He and his parents argue about going back to search for Gonker but his parents convince him it’s over.
Over the phone Fielding finally confesses to his sister about his unrelenting stomach pains and his inability to keep any food down. His sister demands that he tell his parents about it and get it checked. Just as Fielding is about to tell his parents, they get a call from a Matt Kesler who claims to have seen their dog. He says Gonker has been coming to eat the food from their garbage for the past day or so. He hasn’t been able to take a video of him but has seen him doing tricks and tossing up doughnuts with his nose.
This convinces the Marshalls to head out immediately. When they reach, Matt points John and Fielding to the trees where he usually sees Gonker emerging. Fielding calls out to him but he doesn’t appear. He is disheartened once again but then John sees a familiar furry face in between the trees. It’s Gonker!
What were Ginny Marshall’s flashbacks about?
Throughout the film, Ginny keeps getting flashes from her past. They’re memories from her childhood around the time when she was given a pet dog named Oji. While she gave Oji her whole heart, her parents were not so kind to him. Later, when he ran out under her parents’ watch and was run over by a car, she was heartbroken and vowed not to love another dog again.
This all changes when Gonker comes into Ginny’s life and clearly adores her. The two get along really well and she is distraught when he goes missing, afraid that she will lose a pet dog again. When John and Fielding finally bring Gonker home, he runs to greet Ginny. She sees both, him and Oji, running into her arms.
What was the cause behind Fielding’s stomach aches?
The happily reunited family returns home only for Fielding to finally collapse from all the exhaustion. At the hospital, they find out he had ulcerative colitis and could have died without the surgery. All he needs now is rest.
How does Dog Gone end?
When John and Ginny realise that Fielding hasn’t been sleeping well at night in the hospital, John realises it’s because he is used to sleeping with Gonker. So he sneaks Gonker in by hiding him inside his jacket. Fielding is delighted to have Gonker by his side and is finally able to fall asleep properly.
Read More: Dog Gone Movie Review
There are some major issues with this movie. As the parent of an Addisonian dog there are some key IMPORTANT factors missing from this movie. I know I know, “Hollywood” but the care for an Addisonian dog REQUIRES a daily dose of prednisone, and if the dog is typical Addison’s they require an injection every 28 days. The daily prednisone cannot be missed, it can also cause severe illness issues with the animal. I have a tag on my dog that says “NEEDS DAILY MEDS” in hopes that should someone pick him up they will take him to be scanned so he can receive his medications.
I am glad that the disease is being brought to light, because 1) it is hard to diagnose, it is called the great pretender because it mimics many other illnesses. And 2) it is VERY rare, and most vets will never see a case in their entire career, but I wish the proper information was given about the disease.