Musician turned dog trainer, Tim Almeida CPDT-KA / FDM, takes center stage at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January with the debut of his captivating project, Dog Spelled Backwards. The social impact film and content series features Tim, as an expert trainer, the lovable dogs he trains within the shelter system, and the dedicated, compelling personalities among the shelter workforce.

Alongside Tim’s close friend and film director Richie “Abstrak” Soto, these two former professional breakdancers have teamed up to a first hand account of life in the shelters. In the series, we follow Almeida’s mission to tell compelling stories that inspire change.

The series made its debut at the Slamdance Film Festival this month. While there, the team also kicked off the social impact “Shelter to Shelter” campaign aimed at raising awareness of shelter dogs and professionals, improving adoptability of shelter animals through training, and exploring the mental health benefits of the relationship between human and dog.

I had the opportunity to screen parts of Dog Spelled Backwards as lead up to its Slamdance premiere. This docuseries is informative, personal and a call to action. To anyone who is a dog lover, dog owner and an animal lover, in general, many of the topics presented will make good sense. We also learn more about what life is like for dogs in shelters, the dedicated staff who work tirelessliy to give these animals a second chance at life, and we also learn about what we can do to ameliorate and improve current conditions.

Sharing with you my interview with Tim Almeida where we talk about his work, Dog Spelled Backwards premiering at Slamdance, and much more.

You can learn more about the series, Dog Spelled Backwards, Tim Almeida’s journey, and their “Shelter to Shelter” campaign through this website.