Dog Gone takeaways: Differences between the film and the true story

Netflix's new film Dog Gone is heartwarming and emotional, and hits home if you love animals or own a pet. It's based on a true story but deviates from it in a few ways.

The film stars Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Johnny Berchtold in lead roles. Dog Gone is based on a book written by Pauls Toutonghi, which in turn is based on a real incident that took place in the 90s.

The film's official synopsis reads:

"When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication."

The names of the characters in the movie are taken from real life. Let's take a look at three differences between the real story and the cinematic one.

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Dog Gone: Three differences between the film and the true story

1) The real Gonker was a golden retriever

In the film, Gonker is a yellow Labrador retriever, who is adopted by Fielding Marshall from a shelter and then gets lost in the woods. But the real Gonker was a six-year-old golden retriever.

Although it is not known why the creators of the film changed the breed, it certainly didn't matter since both breeds are equally adorable and loveable. Gonker, in the film, gave a stellar performance, and it's obvious that he was trained well.

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2) The real incident took place in the 90s

Even though it was not revealed in which era the movie is set, from the looks of it, it's set in modern times. The characters are shown to possess smartphones, internet connections, social media profiles and have virtual meetings.

However, the real incident took place in the 90s. Fielding Marshall adopted Gonker in 1992 and lost him on October 10, 1998. The dog was six-years old when he fled into the woods. He was thankfully found on October 25, safe and unharmed.

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3) Fielding Marshall was much older in real life when he adopted Gonker

In Dog Gone, it was shown that Fielding got dumped by his girlfriend and then adopted Gonker to deal with his loneliness. But the real story is much more tragic.

The real Fielding Marshall's baby girl sadly passed away in 1991 during heart surgery. The child's mother soon left him without saying goodbye and Fielding fell deeper and deeper into depression. He then adopted Gonker who went on to live for five more years after being rescued. He was 11 when he died.

Fielding Marshall currently resides in Chile with his now-wife, children, and dog.

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What is Dog Gone about?

Dog Gone stars Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Johnny Berchtold. The film follows the father-son duo of Fielding and Jon on a quest to find their dog Gonker, who has gone missing while chasing a fox in the forest.

Gonker also suffers from Addison's disease, which requires him to take medication once every thirty days to preserve his life.

The film's IMDb description reads:

"Based on the true story of a father and son who repair their fractured relationship during a forced hike of the Appalachian trail to find their beloved lost dog."

Dog Gone is directed by Stephen Herek, with Nick Santora and Pauls Toutonghi on writing duties.

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Dog Gone is streaming on Netflix worldwide.