You Lucky Dog (2010) - full transcript

Jim Rayborn has for years been doing most of the work of his grim father Clay's farm, yet couldn't convince the patriarch to switch from cattle to sheep because the warmer climate favors shorter grasses. For Jim's mother's funeral, his sister Lisa returns from New York. Jim expects she'll leave again soon, but learns later her alleged fashion career was a lie. She forces Clay to allow adopting a sheepdog, which Jim considered too expensive: young Lucky, who was dumped at the pond which nature-devoted ma used to help run with veterinarian Don, who soon becomes more then friends with her. Lucky proves talented as the siblings train her, until storm causing a forest fire makes her a canine but temporarily disabled hero. Truth time approaches for everyone.



They got a nice
little town here.

Funny place for a vacation.

Family. I grew up here.

No kidding.

You look like you've
been gone a long time.

A lot of changes, I guess, huh?

Doesn't look like it.

Excuse me...

Have you seen Jim Rayborn here?

No, I haven't seen him around
today, actually...



Lisa?

Laurie Hanson?

Laurie Hunnicutt,
for about 20 years now.

Give me a hug!

It's good to see you.

I'm sorry... about your mom.

Thank you.

So I guess you're
here for the funeral?

Yeah. I'm thinking about
sticking around for a while.

I never expected you
to come back here.

Oh... New York can get by
without me for a little while.

Lisa?

Jim.

Hey.



Sorry I'm late, little sister.

I never expected the bus to
actually be on time.

No, no, I've only been here a
couple of minutes.

Well, we should go, because Dad
really wants to see you.

Bye, Laurie. I'll see you soon.

Yes, take care. Bye-bye.
Bye, Jim.

What's with all
the sheep around here?

You notice how warm it is,
for this time of year?

Yeah.

Well, the grass notices it too.

The longer bladed varieties
are dying out.

The shorter ones are thriving.

Sheep do a lot better than
cattle on short grass.

So are you switching to sheep?

Lot of farmers are.

Afternoon, Jim.

Neil.

Is this Lisa?

Hi, Neil.

I didn't recognize you.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Amazing, isn't he?

He's won Best Herder three years
running, sheep dog trials.

Good herder saves you
a lot of work.

You should think about it, Jim,
for your weirdo sheep.

Yeah, well I got a lot of other
things on my mind right now.

Give Clay my best. Tell him,
if he needs anything...

Thanks.



Give me a minute, before we go
to the house, okay?

You okay?

Yeah.

Just... being back here...

opens a flood of memories.

Tell me...

about Mom... how did it happen?

Well, it was after dinner.

She was sitting by the
fireplace, crocheting something.

Suddenly there was
a tiny little tinkle...

The tiniest little sound.

It was her crochet hook
hitting the hard stone.

That was it.

Falling asleep.

It was all over
in a couple of seconds.

Jim, I wish I was here.

Oh, there's no way
you could've known.

Nobody could've.

You ready to go?

Yep. I guess.

(Car horn honking)

Welcome home, city girl.

I thought I was coming home
to help you,

now here I am,
crying on your shoulders.

Just let it all out.

I know...

It's hard to think of this place
and not think of your mother.

You got me going now.

Come on.

Let's get you inside...
get you settled.

Have something to eat,
and you'll feel so much better.

What?

First time I ever
saw your mother...

Friends brought her
to a party at the lake.

It turned cool, so there was
this big bonfire.

Even now, when I think of her,
that's how I see her.

Lifetime together...

I still see her standing

in the firelight by the lake.

You're seeing her
with your heart.

Well... time to hit the hay.

A lot to get through, tomorrow.

Yeah. I'm coming up soon.

Goodnight.

Goodnight, Jim.

Goodnight, Dad.

Sleep tight, Dad.

(Organ music playing)

But in the end, how do we
measure the success of a life?

The world says it's
material possessions,

but the world is wrong.

The true measure of a life

is in the love it leaves behind.

And never before has it been
more important to remember that.

To hold dear the ones we love
to our hearts,

and hold in spirit

who we are as a family...

as a friend.

I'll miss her.

I really will.

Your mother and I
stayed in touch,

after your brother's
and my divorce.

I wasn't sure.

Well... I still like Jim,

it's just we were never meant
to be married.

I couldn't believe it
when Laurie said

you were coming to stay
with us for a while.

Thank you.

Why would you come back here?

Bonnie? This is a fantastic
place to live.

But it's not New York!

We don't have the stores,
the restaurants, the museums...

I haven't been to
a museum in years,

and a restaurant usually just
means a hamburger for lunch.

Believe me... I'm not
going to miss Manhattan.

Yeah... right...

I'm happy to be home.

Excuse me.

Jim, tell your sister to stop
being so modest.

Hey, sis, I think we might want
to get Dad home.

Yeah.

Thank you so much for coming.

Oh...

We'll catch up soon.

Okay.

Dad.
Yes, Son?

It's time for us
to head home.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Thank you.

I'm Don Lally.

I knew your mom from her
volunteering down at the pound.

Oh, right... the pet adoptions.

Do you work at the pound?

I'm a vet, so your mom used to
run all the dogs by me

before she put them
up for adoption.

Well, she loved animals.

Yeah...

All kinds of nature, actually.

I remember a little while back,
I was up in the mountains,

I was helping her demarcate
this nature trail

that she wanted to create.

She knew the forest like the
back of her hand.

I couldn't keep up.
It was really amazing, actually.

She never mentioned it.

Yeah, she realized there's
a lot of kids

that grow up in the country...

they don't know anything
about the forest.

Your mom wanted to share
some of what she knew.

So we're gonna bring up groups
of kids from time to time.

She was... she was
something special.

You're lucky.

Oh, jeez, I'm sorry. I didn't...

Do you want a Kleenex
or something?

I can find you one if you...

No, I'm sorry.

It's okay, honey. You go ahead
and cry. It's good for you.

I'm sorry... I didn't...

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Come on, Son.

Come. Come here.
Hey, come! Come!

No, look at me!
Listen! Listen!

Hey, come! Come!

Come! Come here!

Not lie down, come! Come!

Come here! Go! Go on. Get.

Get. Get in the barn. Go on.

Hey.

Hey.

What's up?

Broken hoof.
I got antiseptic on it,

but I just gotta get
a little tape on it.

Here, let me help you.

That's all right. I got it.

No, let me help.

No, seriously, Lisa, I got it.

Lisa, I got it!

Lisa, look out!
Get the door!

One thing you gotta
know about sheep...

They're really, really stupid...

Except when they want to escape.
Then they're not so stupid.

That's all right, she's not
going to get very far.

It's dark. She's limping.

I'll help you find her.

No, no, no... You stay right
where you are.

I can't afford
to have any more wool

ripped out of my weirdo sheep.

(Laughing)

There you are.
I was starting to get worried.

Damn thing got into
the south meadow.

Must've chased it for two miles
before I caught it.

I'm sorry. Are you hungry?
Can I get you something to eat?

Okay...

What's up?

What do you mean?

You came home for Mom's funeral.

You've made it for
a couple Christmases.

Dad's birthday, once.

But it was always fly in on
Friday, fly out on Sunday night.

Do I need to have a reason?

Come on, you hate it here.

No I don't.

Remember when you
were a teenager?

You couldn't wait
to get out of here.

What I wanted wasn't here.

Fair enough.

You wanna design clothes,
Rockton's not the place to be.

But now, all of a sudden,
this is your home?

I need a break from New York.

Well, this is your home.

And you're always
welcome here, okay?

So, you just need a little break
from New York.

When you're ready,
you'll tell me.

Night.

Night.

When all is said an done...
good to have her back.

Shoot!

Perfect timing.

Want some chilli?

Sounds good to me, hon.

Had a bit of a late start,
this morning,

so I figured I'd make lunch.

That's a treat, right Jim?

Mm-hmm.

I'd volunteer to do dinner too,

but I'm sure there's something
outside I can help you with.

Well, we're going to be
taking the cattle

out into the back pasture.

If you get a few minutes,
you could feed the horses,

muck out the stables,
water the vegetable garden,

then bring the sheep in,
just around 4:00.

Jim...

Well, she said
she wanted to help.

No problem.

Should even give me enough time
to whip up something for dinner.

There you go...

Afternoon.
Hello.

I got a dog for you.

Okay, if you could just
fill out this form.



Whoa!

How hard can this be?

This way!

Wait, wait, wait, wait...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

No, no, no, no...

Together! Together!

That way!

Not too far that way!
That way!

You, with the horns!
Bring 'em over here!

Come on.

You're the sheep...
I'm the shepherd...

It's the way of the land.

Through the gate!

Thank you very much.

(Laughing)

Shh... calm down. Calm...

Easy! One at a time!
One at a time!

Wrong way! Wrong way! Wrong way!

No...

Stupid sheep!

(Bleating)

I can speak that language too.

You want me to speak
your language?

(Bleating)

Oh!

Oh...

Stupid sheep.

Come on. Come on.

We can do this. Come on,
everybody follow this guy.

He's the leader, come on.

No!

(Smashing)

Not that way!

No! Come back!

(Yelling)

(Chuckling)

Okay... you were right.

I forgot how hard farm work is.

It's all right.
I'll get used to it.

Hey, you ever think about
getting one of those dogs,

like Neil has?

Nope.

I could train it.

Can't afford it.

Spent everything I had,
buying the sheep.

Got no money for a dog.

It's really something
the farm could use.

I mean, maybe if
you spoke to Dad...

No!

I told you, Dad hates the very
idea of sheep on the farm.

Rayborns are cattlemen,
and that's it.

Even if the herd is getting
smaller and smaller every year,

and we're making
less and less profit.

That doesn't seem fair.

You work on this farm
as hard as he does.

And one of these days
the farm is gonna be yours.

It's gonna be ours.

No. I gave up any claim I had to
this farm when I left home.

You stayed home and worked
for it. It's yours.

That's not what Dad's thinking.

I don't care.

If he leaves me half the farm,
I'm giving it to you.

That's a long way away.

Anyway, I still think you should
talk to dad about a herder.

I mean, he's stuck in his ways,
yeah, but he's not unreasonable.

(Laughing)

You wanna bet?

Come on.
He'll never change his mind.

They're all terrific dogs.

They're just looking
for a good home.

Let's see which one you bond to.

Hey...

Hey!

That was fast.

She just got here, yesterday.
Neil Ingram brought her in.

So she's from Neil's kennel?

Mm-hmm.

So she's a herder.

To be honest,
he brought her in

because she doesn't have the
temperament for it.

You can herd, can't you, girl?

You just need a little extra
love and training. Yeah?

Okay, I'll risk it.

Look at that! You're going home!

Aren't you a lucky girl?

Lucky...
That's a good name for her.

What do you think, Lucky?
You like that?

Come on, Lucky, let's go home.

Sorry, we got started without
you, honey. It was getting late.

That's okay.

Where'd you go?

I went to town to run
a couple of errands.

Including...

a new addition to the farm.

Introducing...

Our new dog, Lucky.

Where did you get that dog?

Neil Ingram brought her to the
shelter, and I adopted her.

Get that animal out of my house.

What's the matter?

Now!

Dad, she's just trying to help.

I don't want that dog spending
one night under this roof.

What is the problem?

No discussion.

She's my dog and
I'm keeping her.

Maybe you should put her in the
barn for the night.

I'll take her back
in the morning.

I'm keeping her.

Even if I have to spend the
night in the barn with her.

If Neil Ingram gave the dog
away, it's no good.

He knows herders.

We have to take it back.

If you can have a flock of
sheep, I can have a dog.

Let's go, Lucky.

Lucky, what is happening here?

Hey. Marilyn, how are you?

See you later.

Hi, um...

Hi, I'm Don...
from the other day.

Lally, from the...

The vet. I remember.

Uh, listen, I think I made a
fool out of myself.

Oh, God, no. It wasn't your
fault at all, honestly.

I realize I embarrassed you,

and, well, that's why I was
embarrassed right now,

so much so that I couldn't
even face you, sorry...

Good. I guess that means
we're even now.

And neither of us ever have to
be embarrassed again.

Good.

Shh!

So, uh, what are
you looking for?

Um, I'm looking for a book on
how to train dogs to herd sheep.

Hmm... I think they're in here.
Wanna look?

Yeah.

All the animal books are over on
this shelf, here.

I don't know if there's anything
on sheep herding,

but this book is a great basic
dog training book.

And this one...

No, this is more about teaching
a dog tricks...

Like shake-a-paw,
go fetch the newspaper,

write a letter to the editor,
that kind of thing.

What are you talking about?

I was just kidding...
about that last one, anyway.

Dogs far prefer to text.

I'm a vet.
Really, I know this stuff.

Okay... seriously...

Seriously? The problem is that
most sheep herding techniques

pass down orally,

so I don't think you're gonna
find it in a book.

You could be out of luck.

Shh!

Do you want to take a walk?

Sure.

So what brought you
from Buffalo to Rockton?

Uh, it was a vet.
He was selling his practice,

and I came down for the weekend
to check it out, talk to him.

And I'm heading out of town on
the Monday morning,

I stop in at the town diner,
order some eggs, sit down.

Before the eggs even got to me,

I had four different people come
up to me and say,

"Please! Please! We hope you
stay in town."

I don't even know who these
people were, right?

And they knew
everything about me.

They knew why I was there...

I was sold.

That's Rockton, all right.
No secrets.

I hated that, growing up.

You know, you get
a little bit older,

and you realize you just can't
do everything yourself.

Need friends, need family,

need busy-bodies who know
everything about your life,

just to keep it moving along.

That's what I love
about this town.

So how long have
you been here?

Ah, well, been here long enough
to hear a few stories about you.

Local girl, couldn't wait to get
the heck out of Dodge

and make her millions in the
fashion industry in New York?

Am I close?

I wish.

Actually, with everything that's
going on, right now,

I'm having a bit of
a cash flow problem.

Well, you could always enter
Lucky into the dog trials.

$10,000 grand prize.
Big money.

What are those?
The whole sheep herding thing

sort of happened after
I left town.

They are at the end of
September, at the civic arena.

Lucky couldn't possibly
be ready to compete

after only a few months
of training.

A-ha! Planning to stay
at least a few months.

Honestly, I don't know.

Well, can you commit to a week?

That I can promise.

Great. I'd love to
have you over for dinner.

Yeah, that'd be nice.

Good.

Hi.

Hey.

What's wrong?

Dad was right. I am an idiot.

I paid top dollar for those
hybrid Jacobs:

three times what
a normal sheep would cost.

So I figured, oh, if I have
something different...

premium, artisanal wool...

That'd fetch enough to make up
for the difference in price.

That makes sense.

Only, it didn't.

I just met with a wool-buyer.

He's only willing to give me
market price for this.

Which means I am out of pocket,
big time.

And every farmer
in the whole county

is gonna have a big ol' laugh
at my expense.

Well, he's the idiot if he can't
see how beautiful this wool is.

Why don't you show
him spun yarn?

Better yet, a finished product.

How could I do that?

Give me a couple bags
of clean wool,

and I can use Mom's old spinning
wheel to make yarn,

and I've been making
tops for years.

Well, that's awful nice,

but I don't think so.

Look, it's not just for you.

I want to see
what they look like.

Not just on paper,
but actually made.

Come on, have a little faith.

If you don't try,
you'll never know.

You sure you're not doing this
just out of pity?

Nope. I want something
in return.

Oh yeah? What's that?

I want you to help me
train Lucky.

You want to talk about people
laughing at you?

I bet Neil Ingram loves telling
people I was so stupid

I adopted a dog
that doesn't herd.

Yeah...

Come on. I want to prove to them
they're wrong.

Please?

That's crazy, but... deal.

Deal!

What are you doing here?

Lisa!

Lucky?

Lucky?

CLAY:
Lisa!

Oh no... no, no, no!

Spitting image...

Get.

Get!

Get out of here!

Dad. Sorry.

I don't know how she
got out of her pen.

I don't want her in here again.

Lucky?

Hold her in, tighter.

Tighten up on the leash. Firm.

That's right. That's good.

All right, now when I open up
the gate, don't let her loose.

Just watch her. See what kind of
reaction she has.

Let's just pray
she's not a chaser.

A what?

Apparently these dogs have two
kinds of natural instincts.

One's a chaser...
the other's a herder.

If she's a herder,
she gathers the sheep,

which is what we want.
If she's a chaser...

Well, she's far too aggressive.

Now, Lucky, you're a herder.

You're gonna save us a heck of a
lot of time, aren't you?

Okay... don't let her loose
till I tell you.

All right.

Keep her on the leash, now.

Oh, that's great!

Look, they got her attention.

That's very good.

Now, let's see what
you're made of, girl.

Let her off the leash.

Herd, Lucky!

She's not nipping them.

That's good. That's good.

See, she's excited, but she's
not out of control.

Woo!

All right, now tell her
to steady.

Steady, Lucky.

We want to get her
to flank the other way.

Good girl!

Now you want to get in there and
put the leash on her.

Tell her to...

That'll do.

That'll do, Lucky.
Come here, Lucky.

Good girl.

Okay, now take her to the other
side of the flock.

What we want to do is get her to
round up the sheep,

and herd them in this direction.

Okay...

That's good, there.

Yeah, that's perfect.

Herd, Lucky!

You know what?

This dog you got...

Look...

All things considered,
she's doing a great job.

All of her instincts
are perfect.

She's got focus,
she's not getting distracted.

I think we got ourselves a
herder here.

Yeah?
Yeah! I do.

We got a lot of work to do,
but I think...

I think this dog might be good!

Ah!

We got ourselves a herder!

Hey, the training manuals
I ordered came in.

Oh, great. Ah.

Ooh, hang on, one sec.
Bonnie!

Hi.

Hi. Listen, I was wondering...

I remember in home ec
you were always

the best knitter in the class.
Do you still do it?

Sure, I've even won a few
ribbons at the state fair.

My mom was amazing at it.

I still can't get
the hang of it, though.

I've got some patterns
that I've designed.

I would love to see what they
look like as real sweaters.

And I was wondering,
if I gave you the wool,

could I maybe pay you
to make a top?

Oh, don't worry about that.
I've got a knitting circle

that meets every Wednesday at
4:00 at my house.

Do you want to come?

Yeah! Yeah,
that'd be great!

Lisa...

Gotta go. See you on Wednesday.

Bye.

Bonnie's knitting
our first sample.

Listen, you're sure
you don't mind

me getting your ex involved
in all this, right?

No, Bonnie and I are friends.

Just... didn't work out.
That's all.

She's still single.

Think you two might get back
together some time?

You know, I just don't think
that's going to happen.

Morning, Lisa, Jim.

Neil.

Heard you picked up the runt.

Her name's Lucky.

You wouldn't recognize her.
She's put on weight like crazy.

Turns out she's a pretty good
herder, too.

That's good!

Who knows?

Maybe she'll be one of the best
herders in the county.

She's a natural.

So, you gonna put her
into the trials?

Yes, we are.

You scared?

You're up against Spark.
He's won it 3 years in a row.

Well, maybe Spark's
getting a little old?

Don't bet on it.

I'd love to see his face
if Lucky wins.

That would be sweet.

Worth more than $10,000.

Steady! Steady!

Good girl, Lucky!
Good girl!

Away to me!

Look at that!
All right!

That's a girl!

Come by! Come by!

Flank the other way.
The other way!

Steady! Steady!

Steady.

All right. Come by!
Come by!

Come by!
Come by!

That'll do, Lucky.
Down, girl.

Good girl!

She's getting the hang of this,
I'll tell you.

Gimme five, sister!

That was amazing.

Thank you.
I'm glad you liked it.

And you are this amazing cook.

This was the best
beef stew I've ever had.

Thank... whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Beef stew? Uh-uh.
This is not stew.

This is beef bourguignon.

That's chunks of fillet,
marinated in Burgundy,

and then slowly simmered
over an open flame,

till they're just...

So, it's beef stew.

Yeah, it's beef stew.

Okay, I'm just gonna ask this.
Is there someone in New York?

No.

There was someone, but we broke
up a couple years ago.

There hasn't really
been anyone since.

Is that by choice?

By chance, I guess.

I'll drink to chance.

To chance.

I had an amazing time tonight.

Is this a well?

Yes it is.

You care to make a wish?

Yeah!

You gonna make a wish?

I got my wish.

BONNIE:
You are so lucky.

He's so cute!

Laurie has the healthiest dog
in the county

since Dr. Lally moved here.

She takes him in for
vaccinations once a week.

Not true!

But a very good idea!

I think we could all use a dog
that's a hypochondriac.

Oh... come on... He just asked
me out to dinner. That's all.

Oh, well, we heard it was for
boeuf bourguignon.

How did you hear that?

Well, he came up to the register
and he had a lot of stew meat,

so we got to talking and...

Love the privacy in this town.

It's not gossip though, it's
like we're cheerleading for you,

or rooting for you.
We want you to get that man!

Get that vet.

(Chanting)
Get that vet! Get that vet!

It's like there's a romance
novel being acted out

in our own town.

I need help.

I hope that you're better with
men than you are with yarn.

Do you want me to help you?

Let's have a look.

So, come on now, what's this big
surprise you're going on about?

Okay, come here.

Close your eyes.
Close your eyes.

Come here!

Don't let me trip here.

All right. Right there.

Hurry on up.
I got chores this year.

All right.

Okay, open your eyes.

This is beautiful.

Bonnie knit it, from my design.

This is your design?

Yeah!

Good on you!

It's made out of wool
from Jim's sheep.

It's very nice.

It gets better. I called a
friend of mine, Darren.

He's a buyer for Saks.
He wants to see samples.

If he likes the designs,
he could buy a couple dozen.

And that might just be the
beginning. Who knows?

I mean, this could be
a big break for us.

A whole new source of income
for the farm.

This is a cattle farm.

Not a clothing boutique.

But all the farmers are
branching out.

Not this farmer.

What is it with you?

Rayborns have been cattle
farmers on this farm... my farm!

Since 1867!

Your great-great-great
grandfather built this place up,

and passed it on to his son...

Who built it up a little more
and passed it on to his son.

All the way to my father
giving it to me.

This way of life
is our heritage.

I may not be able to stop it
from being thrown away,

but I'm sure as hell
not going to help it.

Clay!

I really roped you into this,
didn't I?









Cheers.

Hey, honey. Happy 4th.

Hey there, Lucky.

Too bad you gotta stay out here
with the sheep.

I know. All the herding books

say that you're not allowed to
treat them like pets,

but I'm sure she'd much rather
be inside with us.

Yeah, I bet she would, huh?

So, you guys ready for the
trials?

Oh, she's good.

I haven't seen the competition,
you know?

So I don't really know what
she's up against.

They're good.

They're really good.

You guys have your work
cut out for you.

Am I crazy, or does your dad
hate dogs?

No, it's just...
Well, first of all,

she misbehaved once, and she got
into some of my mom's things.

And that really...
that bothered him a lot.

But I think the real problem is,
Lucky represents change,

and that makes her a threat.

My mom's passing
was a huge change

in his life, obviously.

And I think now he's
just trying to avoid

even the small ones.

Yeah, change is hard.

One of these days, Jim is gonna
take over the farm.

I don't know what that's
gonna do to him.

You worried about them both?

Yeah...

They're family.

You worry about them no matter
how far apart you might be.

It's just part of
the deal, I guess.

Yeah, it is.

It's a pretty good deal, though.

You're a really sweet guy.
You know that?

Thank you.

(Whimpering)

(Fireworks)

See you, Lucky.

Well... that's new.

Yeah, the Rotary
sets them off.

They started about
three years ago.

DON:
You ready for the nature hike?

Hello, Kristina!
I almost left without you.

Hop in.
Okay.

Is it really beautiful
in the forest?

You don't know
the half of it.

(Thunder)

This is bad.

The radio said there's
a major windstorm

coming in from the north.

You're right, Son. Sky's looking
dangerous. I don't like it.

We better move the cattle away
from the creek, just in case.

Right!

Lisa, you gotta
bring in the sheep.

I will.

Dad, I can handle this.
Really.

You're right.

There's things I should do
around here.

All right.

(Thunder crashing)

Everybody come here.
Everybody come here.

Take a look in through here.
You see all the roots?

The way they're hanging down
into the water here?

Now look over here. You see
there's no trees, no roots,

the soil is all eroded.

That's because the roots are
keeping the soil from eroding,

and being washed away.

Look at the frog!

Oh, yeah!
And the
minnows too!

I smell smoke.

All right, everybody, we gotta
go back to the car, okay?

Still pretty far away.
We'll be okay. We'll be okay.

All right, Lucky.
You can do this.

Come by!

That's it, Lucky, you got it!

Come on!

Come on, Lucky.

Hello?

Hello?

Hi, this is Don Lally, we're
caught up in a windstorm

up in the mountain.

We're coming back down early.
Call the parents, okay?

Hello?

Hello!

Come on, guys.
We're going back to the car.

Boy, I have never seen
winds like this!

I know! It's bad all
over the county!

Trees and power lines are down.

A couple buildings collapsed.

Did you get the sheep
under cover?

Lucky did. I helped.

Nothing we can do now,
but just sit this out.

(Phone ringing)

Hello?

Yeah, it's Charlie Hoskins.

Hi, sheriff, it's Lisa.

Listen, is your dad there?

No, he's out securing livestock.

Is there something
I can help you with?

Well, we got a garbled call

about 15 minutes ago
from Don Lally,

up in Cookson Forest with a
bunch of kids.

Is he in trouble?

We'll send a rescue team in

as soon as one frees up.

But I was thinking, because you
got the closest farm...

Okay, don't worry about it.
We'll check it out.

Everybody keep going!

Everybody all right?

Maya, wait up, please!
Maya!

Whoa, whoa... Are you okay?

No!

Mr. Lally!

What are we going to do?

We need to get help!

Come on!

Maya, sweetie, come on.

Come here. Come here.

You okay? Talk to me!

Where's everybody else?

Kristina!

Mason!

Over there!

Come on, you gotta try to walk.
Can you get up there?

Whoa, okay. I got you.
I got you. I got you. It's okay.

My legs!

It's okay.
Hold on tight, okay?

Nobody.

Well, let's start here.

Don! Don!

You want to guess
which way they went?

The fire's getting closer.

We're gonna have to make the
right choice.

I don't think we're gonna
get a second chance.

Wait a minute, I've got an idea.

Hold Lucky.

The kids left their
coats in the truck.

Maybe Lucky can herd 'em up.

Okay, smell these jackets.

All right. Herd, Lucky! Go!

Go on, girl. Go!

(Siren)



Don!

Don!

Up here!

Don!

Don!

This way!

(Barking)

(Coughing)

Oh great... now what?

Lucky!

Lucky!

Lucky!

Look! I don't believe it!

Kids! Kids, come here!

You guys okay?

Don't be scared, now.
We got you.

Come here, Lucky.
Come here!

Good girl! Good girl!

Hey! Anybody hurt?

Boy am I glad to see you.

So, listen, how many more of you
guys are out there?

Don! He got knocked down.
He's with Maya.

And Kristina's supposed
to be with us.

I think she's lost!

Don't worry.
Lucky will find her.

Let's hope everybody's on this
side of the fire.

Go on, Lucky.

All right! You can do it, Lucky.
You can do it, okay?

Herd, Lucky!

You all right?

(Coughing)

Hey! Can anybody hear me?

Anybody there?

Careful.

Hello!

Hey, buddy,
where'd you come from?

Here.

I think she's herding us.

She's gonna show us
the way home!

Come on!

It's getting too dangerous!

We should probably head down
to a safer location.

Wait. Wait, look!

Don?

Don!

Lisa!

Don!

Here! Here, here!

Come here! She bumped her head.

I got her!

Okay, you're okay.

Kristina!

Where's Kristina!?
Have you seen Kristina?

Hey, hey, where is Kristina?

She's still out there!

Where?

She was supposed to be with us.
I think she's lost!

Which jacket is hers?

This one.

I hate to have to do this to
you, but herd, Lucky.

You gotta go, okay?
Go, go, go!

Help!

Anybody hear me?

Hello?

This is getting worse.
We better go look for her.

Okay, I'll take the river.

All right, I'll go this way.

Gotcha.

You sure you're okay, honey?

Can anybody hear me?

Help! Anybody! Please!

Help!

(Whimpering)

Kristina!

Kristina!

Help!

Please, someone help me...

(Barking)

Kristina!

I searched back there.
I got nothing.

No luck.
No.

Just give Lucky a couple more
minutes, okay?

There she is!

Kristina! You all right?

You okay?

Let me see her.

Come here, girl!
Come here!

Good girl!

Lucky's burned.
It's okay. It's okay.

Good girl, Lucky.
Good girl.

It's a pretty bad burn.

The swelling will go down in a
couple of days,

but it's gonna be
a couple of months

before she's back,
walking normally.

She's a real hero.

She's not the only one.

I'll leave you two.

Good girl, Lucky.

I'll be in the Jeep.

My brave, beautiful girl.

Don't move. Just lie there and
get some sleep, okay?

I wish there was some way
I could tell you

what you did today.

If it wasn't for you,

there'd be a lot of people
really sad right now.

Good girl, Lucky.

What a mess.

You're not kidding.

You know, if that fire
spread any further,

we could have lost the farm.

I just can't stop thinking about
Lucky and those kids.

I know. I've never seen
anything like it.

There goes the competition.

What are you saying? You're
giving up on Lucky's training?

No, I'm just facing reality.

Come on. There's no way
she can compete.

Jim, you can't give up.

She's doing a whole lot
better than last night,

aren't you, girl, huh?

She slept really well.
Her swelling's gone down.

Hi there! Oh, be careful.
Be careful.

Got her?

Hey!

I just know that when she
starts training again,

everything is gonna
come back to her.

Oop! Don't put pressure...

Didn't you hear?

The arena, it got hit pretty
hard last night, actually.

There's a lot of damage.

I don't know if there's
gonna be a competition.

But there's gotta
be something we can do.

Dad, can't you call the mayor,

maybe convince him that
this is worth doing?

Honey, with George Schirmer,
it's his way or no way.

He controls the town's budget.

If he says no,
there's nothing I can do.

But he's wrong.

Doesn't matter.

He made up his mind.

For a littler fellow, our mayor
has a huge ego. He always did.

One man's ego stops the entire
competition in its tracks?

Doesn't affect us, anyway.

It's not like we've got
a dog to enter.

(Whimpering)

You're a wily breed, aren't you?

Good is still in the hearts of
Rayborn women.

Look, Clay, I'm not saying it
wouldn't be nice.

Borrowing money to fix the roof
is against town policy.

All that means is that you've
already decided not to do it.

No, it means we have a strict
fiscal policy.

That isn't written in stone,
George.

You can change it
if you have to.

Sorry, Clay, but we have an
established precedent

for our budget process,
and that's what I'm going by.

The answer is no.

Now, wait... hold on!
Just hold on!

Thanks everybody.

Just hold on a minute here.

Now, folks, we're being told

that we can't use the arena

because there's a budget process

that the town can't get around.

Hell, we are the town!

We built that arena!

If it's damaged,
then it's up to us to fix it.

Now, look, the herding
competition

takes care of itself.

It pays it's own way.

And it turns a nifty profit too.

I'm willing to bet that a dozen
men could get

the roof fixed in a week!

Look, a lot of you know me.

A lot of you here tonight have
given me a hand

when I needed one,

and I repaid the favour
as soon as I could.

Now our town needs a hand.

I'm gonna be there, at the
arena, 7:00 tomorrow morning.

Start working.

I hope some of you
will be there too.

Now, hold on, Clay.

Look, everybody, I was elected
on fiscal responsibility...

Lucky?

How you feeling this morning,
honey?

Oh!

Oh, my goodness!

Are you feeling better?

Hey, be careful.
Be careful.

Oh...

All right, what are we
waiting for?

Let's clear this debris

and figure out
how to fix this mess!

Thank you, guys!
...And gals!

Hi, Dad.

Hey, kiddo.

What a day.

You look tired.

Your old dad is working two
full-time jobs, girl.

Here, and at the arena.

How's it coming?

Good. I think we'll
be ready in time.

That's gonna mean a lot
to a lot of people.

How's the girl doing?

Well, she's putting
pressure on it

a lot sooner than Don
thought she would.

Lucky?

Lucky?

(Barking)

Lucky?

Lucky?

I don't believe it.

Would you look at that!

Yes!

Lucky started herding again.

Somehow she got out of the barn,
and when we found her,

she brought the sheep in
all by herself.

We both saw it, Son.

Maybe she'll be
ready to compete.

No. Even if she was
halfway healed,

she'd be up against
the best dogs in the state.

Even if she didn't win,
at least she'd be trying.

Which is more than
I can say about you.

Honey, take it easy. He needs
time to figure things out.

No, he's had enough time.

You've got to snap out of this.

Okay, so Lucky may not
win this year.

That's no reason
to give up completely.

That's easy for you to say.

You always got whatever you
wanted out of life.

Don't be so sure.

Hey. You got it all, girl.
Everyone in town knows that.

Yeah, well people believe what
they want to, don't they?

What's that supposed to mean?

Do you know what
I did in New York?

I was the buyer for
young girls' casuals

at Hoffman's Department Store.

But Hoffman's closed
six months ago,

so now I don't even do that.

What about your fashion designs?

I couldn't sell them, Jim.

I knocked on doors for years.

The fashion industry
couldn't care less.

Friends would write.

I'd always tell them how
everything looked really good.

You know?
Just kept the details vague.

Clearly they have a vivid
imagination,

because now they seem to think
I'm Yves Saint Laurent.

What was I supposed to do?

Tell them I failed at what
I tried to do in my life?

Maybe you should've told us.

I couldn't.

I just couldn't do it.

I didn't mean to live a lie,

but that's exactly
what I found myself doing.

And now Mom's gone,

and I'll never have the chance
to tell her the truth.

I think anyone who has the guts

to go after what they want in
life is a winner.

Regardless of the outcome.

Can't you see, that's exactly
what you're doing.

It's gonna be okay.

I hope so.

Lisa, Jim...

There's something
I want to give you.

I've been holding on
to it for...

too many years.

I haven't seen
this picture before.

It was taken about six months
before we were married.

Who's dog is this?

Your mother's.

Mom had a border collie?

She was training it.

Wait a minute... back up.

I never heard about Mom training
border collies.

Just the one.

Arrow.

Your mother was
a natural with dogs.

She somehow knew how to
get inside a dog's head.

She was writing a book.

Setting down all her techniques
and observations.

This looks like
a training manual.

Something must've happened,

otherwise we would've heard
about all this.

It did.

Thank goodness you were too
young to remember.

You were around two.

Somehow, you managed to wander

out into the farm meadow.

Arrow went out to get you.

Must've spooked you, because you
started running,

which made him start running.

Then he began nipping the back
of your legs.

You started screaming.

By the time we got to you,

you were shaking with fear.

I made your mother
get rid of him.

It was our first fight,
but it was a big one.

Wait... all of that, over a dog?

It was more than that, Jim.

It was her dream.

It was what made her
feel special.

And I made her get rid of it.

And that sat between us
for years.

She loved you so much, Dad.

We got over it.

It became the thing we knew
we couldn't talk about.

Whatever happened to Arrow?

She gave him to
Neil Ingram's father.

He was just starting to breed
collies back then.

So, Lucky...

Yeah...

That's why, when you brought
Lucky into this house

after all those years, I just...

Anyway...

The hardest part
about losing somebody...

is that you can't apologize.

I want so much
to tell your mother

that I'm sorry for
stepping on her dreams.

Dad...

But there is something I can do
to make things up to you, Jim.

I was wrong about you
buying the sheep.

And I'm sorry.

Oh, Dad...

So this year, let's talk about
expanding the flock.

What?

Well, that's...

But there is something I want
you to do for me, Son.

I want you to help
your sister train Lucky.

Make your mother's
dream come true.

Well, that's an awful lot to ask
of me and your dog.

Lucky wants to.

I want to.

Mom wants it too.

I think we all want to.

Walk up. Walk up.

(Blowing whistle)

Away to me.

JIM:
She's doing it!
She's really doing it!



Yes! Yes, yes!

Hoo-ah!

Look, you gotta make sure that
the centre of the roof joints

are aligned with the...



The roof joints are aligned with
the tie-beams.

Make damn sure!

Kevin! You're doing good, man!

ANNOUNCER:
Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the 15th annual
Rockton Sheep Herding Trials.

Let's have a big show of
appreciation for our sponsor:

Pedigree Dog Foods.

Remember that tonight's top
prize, for the best dog in show,

is $10,000.

(Applause)

(Whistling)

(Whistling)

(Whistling)

(Whistling)

(Whistling)

(Cheering)

How about that,
ladies and gentlemen?

You're on.

Good luck.

And finishing out
the first round,

we have a team that's a little
bit out of the ordinary.

Lucky injured her leg,
a couple months ago,

but her trainer tells us that
she's really eager to compete.

We don't want to
disappoint her now, do we?

(Clapping)

Would you please welcome Lucky,
and her trainer, Lisa Rayborn!

Go girl!

Down.

Down...

Come around.

(Whistling)

Come by.

Good girl.

Lie down.

Bring 'em in, easy.
Bring 'em in, easy.

Easy. That's it.
That's it. Yeah.

Good!

Lie down.

(Cheering)

ANNOUNCER:
How about that?

Lisa Rayborn,
and her dog, Lucky!

(Applause)

ANNOUNCER:
Now, I have the judges' verdict.

It looks like we have a tie for
first place in this round.

Neil Ingram and Spark...

And Lisa Rayborn and Lucky.

(Cheering)

You're my girl.

Good job!

Hey...

Good girl.

So... any sign of swelling?

She seems to be
holding up okay so far.

Congratulations.

Spark did a good job too.

Yeah, he's a good dog.

When does Lucky's
bandage come off?

Just as soon as she's completely
healed.

Hope it doesn't
slow her down, any.

Good luck.
Should be an exciting contest.

Dad, can you hold her.

Gonna go clear my head.

You okay?

Yeah, I'm just a little nervous.

Stupid to think she can win,
isn't it?

No, it's not stupid. Come on.

We always knew it
was a long shot.

What the saying? "No good deed
ever goes unpunished"?

Just be amazed she does as well
as she did in the first round.

I am.

You've done a terrific job with
her. Be proud of that.

We have.

No. 10% me.

90% you.

Come on.
We gotta get back inside.

Please, will you welcome...
Neil Ingram and Spark!

(Cheering)

Away from me.

Come back, Spark.

Spark. Come by. Come by.

(Whistling)

Come by.

(Whistling)

Come by.

Away. Away.

Steady, Spark.

That'll do.

Good boy. That's a good boy.

(Applause)

ANNOUNCER:
Let's have another hand for
Neil Ingram and Spark.

And finally,
Lisa Rayborn and Lucky!

Wish me luck.

You don't need luck, kiddo.
You've got a great dog.

Go Lisa!

Down. Down.

Come by.

(Whistling)

(Whistling)

Okay.

Oh...

(Whistling)

Walk. Walk.

(Applause)

Yeah, Lisa!

ANNOUNCER:
Lisa Rayborn and her dog, Lucky!

(Applause)

It's all right.

And the winner

of the 2009 Pedigree Dog Food
Herding Championship,

and the recipient of their
cheque for $10,000...

Neil Ingram and Spark!

(Cheering)

Well, Mom thinks
you're a winner.

Oh, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

can we please have
a warm round of applause

for the man who made
this event possible.

The president of Pedigree Dog
Foods... Rich Preston!

(Clapping)

Thank you.

Congratulations to our winner,
for a terrific showing.

With all due respect
to Spark here,

I would like to point out a
special dog.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in
the presence of a true hero.

Now, I know all the locals know
how Lucky injured her leg,

but for those of you
who don't live around here...

She risked her life, saving
children from a forest fire,

a couple of weeks ago.

(Applause)

(Barking)

Lisa, would you
bring Lucky out here?

How would you all feel
if Lucky here

became the new mascot for
Pedigree Dog Food?

(Cheering)

Go Lucky!

I can have a contract drafted up
in a couple of days,

but in the meantime,

would you take $25,000
as a sign of good faith?

Oh, my God!

I think that's a yes.

Ladies and gentlemen,
meet Lucky,

the new mascot for
Pedigree Dog Foods.

(Barking)

I haven't been up
this late in years.

That's a matter of opinion.

I bet you didn't know 11:30 came
twice in the same day.

Very funny,
if it wasn't true.

(Answering machine beeping)

Hey Lisa, this is Darren.
I know it's been a long time,

but I had a party last night,
and a buyer from Elite came.

So I showed your tops
and she loved them.

So, yeah, give me a call.

Oh, my God...

Not now... No, no, no...
It's 11:30, put it down!

Are you kidding me?

Darren, hi, it's Lisa!

Really sorry to call you at
home, I know it's late,

but tell me about Elite!

They do?

They will?

Okay! Okay, no, no, no!
Go back to bed!

We'll talk about
it in the morning.

Elite ordered 500 tops.

No.

Elite!

Wow, oh wow!

Congratulations.

Awesome.

They're only the hottest store
in New York.

Lisa, how are you
going to make 500 tops?

They want them for the spring
season, so that'll give me time.

Besides, if you can fix the
arena's roof in two weeks,

I can make 500 tops
in six months.

We'll organize a cottage
industry, and Jim,

we'll use your wool first,
and we'll buy the rest.

And now we have the start-up
cash too.

Congratulations.

Oh, it's so great!

Come here. I'm so happy for you.

I'm proud of you.
I'm proud of both of you!

You too, Don!

Well, thank you very much.

It was your idea, originally,
to enter her in the trial.

I think you would've figured it
out sooner or later.

Lisa...

It's pretty chilly out there,
tonight. Why don't you...

...let Lucky sleep inside.

I thought you said herders

weren't supposed to be treated
like pets.

Forget about pet. I think she
just became part of the family.

I think so.

Go on, girl. Go home.

Come on, Lucky. Come on!

She's too excited right now.

I'll bring her in when she calms
down a little.

Night.

Yeah. Night.

Long day.

Yeah. Yeah, you must
be beat, huh?

You'd think I would be,
but for some reason I'm not.

It'll hit you all at once.
You'll be upstairs,

and your eyes'll just close...

(Snoring)

Fall down on a pillow.
Out in two seconds.

Yeah...

I guess I should hit the hay.

Yeah. I got a lot
of work to do too.

(Growling)

Lucky!

Woo!

Wow!

Did you see Bonnie? She was
talking to Jim after the meet.

Yeah.

I think there's
still a spark there.

Yeah, whoa...

I always thought it was a shame
they got divorced.

(Barking)

Good dog.

(Barking)

CLAY:
Come on, girl.

Ooh...