Benji

Benji is a stray dog living in a small Texas town, where he survives by visiting the locals, who feed him and give him attention. He is especially attached to two children, Paul and Cindy, whose father refuses to let them keep a pet. The film follows the dog as he also meets Tiffany, another stray, and as the children are kidnapped and held for ransom. Their family and the police are unable to find them, leaving Benji to track the captors and try to lead the adults to where the children are hidden. Much of the story unfolds from the dog's point of view.

The film was released in 1974 and runs 86 minutes. It was written, produced and directed by Joe Camp, whose next directorial credit was Benji the Hunted in 1987. The cast includes Patsy Garrett as Mary Gruber, Peter Breck as Dr. Paul M. Chapman, Allen Fiuzat and Cynthia Smith as the children, Terry Carter as Officer Tuttle, and Frances Bavier as the lady with the cat, among 23 credited performers.

Audience responses were warm rather than enthusiastic. On IMDb it holds a 6.1 rating from around 5,500 votes, and on TMDB a 6.4 from 174 votes. A critics' rating of 6.6 from seven reviews sits slightly above both audience scores. The film took about 40 million dollars worldwide, a substantial return for a family adventure built around a dog.