“Hooked on mutts”

Episode: The pilot
“Meet the mutts”

FADE IN

EXT. - LOS ANGELES SKYLINE -DAY

Narrator is a female with southern accent.

L.A. 1993, the year I was adopted also the year Family matters ran for another season.

(Audience laughing)

Anyway, this is where it all started…well, where life at my new home started.

EXT-LARGE TWO STORY HOUSE LOCATED ON SOUTH DETROIT STREET-DAY

The first four months of my life weren’t easy


FLASHBACK SCENE-BLACK and WHITE

INT- DIM LIT ROOM FULL OF DOGS IN CAGES

MALE WHEATEN TERRIER STANDING IN A CAGE. The 2 year old dog‘s beige colored fur is matted and covered in dirt. He is also wearing a raggedy leather collar

(Dogs barking in background)

RANDOM MAN

Shut up!

(Hits cage with a baseball bat)

(Dogs barking and howling)

MALE MANCHESTER TERRIER:

Help us!
(MORE)

(CONT’D)


FEMALE MALTESE:

Get us outta here!


BETWEEN THE TERRIER AND MALTESE IS A YOUNG TRICOLOR BEAGLE MIX PUP. SHE IS TERRIFED AND HAS HER FRONT PAWS OVER HER EYES. THIS IS Sienna.

YOUNG SIENNA:

Don’t let ‘em get me; don’t let ‘em get me, please!

(Dogs continue barking and howling)

FLASHBACK ENDS


EXT.-PRESENT TIME

ADULT-SIENNA(V.O.)

So, um…moving on…growing up in an inhumane situation and having abusive owners didn’t do any good for me.

SERIES OF SHOTS

A) YOUNG SIENNA AND SEVERAL OTHER DOGS ARE BEING LOADED INTO A VAN FROM AN ANIMAL RESCUE.

Unlike the other dogs I lacked several things which wasn’t any help for my self esteem…

B) CLOSE UP OF A PROFILE PAGE IN A FOLDER SITTING ON A DESK, ON THE PAGE IS A PICTURE OF SIENNA, AN INFORMATION SHEET WITH NAME, GENDER, BREED, AGE, COLOR, ETC…

And my adoption profile

C) OUTDOOR AREA WITH GRASS-DAY

(Adult Dogs and puppies can be heard barking)

(MORE)







(CONT’D)


ADULT SIENNA (V.O.):

All in all, I still hung in there. Course, when people came it was another story

SERIES OF SHOTS

A) A man tries to pick up Sienna but fails and ends up dropping her.

YOUNG SIENNA:

(Yelps)

8 YEAR OLD BROWN HAIRED GIRL:

Let’s get this one, Mom…come here doggie

B)Sienna runs away

GIRL’S MOTHER:

Forget it

(Sienna yelping)

30 YEAR OLD BLONDE HAIRED WOMAN:

Sheldon! Let go of that poor dog’s ears

C) A 6 year old blond haired boy is pulling Sienna’s ears while she runs in circles.

END OF SERES OF SHOTS.

EXT. - ADULT SIENNA SITTING OUTSIDE IN THE BACKYARD- PRESENT DAY.

SIENNA:

(Scratches left ear)

It was a big issue and one that needed some work. I wasn’t as social as the other dogs; mostly because I had suffered and was put through several things they had ever seen before.


Without a home and a collar it was just as bad as walking into Ralph’s during their 2 for 1 sale…minus the 2 for 1 items.

(Audience laughing)

I tell you, days at the rescue club were tough. I could never avoid adoption day.

(MORE)

(CONT’D)

DISSOLVE TO:

SUPER-BEAGLE RESCUE 1993

Dogs can be seen running and chasing each other.

SIENNA (V.O.)

(Continuing)

But one day in April it all changed for me

CUT TO - Young Sienna being picked up by a pair of hands.

SIENNA (V.O)

(Continuing)

I had been adopted, though the other dogs weren’t very understanding or happy about it.

EXT.-BEAGLE RESCUE-DAY

Two dogs are sitting on the grass watching Sienna leave with her new owners.

ONE DOG RESEMBLES A BEAGLE WITH READ AND WHITE FUR. SHE IS ALSO ONE OF THE RESCUED DOGS, THIS IS Polly.

RANDOM MALE DOG, the 2 year old dog is obviously a Basset hound and Beagle mix; he too is looking in the same direction.

POLLY

Look at her! Why would they pick that one out?


RANDOM MALE DOG

Beats me

(Yawns)

(Continuing)

We’ll get our turn

POLLY

Yeah but by then we’ll be too old to walk or do anything. Pfft, I am so sick!

Polly then gets up and walks away.
(MORE)

(CONT’D)


INTERCUTTING. - 847 SOUTH DETROIT STREET-EVENING


SIENNA (OS)

Of course at my new home I was scared to death-

INTERCUTTING. - 847 SOUTH DETROIT STREET-EVENING


SIENNA (V.O.)

(Continuing)

Then gradually, I came around and got better at socializing with dogs and other people

DISSOLVE TO -Sienna interacting with various dogs and their owners. Her tail is tucked between her legs; she doesn’t run off but is very cautious.


INSERT-PHOTOGRAPH

It is a photo of Sienna, she is no longer a cute puppy but a beautiful adult dog.

BACK TO SCENE


SIENNA (V.O.)

By 1997 I was 4 years old, the first 3 years of a dog’s life are considered greatest.

We can run, jump, skip-

SERIES OF SHOTS

A) Sienna running around backyard

B) Sienna then jumps over an old crate

C) Sienna skips but stops midway

END OF SERIES OF SHOTS

(Car tires SCREECH OS.)

(MORE)


(CONT’D)

SIENNA (OS)

“Skip? Now who put that in the script?”

(Audience laughing)

SIENNA(OS)

(Continuing)

Skip…pfft, yeah right, dogs can’t skip

DISSOLVE TO- FRONT LAWN-DAY

SIENNA

I eventually made several friends in the neighborhood-

SERIES OF SHOTS

SIENNA (OS)

There was Mikey”

A) A YOUNG WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER. HE HAS CHEERFUL LOOK ON HIS FACE AND IS WEARING A RED COLLAR. THIS IS Mikey.

MIKEY

Morning

SIENNA (OS)

(CONTINUING)

MUSETTE

B) NEXT DOOR TO SIENNA LIVES A 2 YEAR OLD RED POMERANIAN. SHE IS FRIENDLY AND VERY ENERGETIC AND SPORTS A FRENCH ACCENT. THIS IS Musette.


MUSETTE

Bonjour!


SIENNA (OS)

Then there was Old Charlie. Poor guy, I didn’t know Charlie for too long ‘cause he was always gettin’ out. Everybody in the neighborhood called him the escape artist.

(MORE)

(CONT’D)


C) SENIOR MALE TERRIER MIX, HIS COAT IS AN OFF WHITE COLOR. HE IS SHORT AND HAS A SCRUFFY LOOKING COAT. THIS IS Charlie.

END OF SERIES OF SHOTS.

SIENNA (OS)

Then one day it happened…Charlie had gone out again as usual but this time he stopped running.

Charlie runs out into the street in front of a station wagon. The driver slams on the brakes.

Car tires SCREECH OS.

CUT TO- SIDEWALK-DAY

MIKEY

Poor O’l Charlie, didn’t see that car coming

MUSETTE

I don’t think the car saw him coming

MIKEY

Maybe not, oy...that's tragic

CUT TO- SIDEWALK-MOMENTS LATER

MIKEY

Poor O’l Charlie, didn’t see that car coming

MUSETTE

I don’t think saw him coming

MIKEY

Maybe not, oy...that's tragic


SIENNA (OS)

Other friends I had made were Kai and Caesar.
Kai was a cool dude. Half Chow, half wolf, in other words…a big dog! But, he didn’t stay with us too long.



(MORE)

(CONT’D)

EXT.-BACKYARD-DAY

SIENNA

They’re sending you away?


LARGE 4 YEAR OLD CHOW-CHOW AND WOLF MIX. HIS FUR IS SEMI LONG AND HE HAS A BLACK AND TAN COAT. THOUGH DESPITE HIS WOLF LIKE APPEARANCE HE IS ACTUALLY GENTLE. THIS IS Kai.

KAI

Yes, to a farm up in San Diego.


SIENNA

Kai, San Diego is south of here. Didn’t you learn anything about Geography?

KAI

No, well here comes my new master, I will miss you.

(Licks Sienna’s face)

Kai then left with his new owner.

SIENNA (V.O.)

I never heard from Kai after he left, ‘course what can you expect? Dogs can’t write letters

(Audience laughing)


SIENNA (V.O.)

Ok, now that wasn’t funny…then Caesar came-


LARGE YOUNG MALE ROTTWEILER. HE HAS THE LOOK OF A GUARD DOG BUT IN REALITY HE’S QUITE GENTLE AND PLAYFUL. THIS IS Caesar.


SIENNA (CONT’D)

I really loved him. He was smooth, though the other dogs at the park didn’t really think so.


(MORE)


(CONT’D)


INTERCUTTING-LA BREA TAR PITS DOG PARK-DAY



MALE GERMAN SHEPHERD, he drops his rope toy and watches Sienna and Caesar walk by.

How did?-


FEMALE SHIH-TZU

Huh?


SIENNA

Caesar was always nice to me and we had a lot of fun together.

CUT TO-DOG PARK-MOMENTS LATER

Sienna and Caesar can be seen running and playing together.


SIENNA (V.O.)

Then one day… he was going home


CAESAR

We’ll keep in touch, I promise”


SIENNA (V.O.)

I never had a broken heart before, but it was sure hard to live with. Then in 1999, we moved from our place up to an apartment in the San Fernando valley-


CUT TO- KITTERIDGE ST-DAY


SIENNA

(Continuing)

This is where I live now, then in 2000 that was when I met my newest roommate…Knuckles-


(MORE)

(CONT’D)

SMALL TAN COLORED PITBULL PUPPY. HE IS PLAYFUL, CUTE AND ENERGETIC. THIS IS Knuckles.


SIENNA (V.O.)

(Continuing)

He’s a little Pitbull puppy who had no home training whatsoever.

But, phew! He was so annoying…barking at almost everything.


(Knuckles runs around the apartment barking)

(MORE)