Perros | Synopsis

Perros is a dog documentary about people — the people who turn up every day to care for dogs abandoned in the street.

Set around the Los Barrios municipal dog pound in Andalusia, Spain, the film follows Edu, Richard, Rosalia and a committed team of volunteers and workers caring for more than 300 dogs. Inside the kennels we see the daily reality: constant arrivals, illness and recovery, fear, trust, humour, exhaustion, and the small wins that keep everyone going.

More than a rescue story, Perros is a clear-eyed and hopeful portrait of compassion under pressure — of the people fighting for better conditions, and of the dogs still waiting for a home.

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes. Languages : English + Spanish.
Subtitles : EN / ES / DE / FR / NL / IT / PT

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The People of Perros

  • Edu | Volunteer

  • Black and white close-up photo of a man with short hair looking to his left.

    Richard | Pound Worker

  • A black and white photo of an elderly woman with curly hair, sitting on a striped couch, making a hand gesture, wearing a patterned top and a pendant necklace.

    Rosalia | Volunteer

  • A woman sitting at a table with a coffee mug, smiling, in a room with framed pictures on the wall and a curtain.

    Harriet | Dog Rescuer

  • Black and white close-up of a middle-aged man with short hair, wearing a collared shirt, a necklace with a cross pendant, and earphones, against a plain background.

    Jorge | Dog Walker

  • A middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and mustache, wearing a collared shirt, speaking or explaining something.

    Jesus | Dog Warden

  • Black and white photo of a middle-aged man with a mustache and receding hairline, outdoors with trees and foliage in the background.

    Antonio | Dog Feeder

  • A woman with dark hair wearing medical scrubs, sitting in a clinical environment with a microscope and medical supplies in the background.

    Sara | The Vet

  • Black and white photo of a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length hair, looking slightly to the side, with a serious expression.

    Natalie | Volunteer

  • Close-up black and white photograph of a middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, looking slightly to the right.

    Miguel | Policeman

The Dog Stars of Perros

  • Tilly

  • Black and white close-up photo of a man with short hair looking to his left.

    Lupita

  • A black and white photo of an elderly woman with curly hair, sitting on a striped couch, making a hand gesture, wearing a patterned top and a pendant necklace.

    Vida

  • A woman sitting at a table with a coffee mug, smiling, in a room with framed pictures on the wall and a curtain.

    Maddy

Ryan’s Story

Perros began with a small dog called Ryan.

Ryan was living on the streets around Los Barrios when an urgent appeal was shared by Spanish Stray Dogs. He was very sick and unable to travel to the UK in a rescue van, so I drove down to southern Spain and brought him home myself.

That 3,000-mile journey brought me face to face with the reality of the Los Barrios municipal pound — the constant arrivals, the pressure on volunteers, and the scale of the problem day after day.

And that is where the film Perros began.

A man with a camera sitting on a plastic shelter in front of a cage full of various dogs and a white goat.

Director

My name is Paul Murphy.

I’m a London-based photographer and filmmaker.

For more than 30 years, I’ve worked behind a camera, telling stories through images. Over time, my work has become increasingly focused on animals — their resilience, their vulnerability, and the people who fight for them.

My film Perros was very much a one-man project. I filmed it, photographed it, edited it, shaped the story, and carried it through over many years because I believed the dogs of Los Barrios, and the people trying to save them, deserved to be seen.

Today, I use film and photography to support animals of all kinds, from rescue dogs to wildlife including foxes and birds, and to tell stories that are too often overlooked.

I share my home with three rescue dogs and two rescue cats. Everything I make is guided by a simple belief: animals deserve care, dignity and a voice.