On a very cold February day, I convinced my brilliant cinematographer friend Madeleine Peters to meet me at 5:30AM on East 83rd street to spend the entire day filming inside of a van filled with 15 dogs. The result of what was a slightly traumatizing day for Madeleine is a rough cut of a short documentary: THE DOG KING OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE.

Since 1991, Robert Druck has run a daily day camp for dogs on the Upper East Side. With their owners preoccupied with high-powered jobs and demanding social calendars, these UES dogs are desperate for some rough housing fun, a beloved service Robert happily provides (for $60 per dog per day, respectively). Now, after 35 years, he’s finally hanging up the leash.

THE DOG KING OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE is a short documentary that follows Robert’s journey as he says goodbye to his neighborhood, his clients, and most importantly, his furry best friends. For over 3 years, Gimli was one of his devoted students.

We have a fine cut but in order to finish this documentary and submit to film festivals and select publications, I am seeking finishing funds to pay my editor, music licensing, and color correction.

Any contribution would make such a difference to my ability to finish this short, a project inspired by a man who was able to find solace and simplicity in his canine crew despite the toxic turmoil of our world.

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.