what is this movie about?

Molly Shannon, a quiet, eager-to-please type with no boyfriend/husband discovers that her dog died one morning after she let it stay outside all night. While heartbroken and guilt-ridden, this experience leads her to meeting new men (one, John Reilly, who owns the yard the dog was found dead in, and another, a guy who works at the vet) with different results. She becomes a supporter for animal rights to such an extent that those around her see her as either joking around or having lost her mind. Basically, the main character is trying to figure herself out in this film, which is basically a light "dramedy" with (at times) dark undertones. Personally, I thought it was a pleasant enough way to spend 1 1/2 hours, much better than the similar YOU AND ME AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (did not like that one so much).

Here is a bit from the NY TImes review

"In its broad outline, “Year of the Dog” is the story of a woman who goes slightly bonkers and becomes an animal-rights advocate, not because she’s bonkers, but because the love of animals is where she finally finds her peace of mind, sense of self, grace. It’s also about the creation of conscience, about what makes us human and why, a surprisingly little-told story in contemporary American cinema.

You can learn a lot from our movies, like how to hold a gun and blow someone’s head off. It’s more unusual to watch a film in which the central struggle is how to be happy and sane. There’s a touch of the saint in Peggy, true, but what makes me love her is that she’s ridiculously, beautifully human"