A family takes in stray St. Bernard puppy, names him Beethoven, grows to love him and ends up pulling together to save him from becoming part of an evil vet's experiment. Charles Grodin stars.

SEX/NUDITY 1 - The husband and wife are seen lying in bed together talking and/or sleeping. Once, the husband thinks his wife is getting frisky, but discovers it's only the dog.

VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - The vet strikes Beethoven to provoke an attack and convince the family to allow him to put the dog to sleep. When the vet and his "dog-nappers" are discovered, a struggle ensues. The vet ends up with a tray of needles in his chest; his thugs get attacked by Dobermans - but we don't see the attack, only the men in bandages afterward.

LANGUAGE 0 - None.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Initially, puppies are stolen from a pet store. Later, grown dogs are also kidnapped. Although we never see any harm come to the dogs, the thought of a veterinarian using family pets for experiments may be disturbing.

MESSAGE - Good triumphs over evil as the family saves their dog. For adults, there is the family-is-more-important-than-job missive.