2Atoms
Provoking A Nuclear Reaction in the Arts
Synopsis
Emily thought she’d be the best dog mom. But a year and half into raising her anxious and reactive dog Freya, she’s feeling like a failure. On top of that, as a woman in her 30s, Emily knows her biological clock is ticking. But how can she even contemplate raising a human, when she’s struggling desperately with a dog?
Characters
Dogs
Freya
RACHEL SALSBERG
An Icelandic Sheepdog with big feelings. The sweetest girl, and very attached to her hoomans. But take her outside, into the scary world of unfamiliar things, and Freya’s gonna bark at all of it.
Humans
YUSUF ZINE
Emily
Emily is in her 30s, happily married, and she has her first child: the dog. But the expectations she had for her life with a dog aren’t matching up to the reality she’s living in, and now her world revolves around Freya. Meanwhile, she’s facing an onslaught of external pressure concerning whether she should have children. Even with a stable relationship, Emily is overwhelmed, confused, and constantly worried about making the wrong choice.
JACQUELINE ASHTON
Kate
Emily’s longtime friend, who’s on a different parenthood journey than Emily. Their frequent hangouts always involve drinking tea.
Stephen
Emily’s supportive husband, and the more optimistic partner. He absolutely adores their dog Freya. He wants kids, but is smart enough to know better than to pressure his wife. He loves his mom, but is not afraid to stand up to her, respectfully
LISA BUNTING
Judy
Stephen’s mother, who is not a big fan of dogs, and is counting down the days until she becomes a grandmother. Even though she can be harsh, she does like Emily. But she loves her son the most, and expects the world for him.
Rabiya Mansoor
Judgmental Person
Neighbor
Michael Janetakes
Background Humans
Friend of Judgmental Person
Dana Schiemann
Person with Dog
Nicole Lott
Dog
Titan
Why Now?
Even though we’re in an age where parenthood doesn’t exclusively refer to humans, we’re far from being free of people’s opinions about women. Emily’s plight will be relatable to many women in their 20s-40s still undecided about having children, facing external pressures from society’s expectations, and internal pressures from their own bodies forcing a timeline upon them.
All the while, Emily is in fact raising a child–her dog. Dog Mom aims to explore what it means to be a pet parent, and ways that might be similar to traditional parenthood. Hopefully, the film is cathartic to parents struggling with reactive pets, and eye-opening for those who have yet to glimpse into this world.
Why Us?
Dog Mom is drawn from, and inspired by, Rachel’s personal experiences. Every dog has their own personality, and this film aims to showcase Freya’s. Rachel found the best possible team in Alexandra and Nick, co-founders of 2Atoms, who have both raised reactive dogs as well. This is a group who cares deeply about their pets, but are ready to be honest about how difficult it can be to raise them, in the hopes that others in the same position won’t feel so alone.
Demographics
Adults between 20-45, primarily women. This film is for anyone raising a reactive dog, anyone questioning what family looks like, and any woman who has ever been asked how old she is, told motherhood is the only right path forward, or felt extraordinary pressure from her own biological clock.
Moodboard
WORLD
This film is grounded in reality, full of the essence of life, including humans and animals, and set both in a house with plants, as well as outdoors in the summertime. The living world brings to mind the idea of renewal, which is also touched upon with the cycle of life storylines we see as Emily and Kate both navigate what motherhood means to them.
TONE
While the film’s themes all carry weight, there is a strong throughline of love, found in all the different relationship dynamics. The film is emotionally grounded, but it’s not meant to be dark at all times, so it’ll be a balancing act to find ways to tip the scale into light.
THEMES
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Raising a Reactive Dog
-
Traditional Parenthood vs Pet Parenthood
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Failure/Never Feeling Enough
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Motherhood as a Choice
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Nature vs Nurture
COLOURS
Freya’s colouring has influenced the way we envisaged the world of the film. The colours of her golden fur, tinged with red, can be used to call back to mind Freya in the moments where Emily feels most overwhelmed by her. Though Freya also has black colouring, we may lean more towards shades of blue to bring out some contrast in colour.
COMPARABLE FILMS
Marley and Me
Turner and Hooch (From a reactive dog standpoint)
The Team
BAGEL BABES
PRODUCTIONS
2ATOMS
The Producers
Bagel Babes Productions came to fruition in 2022, when Rachel Salsberg wrote and produced Movie Night, with Hannah Melissa Scott as co-producer, and Alexandra Augustine as director. The team collaborated again later that very year on Missing Max, for the 48 Hour Film Project. After a few years working on separate projects, Rachel and Alexandra are thrilled to be breathing new life into Bagel Babes Productions, with Dog Mom.
The Writer
RACHEL
SALSBERG
2Atoms Productions is a Canadian multimedia production company dedicated to bold storytelling and authentic performance. Founded by Alexandra Augustine and Nick Hunter, 2Atoms curates original works—from skits and shorts to feature scripts and filmed content—while placing actor development at the heart of its creative process. With a dedication to creating safe working environments and invoking change in the industry, 2Atoms seeks to provoke a nuclear reaction in the arts by fostering raw, resonant performances and pushing the boundaries of creative expression across multiple mediums.
Rachel Salsberg is a Toronto-based actress, writer, and producer. “Movie Night,” the first short film she wrote, produced, and acted in, premiered at the Toronto Short Film Festival in 2023, and won two Awards of Merit from the Best Shorts Competition. “As We Fall Silent,” the second short film she wrote and produced, won Best Screenplay at Glowflare Short Festival in 2025. In the last four years she has consistently booked commercials, and she continues to train regularly at LB Acting Studio to hone her craft. Rachel loves dancing, practices yoga daily, and of course, is proud of her job as a dog mom.
Writer's Statement
When I set out to write my next script, this isn’t the story I had in mind. I was catching Alexandra up on the latest with Freya, when she suggested there was a story there. She was right, and within a week I had my tenth draft of Dog Mom written.
While the script isn’t autobiographical, it is very much inspired by some of the things that are weighing most heavily on me right now.
Like Emily, I wanted to be the best dog mom. Unlike Emily, I was feeling pretty good raising our first dog, Nugget. And then we got Freya. I was forced to recalibrate my beliefs on nature vs nurture, and for the first time, I started questioning if I could handle having kids, and if I even wanted them anymore.
While Emily has all of this internal conflict going on, she’s also being confronted by external noise. This specific noise can manifest in many ways for a childless woman. For example, recently someone I barely know asked me how old I am, if there were any babies on the way, and then implied I better get started soon.
With so much ground to cover in such a short medium, I wanted to touch upon all these topics, and turn it to the audience to maybe recalibrate some of their own beliefs.
I hope that after seeing Dog Mom, the next time my audience glimpses a parent struggling with a seemingly misbehaving dog, or child, in public, they choose empathy, and consider how much work might be being put in behind the scenes
CREW
Director
SCOTT PATERSON
Director's Statement
As a director, I'm drawn to character-driven stories. My goal with Dog Mom is to embrace the sincerity of the story while exploring a discussion that many millennial couples are having in their relationships today. I was instantly hooked by Rachel’s fantastic script because I have had many of these same conversations in my own relationship.
As an avid dog lover, I understand that pets are rarely “just pets.” They become family, companions, and an important part of how we define our homes and ourselves. That emotional connection is what drew me to this story.
The film feels distinctly millennial. Many people in our generation are navigating adulthood differently while facing financial pressures, career uncertainty, and difficult decisions about starting a family. At the same time, there remains a societal expectation that adulthood should lead to marriage, children, and a traditional family structure even when that path may not be financially feasible or personally right for everyone.
For many millennial couples, dogs and other pets have become central members of the family, deserving of genuine love, patience, and responsibility. Dog Mom captures the emotion, humour and uncertainty that can arise when two people begin questioning their capabilites as well as what they want their future to look like.
For me, Dog Mom is ultimately a heartfelt story about love, growth, and the pressures of adulthood.
Director of Photography
Danny Lau
1st AD
CALEB OLIVIERI
Script Supervisor
Keaton Browning
David Tapia
Production Design
Hayley Scott
Hair &
Make Up
Rachel Jones
Sound Recordist
Boom Op
Andrew Lai
Olivia Karlo
1st AC
2nd AC
Johana Abed
Fely Fang Gao
Gaffer
Grip
Steady Cam & BTS
Dhruval Patel
Ciaran Federico
Bo Urbina
Aaron Moreno
Carson Davidson
Camera PA
Kelly Nguen
David Tapia
Set Dresser
Wrangler
Craft
Craft PA
Harrison Kilty
Scott Walsh
Nicole Lott
Meghan Dominico
Sheila Brewster
Scott Walsh
PA
Aidan Attali
PA
Hannah Scott
PA
Jenna Mayer
Sponsor Opportunities
Benefits highlighted in blue are new at each tier.
All tiers include everything from the tiers above.
Puppy Love
Bounding in with enthusiasm
One tagged posts on social media
Special Thanks credit in End Credits
Logo featured on website
$1,000
Tail Wag Worthy
You made the whole tail go
$2,500
Two tagged posts on social media
Special Thanks credit in End Credits
Logo featured on website, with written acknowledgment
Private behind-the-scenes clip, sent exclusively before public release
Fetching Contribution
You went and got it.
Three tagged posts on social media
Logo featured in End Credits
Logo featured on website, with written acknowledgment
Private behind-the-scenes clip, sent exclusively before public release
Associate Producer screen credit
$5,000
Pack Leader
Every pack needs a top dog
$7,500
Three tagged posts on social media + 2 Instagram stories
Logo featured in End Credits
Logo featured on website, with written acknowledgment
Private behind-the-scenes clip, sent exclusively before public release
Executive Producer screen credit
Exclusive “Meet Freya” video: our dog star doing her best tricks
Best In Show
You've earned you ribbon
Four tagged posts on social media + ongoing Instagram stories
through the festival run
Logo featured in End Credits
Logo featured on website, with written acknowledgment
Private behind-the-scenes clip, sent exclusively before public release
Presenting Producer screen credit
Exclusive “Meet Freya” video: our dog star doing her best tricks
“Presented In Association With” featured in Opening Credits
$10,000+
Anonymous sponsorship is also available under alias.