What would you do to save a dog? Blackie delivers a litter of eight puppies in a poor neighbourhood in Springfield, Tennessee the week before Melissa Armstrong first meets her. As a volunteer for a local charity, Melissa has experience with strays and plans to rescue Blackie and her litter within days. But nothing goes as planned. For the next six months, Melissa and a ragtag cast of characters try to trap the mutt with nets, hooks, spring traps, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and the dog's crying puppies. They fail so many times that Melissa is on the brink of giving up. But when she learns about the brutal way the local police department controls the overpopulation problem in Blackie's neighbourhood, she reaffirms her promise to a dog. She vows to rescue her, no matter the consequences. A vividly told and thoughtful reflection on the many highs and lows of caring for animals and humans in difficult circumstances, CATCHING DAWN is at once a gritty exposé of the consequences of animal overpopulation in the rural South of America and the story of how a homeless dog helps a woman move through personal grief and upheaval to rediscover the meaning of family.