Life Is Ruff facts for kids

Life Is Ruff is a fun Disney Channel Original Movie from 2005. It stars Kyle Massey, Mitchel Musso, and Kay Panabaker. The movie is about a boy who tries to win a dog show to buy a rare comic book.

Story of the Movie

The story begins with a box of cute puppies at a grocery store. Five black Labrador puppies quickly find new homes. But one Labrador puppy is left all alone. On a rainy night, he escapes and lives on the streets for a year. Eventually, animal control catches him and takes him to the animal shelter.

Meanwhile, we meet Calvin Wheeler (Kyle Massey), a popular kid at school. Calvin loves collecting comic books, especially his favorite series, Gotham Man. His best friend is Raymond Figg (Mitchel Musso), who everyone calls Figg. Figg is very loyal to Calvin because Calvin once saved him during an asthma attack. Figg often helps Calvin with his schedule and homework.

Calvin's comic book collection is almost complete. He just needs the very first issue of Gotham Man, which is worth $3,000! One day, while skateboarding, Calvin sees a show dog. He learns that winning a dog show can earn a lot of money. The prize money for a big dog show is $5,000, which is more than enough for his comic book.

Calvin decides to adopt a dog from the local animal shelter. He picks the Labrador retriever puppy we met earlier and names him Tyco. Emily Watson (Kay Panabaker) is a kind volunteer at the shelter. She thinks Calvin might have a strange plan in mind. After talking to him, she agrees that Calvin would be a good owner for Tyco. Calvin even asks Emily to the upcoming school dance, and she says yes! But then she finds out he wants to enter Tyco in a dog show, and she gets upset.

Calvin and Tyco face a challenge from Preston Price (Carter Jenkins). Preston is a rich, stuck-up boy who has won the last two dog shows with his dog, Jaques. When Calvin and Tyco do really well in the qualifying rounds, Preston gets jealous. He tries to make Calvin lose by hiring people to bother him. Later, he even tries to trick them by having people pretend to be Tyco's real family.

But Calvin, Figg, and Emily realize it's a trick. Calvin and Figg come up with a clever plan. Figg pretends to sell magazines and then fakes an asthma attack. While everyone is distracted, Calvin sneaks into the basement and rescues Tyco.

Emily forgives Calvin, and they all decide to go to the dog show. Calvin's dad (Mark Christopher Lawrence) drives them there. They don't have a fancy routine ready, so they quickly come up with a fun act: Tyco pulls Calvin on his skateboard! Preston scores a high 98 points. He's worried Calvin will win, so he tries to cheat by rigging a ramp to make Calvin fall. But Preston gets caught and is disqualified! Calvin and Tyco perform perfectly and score a 99, winning the show!

With his prize money, Calvin does something amazing. He donates it to the animal shelter so they can help more dogs find good homes. In the end, the shelter is saved, and Figg, along with many other people, adopts a new pet.

Main Characters

• Kyle Massey as Calvin Wheeler: A popular teenage boy who loves comic books. He wants to win the dog show.
• Kay Panabaker as Emily Watson: A kind volunteer at the animal shelter and one of Calvin's friends.
• Mitchel Musso as Raymond Figg: Calvin's loyal best friend who helps him with his plans.
• Carter Jenkins as Preston Price: A rich boy who is Calvin's rival in the dog show.
• Judith Moreland as Calvin's Mother
• Mark Christopher Lawrence as Calvin's Father

Images for kids

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  A robot image