“Sun Dogs” is the story of the Jamaican dog sled team.

No, not the Jamaican bobsled team. The Jamaican dog sled team. I can understand how you’d think I’d just written down the wrong phrase, given how much more famous the former team is; in fact, it’s that very success which inspired Danny Melville to try to kickstart the idea of giving Jamaica a second unlikely sport to call their own.

Given that it comes from Palm Productions, it’s no wonder that “Sun Dogs” is a well-made documentary which extends far beyond the scope that one might reasonably expect from its simplistic cover art. Yes, it’s the true story of the Jamaican Dogsled Team, just as advertised, but this is as much of a tale of the country of Jamaica, how the beauty of its landscape belies the poverty of its people, and why something as simple and strange as a tropical island becoming famous for being good as a sport that’s generally done on snowy terrain can raise the spirits of so many people.

It’s a whirlwind trip ’round the world, this doc, spending time not only in Jamaica but also in Minnesota and Edinburgh, Scotland (you can’t exactly do proper sled training in a hot and sunny climate, now, can you?), but it’s also an emotional voyage as well, particularly when Newton – one of the human representatives of the team – is abruptly but understandably removed from working with the dogs. And speaking of the dogs, their story proves as interesting as the humans, coming as they do from the Jamaican SPCA. Most of them adapt well to the sport, but it takes a fair amount of training; still, it’s never a hardship to watch them, because, c’mon, doggies are cute!

Ahem.

Anyway, this is a great documentary that provides a real look at the creation of the team rather than an airbrushed Hollywood recreation, but it’s still a heartwarming story…one with a bouncy reggae soundtrack which propels it at all times. If there’s any complaint, it’s that the film’s description would lead you to believe that Jimmy Buffett, who offers financial support to the team, is a major player in the story; although it refers to “the crew, spearheaded by pop superstar Jimmy Buffett,” the man from Margaritaville is in it for maybe five minutes, tops.

Of course, if you’re not a Parrothead, this revelation may only serve to make you want to see “Sun Dogs” more than you already did before.