There is always a danger in the movie industry when you bring an animal on set, the ever present display of “animal abuse.” Not to condemn everyone who was involved in this project, but you really should have seen this coming from the beginning.
Sure, you claimed the dogs who were casted fit the attributes you were looking for, such as the German Shepard named Hercules due to the claim that “he likes water.” But since the video of such abuse was released on January 18th, many people have come to call the integrity of the movie and justification that would allow you to behave in this manner.
The video displays a German Shepard named Hercules standing between his handler and a rough flowing waters below. Throughout the clip, Hercules looks terrified as he is leaning away from the water, unable to escape the handler’s grip on his collar. The handler shoves the dog to the edge of the platform dipping the dog’s rear legs into the water for a “test", before dragging the petrified dog down into the roaring waters below. In the background, off camera voices can be heard saying “just gotta throw him in,” and “he wants to get away. Just throw him in.”
Additionally, the next scene shows the dog approaching the end of the water tank and the trainer trying to call him over before the dog starts drowning. The entire crew begins to react in fear for the dog’s life, realizing what was going on.
How is it acceptable to only feel genuine sympathy for an animal only after things have gone wrong?
Were the signs of struggle and resistance in the earlier take not enough to trigger an alarm? Were the abusive actions toward the dog entertaining for you? Or was your mind clouded with the illusion of complete compliance from the animal actor? The type of actor that can’t talk back or argue with the directors and crew in a language that they can understand.
In response to this video, you have rebutted that it was a “staged act” and it does not reflect the film’s treatment of the animal actors. I would beg to differ. How could this have been fake? You can clearly see the dog, the handler, and some of the crew on the other side of the water. The clip was fluid. Even if it was edited, the actions of the handler were in-fact real and abusive. To pass this off as negative press, is shameful upon your integrity and actions.
Thank you for adding another problem to the list of issues we need to address.
As someone who was looking forward to watching A Dog’s Purpose, I just can’t bring myself to walk into the theater to watch this movie. Especially with the aggressive information of what happened behind the scenes. Due to this incident, your movie may not be receiving good ratings or box office numbers, but hopefully future films will be able to learn from your mistake. To treat all animal actors with respect, just as you would with a human actor. To tend to their needs, and to not force them to do anything they don’t want to.
Sincerely,
An Animal Lover
