UPDATE Saturday, 11:00 AM: PETA has issued a statement on the matter. “It takes a cold heart not to find this footage disturbing, so PETA asks whether A Dog’s Purpose was written from the heart or just to make a buck. Whistleblowers invariably fear for their jobs, but this footage was bravely made public after PETA exposed cruelty to animals at the film’s reported dog supplier”, the group said in a statement sent to Deadline by Moira Colley, Senior Media Officer. “If additional footage exists, it should be made public, but it won’t change the footage of a terrified dog forced into churning water any more than nanny cam footage of a bedtime story changes footage of a caregiver hitting a child.”
Original post, Friday: A Dog’s Purpose producer Gavin Polone said he’s had a change of heart after seeing the full video of a distressed German shepherd on set. He says the dog was not in danger and believes agendas are being carried out for different purposes — that whomever cut the video and made it appear the dog was in danger and “probably sold it for money” to fulfill’s PETA’s stated agenda of ensuring no animal is ever used on a TV or movie set again.
Also, producer Amblin Entertainment clarified that the incident that occurred was not the second unit as first thought but rather “a reduced main unit” crew shooting that day.
Asked by Deadline if that is PETA’s stated goal, the organization’s SVP Lisa Lange said, “Yes. With all we know about how they are kept in cages, the abuse that takes place during training and how they are treated on film sets, we believe that the animals should be CGI’d always.” (That, of course, would be cost prohibitive for most productions.) The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been targeting the animal supplier/handler Birds & Animals Unlimited for a long while.
One thing many of those involved with the film have questioned is why someone waited 15 months before releasing the video to TMZ, only two weeks before the release of the film in theaters nationwide January 27. “I care about the truth, and I care about animals,” said Polone, who has long been an animal activist. “And I want to use this to figure out how to benefit animals. I know the movie helps to benefit animals because it shows the deep relationships that forms between people and dogs.”
Added Polone, who said he viewed the entire thing yesterday: “I looked at the video of all of this. [The dog] gets under the froth of the water, but he is lifted up by the diver. He came up and he was fine. If your stated goal is to never use any animal on a movie set ever again, then they are trying to use the video that someone probably sold to TMZ to get a commitment for that.
“I’m not saying there were no mistakes made, but the whole thing is becoming untrue and unfair, and I feel like they and the person who cut the cellphone video together are using the media for their own agendas. It’s a cellphone video that was cut in a certain way. There are so many things that you don’t see … there are raised platforms under the water. There is a (scuba) diver under the water. You don’t see the safety people on the other side.
“The person who cut it probably wanted to sell it, and it doesn’t sell if it looks like the dog is OK. (The person) made it look like the dog could die … or did die.
“I’ve done more investigating and also had more conversations with PETA. Whoever was in control of the set should have told them to stop, but the dog was not in danger and the dog was and is OK.”
The video that ran Wednesday on TMZ has caused a public relations nightmare for Amblin and Universal Pictures, as it has gone viral.
The author of the book and co-screenwriter W. Bruce Cameron, who saw the full footage the day of the shoot, also said the edited video “mis-characterized” what happened on the set and went on Facebook to release the following statement:
First I want to thank everyone—and there have been literally thousands of you—who have written to express support. Your words and thoughts mean the world to us.
I found the video we’ve all seen to be shocking because when I was on set, the ethic of everyone was the safety and comfort of the dogs.
If the people who shot and edited the video thought something was wrong, why did they wait fifteen months to do anything about it, instead of immediately going to the authorities?
I have since viewed footage taken of the day in question, when I wasn’t there, and it paints an entirely different picture.
The written commentary accompanying the edited video mischaracterizes what happened. The dog was not terrified and not thrown in the water—I’ve seen footage of Hercules earlier that day joyfully jumping in the pool. When he was asked to perform the stunt from the other side of the pool, which was not how he had been doing it all day, he balked. The mistake was trying to dip the dog in the water to show him it was okay—the water wasn’t his issue, it was the location that was the issue, and the dog happily did the stunt when he was allowed to return to his original spot.
I also didn’t like it when Hercules’s head briefly went under water, but there was a scuba diver and a trainer in the pool to protect him. He loves the water, wasn’t in danger, and wasn’t upset.
On a movie where the mantra was the safety and comfort of the dogs, mistakes were made, and everything needs to be done to make sure those errors are not repeated. But the reason American Humane certifies that no animals were harmed during the making of the film is that no animals were harmed during the making of the film.
I celebrate animal rescue and am proud of the values that show up in A Dog’s Purpose.
We were told that when the full investigation by the studio and the production company is over, the unedited video likely will be released to the public.
DUH. Shock value first, facts second. All anyone remembers is the shock. Our society doesn’t look all that pretty these days.
The movie is about a dog repeatedly being reincarnated and helping different people.
To me that’s an abusive story to start with.
I dont have a dog to use up or entertain I have a dog because it was orphaned by a breeder. The story is creepy and has nothing to do with animals, only mans selfishness and abuse. Creepy.
Um, did you read what you wrote??? You are the one that is creepy! Wow!
Says the movie pr agent.
You sound like a sad human being…
The sad depressing story about animal abuse.
Do you really think what you said makes sense?? MORE than a little scary…
Here’s the producer trying to defend
throwing his kids in the water.
Abusive? Wow. This is such an example of what’s gone wrong with culture. Grab a buzz word that will draw attention. Just start helping other people yourself and you’ll get the attention that you need, not this way, ‘fer cryin’ out loud.
Disgusting movie abusing a dog.
Guaranteed to scare any kid for their entire
life being around water.
“The movie is about a dog repeatedly being reincarnated and helping different people.
To me that’s an abusive story to start with.”
Please explain how that story is abusive.
Is that what your parents did to YOU?????
Turn you into a servant to help people out.
And serve their selfish interests with a
PURPOSE ?????
A dog doesn’t have a purpose. You don’t have a purpose.
Dogs are not servants for helping people, are you nuts or something? if u wanna help someone then u do and u are not called servant, why do you call a dog servant if he does the same?
They should have asked the dog itself what happened since it was directly involved.
Oh for facks sake. The dog is fine. He’s doing terrific. He did what dogs like to do: please their owner. Now go watch the movie hand enjoy a story about how wonderful dogs are.
Then show us the FULL video so we can decide for ourselves. What do you have to hide???????
Exactly. I would expect anyone involved in the film to say the dog was fine. How about letting us see to relax our minds. Let us be the judges.
The video you want to see is the cell phone video. They don’t have it. They have the dailies. I’m sure they will release it at some point. Do you have any idea how many hours of numerous camera angles you’re going to watch and even then you won’t believe that they’ve shown you everything.
Ya what do you have to hide anonymous.
Even if the full video were shown, would you have a clue what you’re looking at? It’s been proven already that reactionists don’t.
yeah show us the full video so we can all see that the dog was alright becurse the dog didnt look alright in the other video
Yes, show us the video! And let us see the movie for free…and buy us popcorn!!
How do you know the dog is fine? Were you there for the filming? My dogs like to please me as well, but I don’t force them to endure pain or suffering to please me.
Anonymous… Really? You NEVER force your dogs to “endure pain or suffering”??? You’ve never corrected them for getting into the garbage or onto the bed? You’ve never “forced” them to walk properly on a leash? You have never made them suffer the cold or rain to ‘do their business’ outdoors? How is it that YOU ‘know’ they are eager to please you and follow ‘your’ rules, to be obedient? Stones and glass houses…
Please look up ” comparison ” in the dictionary…there’s a distinct difference between encouraging your dog and making it do what you want. Give your pet advice somewhere else you clown.
Is your dog ever on a leash ! Would you like to be ? Think a ? Not saying it’s wrong to have a dog on a leash, just wondering if you think of yourself as evil.
that’s nice
Who needs the truth when a soundbite and slanted angle of leaked/stolen vids or emails will do instead? Welcome to the Trump era.
nothing to do with trump idiot
Yeah it does… because the same idiots continually tricked by fake news are the same idiots who voted for a racist, sexist, homophobic reality show host to be President.
You’re an idiot.
I concur. Jackass
Your a goof
What?!?!? The total opposite is true. Just like this video, it’s Hillary and Obama supporters who are constantly duped into believing lies. Just like in this case. Look at all the idiots rioting over nothing. What a crybaby and a fool you are.
Thank God for President Trump!
so before the “trump era” there were no “soundbite and slanted angle of leaked/stolen vids or emails ” ever?
idiot
Why not release the raw footage. Just to appease all the nay sayers?
Literally the last line of the article:
“We were told that when the full investigation by the studio and the production company is over, the unedited video likely will be released to the public.”
The raw footage from the person who shot it on their cell phone?
Wouldn’t that be lovely but that person had an agenda to make money by selling the footage to TMZ or PETA. It doesn’t serve him/her or PETA for you to see the footage which would prove the studio didn’t do anything wrong.
Considering that it occurred on an active film set, there was probably multiple different cameras filming the thing so they don’t need the exact cell phone footage.
Can we still address the unanswered question of why it took the apparent “Disgusted Animal Activist” 15 MONTHS to bring this video to light??? If indeed they were that disturbed at the time, HOW DARE THEY allow production to continue and put other animals at risk!!! That ALONE should cause any of you to be rather skeptical of the motives in the timing of this release.
The 15 month lag is definitely suspect and without seeing the whole video it’s hard to make a clear determination of what happened, but there are two points that I find disturbing.
1. Cameron says that filming continued at the original spot and the dog was fine. However, in a Washington Post article, the following was noted: “On the day of the shoot, Hercules did not want to perform the stunt portrayed on the tape so the Amblin production team did not proceed with filming that shot.” Which is true?
2. It doesn’t matter what Polone says about a safety divers or platforms (which I’m sure were in place) because THE DOG BELIEVES IT’S IN DANGER. THE DOG DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SAFETY ELEMENTS IN PLACE. It’s instinct says “danger.” In my opinion, that is distress for an animal that doesn’t understand “that this is just a movie.”
To answer your question, technically both statements are true. Hercules did not want to perform the stunt from that location so they stopped filming, gave him a break and then continued the shoot with hercules entering the water from the original position he was comfortable starting in.
You are exactly correct. It is still mistreatment of a dog.
The anonymous commentator below is correct (and obviously a dog lover): the DOG was frightened. THAT should have been enough for the handlers, etc., to say we need to stop. FORCING an animal to anything is wrong. Especially if its for the entertainment of humans like Breal, who writes as if he or she views dogs as mere tools for the benefit of humans.
You mean like…working dogs?? Differences between dog “lovers” and dog KNOWERS. Yes, the incident sucked, we should all agree, the Humane Association was there, and rep was fired. They didn’t do their job (or, there was nothing wrong in their eyes). Dogs SHOULD have a useful purpose. Particularly working dogs like German Shepherds.
Rep was not fired. The person was suspended during the investigation.
Thank you, APBtv, for limiting the fake news, the assumptions, the spin, the drama by taking the time to issue facts here. Sheesh. People are truly amazing these days. It is absolutely no wonder they would clamor to elect a corrupt liar to the presidency and then use violent hate over losing an election, by calling the OTHERS “haters”. WTH
Who decided that German Shepherds are “working dogs?” That dog was frightened and that room was filled with people more interested in getting the shot than Hercule’s welfare. The person sent to protect the animals lacked the strength to stand up and say no, or was being paid off. The other issue here is the agency, BAU Birds and Animals Unlimited, and others like them. Everyone is trying to get paid regardless of the animal’s safety. After I saw this I started researching how many animals have died on sets. I won’t list them here because we are discussing one particular incident. In addition, I don’t need to see the extra “footage” from the cell phone to know that everyone in that set was dropping the ball. And by the way, the person who waited to turn over this footage was probably afraid.
As someone who absolutely adores her dogs, they literally are tools for mankind. We have bred them over generations and centuries in order to fulfill different purposes; hunting, transportation, law enforcement, search and rescue, etc.
I love my dogs to the moon and back, they are like my furry children and are a large part of the family. But don’t mistake them for humans. They are tools, they have a job- a purpose, in this world.
FINALLY! Now, let’s go get our ticket!
Goes to show how mountains are made out of molehills of nothing when someone edited a video to show things the version they want to show. Dog is and was fine. Now that I have seen entire video showing that it was a whirlpool pool of water, that dog was never in any danger.
Thank you, Gavin of Mr. Cameron.
That dog was terrified – survival instinct kicks in. It is obvious from the footage. I will NOT see the movie and everyone I talked to about this won’t see it.
Same.
Oh my gosh Yvonne what a brave brave stand you are taking. America applauds your courage. iDIOT
Whatever we think, the dog was obviously in distress. He was scared. Whether or not ‘no animals were harmed in the making of this movie’, this dog was SCARED. He should not have been subjected to what he went through. If there is other video they are not showing us, they should release it now, not after THEY have the opportunity to doctor it like some are claiming PETA did.
Humans are not the only creatures that can suffer psychological trauma. Dogs don’t know about safety nets, or underwater tables, or scuba divers standing by. Harm can take many forms, and to say this dog was not harmed in this movie is laughable.
And whether or not dogs were domesticated to help man survive in earlier times, doing this to one of them is just wrong.
bla bla..
The dog i saw, was scared to death
Thats all i need to know about that film!
A film, that want to show the beautiful relationsship between Humans and Dogs.
I will not pay for this Doghandling!
It is cruel!
And i dont care, what the reasons was to film this..they can not deny this!
I hope the dog trainer, and everybody who laughed while the dog was scared to death, can taste a little bit of this kind of “training”…
Ah fck..this was no training!
This was punishment..
Polone’s assertions are absurd. The video does not lie. This dog was in clear distress. Period.
I used to respect Gavin Polone and his raw political commentary. It had the air of moral and intellectual honesty, whether you agreed with it or not.
Now I find this man is a vegan, animal loving hypocrite because that was a terrified dog thrown into swirling waters and he nearly drowned no matter how he disingenuously claims editing.
He’s only honest until he stands to lose money. He has no integrity.
Cafe Joe, Please identify where you saw the dog “thrown into swirling waters”.
Polone’s assertions are absurd. The video does not lie. The dog was in clear distress. Period.
Exactly! The dog was in distress and no animal should ever be placed in any situation like that, and no amount of Polone’s “explanations ” can justify this.
Does anyone here who says the dog was scared and that’s enough to say it’s horrible own a dog? Ever tried to give a dog a bath? Or take it to the vet? They hate and fear both but it doesn’t mean your evil if you force them to do it. Gray area people.
Yes I own a dog and when she is scared I comfort her until she is comfortable with going to the vet, etc. she is a rescue and still suffers from previous life experiences before I found her. The trainer should have recognized the dog was distressed and calmed him down before proceeding.
How do you know that didn’t happen here? The a-hole with the cell phone video miraculously edited what happened.
oh brother if i waited until my dog was comfortable doing whatever he wanted to do.. the bath water would evaporate the vets office would be closed and he would be sick and dirty and no he is not a “rescue” I bought him from a good breeder that is the best way to keep animals out of “rescues” you make excuses for her behavior based on ‘previous life experiences” when we all know dogs van be trained to forget their past lives..
My dog is the most well behaved rescue I have ever seen. I never made an excuse for her behavior. That is something you dreamed up. She has been to obiedence school along with me and my husband and she is the sweetest most well behaved dog. She still after 8 years flinches when you touch her. But she obeys commands without being forced. She works for treats and for affection.
So you are comparing forcing our dogs to go to the vet for their HEALTH, to soulless filmmakers forcing a terrified dog into raging waters for money?? Just…WOW.
I mean… There’s a pretty big difference between your dog being afraid of the bath tub until s/he gets used to it and throwing a dog into a stream of rushing water deep enough for it to be completely submerged and potentially drowned.
How do you know it was thrown in?! If there was video of that, why didn’t the “whistleblower/PETAphile” tape it?
Yep, I have a puppy that HATES baths. She used to scream like I was skinning her alive and sacrificing her to Satan- now she occasionally whimpers. BUT…I get in the tub with them, at no point is she in a situation where she can go under the water or she isn’t solidly supported by the bottom of the tub or my body. And a bath has to do with taking care of their health…not making a buck. Going to the vet is also about their health. Not similar at all.
of course it’s different… perhaps in OUR minds. But it begs the question, does the dog differentiate the anxiety between our ‘good intentions’ for health care or our intention to perform a task??? If your argument is that the dog’s anxiety and/or fear is justified because we are ‘helping’ them instead of using them for ‘work’, yet neither are harmed any further than their temporary anxiety of either performing the trick “safely” (watch the video again, the trainer NEVER took his hands off Hercules, never became angry, consoled and patted him encouragingly, and at least 2 divers are in the water during the second scene), then I fear your argument is weak at best. Perhaps then we should not be using dogs to assist in scent detection, police work, seeing eye dogs, service dogs in general, cattle herding, etc. etc. etc. And of course this leads us to the topic of the anxiety and cruelty we should place upon ALL breeders, reputable or otherwise, for using animals to make money off of them. Do you really want to go down THAT rabbit hole?? Let’s use logic, compassion, and common sense. At minimum DO YOUR HOMEWORK before making such a damning statement that the dog was injured or harmed by the standards measured by your own treatment of your own animals.
This is exactly the truth. The act has to define the abuse, not your intentions. Sure, mistakes were made but to call this abuse lets me think we live in a very privileged society. Working in rescue, I see dogs truly abused and no charges are ever laid, but this makes international news? What a waste of resources that should be used to shut down puppy mills and strengthen animal abuse laws.
Good point. However I too am in Rescue. This was not a waste of resources. If this video was just a glimpse into a bigger, more dangerous issue, and the investigation concurred, we would all be grateful for bringing this to the attention of authorities. Presuming as they say that the dog is ok, this was still a frightened dog at this moment, and the situation required different handling. It is also a reminder to the entertainment industry that people are watching and demand that the animal actors are properly trained, prepared and willing to do the stunt.
Yes this.
Wow, way to backtrack in an attempt to salvage your movie. Hercules is in obvious distress. He’s not acting scared, he is scared. No animal should be made to act. I will not be seeing this movie.
Do you also buy anything made overseas in factories that abuse their workers? Do you own an iPhone or smartphone that is made under horrible working conditions? That is real abuse. I love dogs and have two rescue dogs and I think it’s a shame that this beautiful film is being judged by a cropped and edited cell phone video 15 months after the actual event took place. Think of how many people will leave that theatre with their kids and consider adopting a rescue dog. Well now all the people complaining over this, when the dog is actually fine and was fine, can pat themselves on the back that they caused many rescue dogs a chance at being adopted. We don’t live in a perfect world and it’s sad the dog was scared at that time, but his message in that film could’ve helped so many other animals. YET you all wear your clothes made by children in sweatshops and carry on about this.
The bottom line is, THAT DOG DID NOT WANT TO GO IN THE WATER AT THAT TIME. And to force that dog to do that when it was very obvious it didn’t want to is ABUSE.
Regardless of the justification, they stressed that dog to the point of abuse…
It is very sad when some cannot see the fact that THE DOG DID NOT WANT TO GO IN THE POOL and that is the bottom line.
If someone was doing that to a child it would be abuse. If someone was doing that to their wife they would be an butt-hole and should be in jail.
But because it was a dog trying to communicate the best way it could, that is OK and even funny for some. Abuse is abuse and I will always speak out against all forms of abuse What they done to that dog was cruel and maybe if it was a child, people would have a different opinion.
They could have found a dog that loves water and will chase a ball. Toss the ball in the water and a water-ball loving dog would have jumped in “on it’s own.” To bad we have too many people that claim to be “dog trainers.” And that is the biggest problem here. that is all the facts I need to know.
My service dog, “Annie” had “water anxiety” and I “trained” her to get over it. The most human way to train a dog is to let the dog figure it out.
Here is a video on how it should have been done and I am letting Annie get over her water anxiety.
The dog wasn’t forced into the water, but you wouldn’t know that because the person with the cell phone video cuts the shot. If the dog was actually forced into the water or tossed into the water, you better believe they would’ve included the money shot. Please try and think for yourself instead of being led by an edited video. You must watch reality TV, too.
When I was a kid I had a German Shepherd we would go play down by the creek and Champ would jump in the water and splash around all on his own. No one forced him into the water, he loved it. So I’m not getting where all this terrified of water comes in.
Even if filming is monitored, this doesn’t mean that animals aren’t suffering behind the scenes at the outfits that supply them to the film industry. An eyewitness at Birds & Animals Unlimited, which supplied the animals for A Dog’s Purpose and many others, documented animals kept in filthy enclosures, dogs kept outside without any bedding in 40-degree temps, and animals deprived of vet care and food so they’d be hungry enough to “work” for a morsel. I’m done with films that use animals as “props.” Humans choose to perform–animals don’t.
The question we are left with….where is the video they claim to have. It’s one thing to say it didn’t happen but if that is true where is their evidence for the public to view. What we saw was a dog using his instincts as my water loving dogs do, rfeuding to go in……but the dog was terrified going into strong current water. And hitting his head going under a bridge, there was no diver underneath the dog. Cut it maybe but some of those shots were real and rightly being brought into question.
From the very beginning, right after the tape surfaced Cameron on his Facebook page has been posting stuff from people blaming PTA, TMZ and “the media.” Why not just blame Trump or claim Russians hacked the video? The fact is: the original video DOES NOT LIE. Hercules was petrified, terrified of dying and TRAUMATIZED. Polone is obviously spinning to try and make money, save the film. To hell with the movie. Regarding “sitting” on the video for 15 months: investigations like this take time. PETA says it sped up the investigation to get it completed before the film was released. I believe this. The investigation could have taken 18 months or so but was rushed to be done pre-movie opening. Nothing wrong with this.
I am Boycotting A Dog’s Purpose.
I want to see the full unedited video. What TMZ published shows a dog scared to get in the water and being forced by the human. Will this second video show the dog was not scared, was not forced in the water. How long is it going to take the studio to complete their investigation so the unedited video can be released.
I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting to see the second video. (Like Hercules held his breath?) If they were confident in the second video alleviating them of blame it would have been released now along with their comments. They likely have nothing. This movie is dead.
And F-ing PETA wins again, even when this is proved to be false. People’s livelihoods depend on this film not only making it’s money back but to make a profit. This was supposed to help Best Friends Society get donations to help more animals. They were forced, because of people believing this crap, to stop their association with this film. All of you idiots that believed the sensationalized crap from PETA and TMZ should be ashamed! I will go see this film.
The poor dog WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED and the terror went on and on. This is TOTALLY UNACEPTABLE! Use a dog that is not scared of rushing water if you want to film a scene like that! I wanted to see the movie until these details were revealed. No way will I support this abuse.
The dog was never in serious DANGER, there’s a million people around to yank him out- we all see that…that’s not the issue…the issue and abuse comes with forcing him into the water in the state he was in and putting him in a position where he couldn’t cope and had to be rescued out. Do they similarly force children into water like that when they are not properly prepared to swim it and cope with the environment so that the child goes under and has to be yanked out?? For money? I don’t think so.
My dog looks just as scared when he needs a bath. Does that mean I never give him a bath? Of course not, I do try to make it more pleasant for him as the people did with this movie going back to a spot he was comfortable with. I have five children, also some as babies cried for their bath, even seem terrified, you do your best to relax them, show them it isnt scary and eventually the fear goes away. Doesnt make me a bad parent because he/she experienced the sensation of fear for a little bit.
If you threw your kid scared kid into a swimming pool to make money, you’re a bad parent. That’s not helping the kid, that is a violation of trust for the sake of your own self-interest.
This cracks me up. The dog was fine. PETA who euthanizes over 90% of the animals that come into the care cares nothing about the animals only trying to eliminate personal ownership of animals. They have an agenda and will do anything to push it.