After PETA’s call for a boycott of the upcoming film A Dog’s Purpose, due to a video leaked to TMZ showing a pup being forced into raging waters on set, more news of protest surfaces.
People who want to see the film will be greeted by animal rights activists and taunted if they buy tickets and enter the theatre, according to TMZ.
PETA organizers told the news outlet that they have plans to hit theatres across the U.S. to protest the treatment of the animal actors in the movie.
READ MORE: PETA calls for boycott of ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ after disturbing video released
W. Bruce Cameron — author of the novel and co-screenwriter of the controversial film — said in a statement issued Friday that the commentary accompanying the leaked video of the German Shepard has mischaracterized the incident. He also questioned the motives of those who shot and edited the video for waiting 15 months to do anything about it, instead of going to the authorities with the footage immediately.
On Saturday PETA issued a statement stating that if there is more footage out there, it should be made public.
“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,” said PETA VP Lisa Lange. “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. 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.”
In the original post that sparked the controversy, TMZ released the video of the scene of the dog, named Hercules, being pulled and pushed into a stream of turbulent water, which was allegedly shot in 2015 and shows the dog repeatedly clawing to stay on land.
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The edited video then shows what appears to be the same German Shepherd sinking in the pool as one crew member yells “Cut it!” and others rush over to help the animal.
A voice off-camera also says in the video.“He wants to get away, just throw him in.”
Lange called for a boycott of the film last week. PETA is calling on dog lovers “to boycott the film in order to send the message that dogs and other animals should be treated humanely, not as movie props,” Lange said.
Gavin Polone, a producer on the film, said that he was frustrated by the situation on several fronts — the fact that the video remained under wraps for more than a year and the inability of the American Humane monitoring group to properly supervise the set to prevent abuse, according to Variety.
He also noted that he had been on the set about 70 per cent of the time.
READ MORE: Vancouver rescue group cancels screening of ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ after video leak
“Had I been on the set, this would have never happened,” he said. “This movie got made because of how I feel about animals. So this happened 15 months ago and should have been investigated immediately. It’s unconscionable that someone waited a year and three months to call attention to this.”
Polone more recently said, “I wanted to promote the feelings I developed for animals by making a meaningful movie about the same. So now, the idea that I’m connected to an accusation of the abuse of a dog is, to understate it, painful.”
“The dog trainer should have stopped trying to get the dog to go in the water as soon as the dog seemed uncomfortable, and the trainers should have had support under the dog as soon as he came to the side of the pool and/or had less turbulence in the water so he never would have gone under,” Polone continued.
“The American Humane Association (AHA) representative who is paid by the production to “ensure the safety and humane treatment of animal actors,” as its website states, should have also intervened immediately on both of those parts of the filming. So should have whomever was running the set. Those individuals should be held accountable and never used again by that studio or its affiliates.”
Polone went on to say that he holds himself accountable because, “even though I was not present, I knew and had written about how ineffective AHA has been over the years.”
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The Calgary Humane Society is joining other animal rights groups in condemning the treatment of the dog during filming.
“We knew right away as soon as we saw that footage. Nope, doesn’t matter. We can’t be associated with this. This is not OK,” Philip Fulton, manager of community outreach with the Calgary Humane Society, said.
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“It was kind of a no brainer. As soon as we saw that footage everyone was on the same page. Unanimously we all decided we can’t support this.”
“We can’t condone this.”
In Calgary, Vets to Go was supposed to host a viewing for 400 people at Scotiabank Theatre Chinook next Saturday in support of the Calgary Humane Society. Both organizations said managers unanimously decided to cancel the event.
“Our intention was this movie was going to be a feel-good story about rescued animals and suddenly it became the opposite,” Greg Habstritt, president of Vets To Go, said. “Any time that animals are used like that in entertainment, it’s unacceptable.”
A Vancouver dog rescue organization has also cancelled its pre-screening of the film amid the allegations of animal abuse.
Vancouver-based non-profit Thank Dog I Am Out had organized a fundraiser screening of the film on Jan. 25 but has since cancelled the event, saying in a Facebook post: “We are shocked and disappointed by what we have seen and we cannot in good conscience continue with our pre-screening of the movie.”
They are now refunding tickets purchased for the screening or offering ticket holders the option to wave their refund as a donation to the organization.
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A Dog’s Purpose director Lasse Hallstorm released a statement last Wednesday: “I am very disturbed by the video released today from the set of my film A Dog’s Purpose. I did not witness these actions, which are unacceptable and would never happen with my knowledge. We were all committed to providing a loving, respectful and safe environment for all the animals in the film. I have been promised that a thorough investigation into this situation is underway and that any wrongdoing will be reported and punished.”
Hallstrom also took to Twitter last Wednesday to address the issue.
Josh Gad, who is the voice of the dog, tweeted a response expressing his sorrow for how the dog appears to be treated.
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An online petition, launched Friday, called for a boycott of the movie unless a “significant” portion of the proceeds are donated to animal welfare organizations. It already has over 62,000 supporters with a goal of 65,000 supporters.
The studio has already cancelled the Hollywood premiere and press junkets for the film in fear of violence by animal rights groups.
A Dog’s Purpose opens Jan. 27.