Animal Cruelty Allegations on A Dogs Purpose Film Set

[Dickenscider]

http://www.tmz.com/2017/01/18/a-dogs...d-abuse-video/

While I usually give no attention to the culture of soccer moms, fear mongering, and the collective swarm mentality while I scroll through my Facebook, I am making this post to illustrate how quick the majority is to jump on social media bandwagons while forgetting the importance of critical thinking....

It is apparent that this video (That also made it on CBC News) is the product of selective editing. In a mere minute, we see the dog being gently lowered into the pool. He is clearly nervous- BUT within seconds the dog is in the water and already at the other end of the pool, where they call in the emergency team and begin a rescue within seconds. Clearly, there is important footage missing before we can completely call this abuse or mistreatment to animals. There is so much profit to be made in flawed assumptions....

And you know what?! My dog displays the same behavior every time I try to give him a bath. Not because I have poor judgment and I subject him to unnecessary stress, but because it is his natural response...

I'm not saying that the A Dogs Purpose Cast is not completely innocent, but I am trying to point out that there is not enough evidence to grab our pitchforks and burn the movie and their cast at the stake......

Everyone is so upset..... Did they even see Milo and Otis?!?!

[Dickenscider]

"TMZ business model:

1. Released heavily edited video together to create a narrative of animal abuse.

2. Rake in page views and youtube views

3. Publish update indicating everything is fine

4. Rake in more page views"

-Reddit

[Bitumen Bullet]

I would expect more from a professional handler.

My dog, also a Shepard, did not want to get into the bath either but I did not have to pick him up and put him in. I only had to stand there and make it clear it was bath time. He would get in and then stand there asking if he had to stay, hoping it was just training but I would move my head to say no and he would stand still while I washed him.

In that scene I am positive I could have gotten my dog to jump in on command, even if he didn't think it was a good idea. Of course he tended to jump into water even when I didn't want him to so the problem might have been getting him to stay until ready.

[molly]

I think some weight should be given to the fact that the safety rep was suspended after the video was released. Certainly the footage was edited, but the dog was removed from the water in a sling, and appeared to be quite still, suggesting there was a definite problem with the dog. My hubby has trained many dogs in his life, and we discussed the video, agreeing that if this was something new for the dog, it should have been gradually introduced to the tank with calm water, and then the wave machine turned on gradually also. This kind of training would take considerable time. This dog was terrified; anyone can see this. My main question is WHY did whoever took this video wait till now to release it? If nothing else, Lasse Hallstrom and Steven Spielberg (head of Amblin Entertainment) may pay closer attention next time animals are used in their films.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by Dickenscider

.. how quick the majority is to jump on social media bandwagons while forgetting the importance of critical thinking..

Well i for one was immediatly sickened by it..no, i don't ride
bandwagons & this is the first time i watched it..filthy humans..
millions of dogs out there, GET one that enjoys the dam water.

[WHITIEY]

Good thing it was not one of MY dogs.And they like water

[wwbirds]

Lets look at it with logic instead of emotion. Are they going to film this with any danger to the animal just like the Calgary Stampede is accused of intentionally abusing their animals. No, these animals are very valuable.

Is the dog uncomfortable entering the water yes it certainly appears so but the handler is trying to persuade the dog to go in. Is the dog in any danger? I think not as there are also handlers (perhaps the owner in the water encouraging the dog to enter) which kind of shows if a human can withstand the turbulence so can the dog. They say the turbulence was created with outboard motors so perhaps the dog is afraid of the noise.
If the dog has been accustomed to these motors and turbulence through training the handler is dealing quite patiently with what I would view as intentional disobedience. When I say "fetch" to a force fetched dog I am insisting on a proper response. If I command fetch on a force to go dog I insist they go and not balk on the command. To tolerate such would mean obedience is optional.
Pro handlers and trainers do not enter into a situation like this without a reasonably predictable response from the dog. They teach what is expected, train every conceivable variable before testing. Something went wrong or perhaps we are only being shown selected edits. It appears the dog enters a manmade vortex/riptide at the other end of the pool as the velocity of the water hitting the end of the pool creates a downdraft which sucks the dog under. Would he escape without rescue probably but the film alludes to a "rescue" being required. Cant help but wonder what was staged and what is real. We have to be aware that some folks show the facts to only support the agenda they wish portrayed and if it gets a lot of negative attention so much the better. Kind of like expecting Green Peace or Peta to release an unbiased hunting or trapping film isnt it?

[catnthehat]

I never give any credence to anything that PETA or Greenoeace put up, endorse or are reporting on
Cat

[rugatika]

Ummm, they purposely put a dog in a situation that they had to go rescue it after it's head went under water.

I completely discredit anything peta or greenpeace dolts say as well, but in this situation it looks like the dog was being forced to do something it didn't want to do and they potentially put it's life in danger.

I try not to be a bleeding heart, but when it comes to dogs and kids I admit I am one. Probably the same people making this movie are the ones that were against water boarding.

Hope they get sued for all the profits from this movie and they all go to animal shelters. Just more evidence of how disease ridden Hollywood is.

[IronNoggin]

Official statement from W. Bruce Cameron:

"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. -- W. Bruce Cameron 1/20/17"

Just Sayin'...
Nog

[rugatika]

Originally Posted by IronNoggin

Official statement from W. Bruce Cameron:

"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. -- W. Bruce Cameron 1/20/17"

Just Sayin'...
Nog

So he released the footage that paints a different picture? Can't find the link to that footage.

[solocam3]

Dog was probably frightened by the EIGHT outboards. I know my dog has a panic attack when he has to pull the two stroke lawn mower around!!!

[IronNoggin]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...s-blame-967160

[Newellknik]

Denis Quaid calling bull**** on this abuse story !

Fake news !

[Dickenscider]

Originally Posted by rugatika

Ummm, they purposely put a dog in a situation that they had to go rescue it after it's head went under water.

I completely discredit anything peta or greenpeace dolts say as well, but in this situation it looks like the dog was being forced to do something it didn't want to do and they potentially put it's life in danger.

I try not to be a bleeding heart, but when it comes to dogs and kids I admit I am one. Probably the same people making this movie are the ones that were against water boarding.

Hope they get sued for all the profits from this movie and they all go to animal shelters. Just more evidence of how disease ridden Hollywood is.

The dog was never in any danger... They had safety precautions put in place to ensure this.