'A Dog's Purpose' Release Date, News: Investigators Rule Production Did Not Hurt Animals
Non-profit organization American Humane reports that a third-party investigation concludes there were no animals hurt in the filming of "A Dog's Purpose."
Last week, American Humane reported that a "respected animal cruelty expert" looked into the alleged animal abuse in the film and "concluded that an edited video given to the gossip site TMZ mischaracterized the events on the set."
A month ago, a video was leaked through TMZ and it alleged that a "terrified German Shepherd" was being forced by the production staff of "A Dog's Purpose" to get into a rushing water scene.
American Humane reported that the third-party investigators found the leaked video was "deliberately edited" and that the decision of leakers to release the video 15 months after the incident or days before the film's premiere "raise serious questions."
The findings rule that "no animals were harmed in those scenes and numerous preventative safety measures were in place."
According to the probe results, the leaked video contained scenes from two separate filming occasions and was intentionally designed to spark outrage. The investigator took into consideration "eyewitness reports" that corroborate claims that the dog "was not forced to swim in the water at any time."
Third-party investigators reportedly scrutinized additional filmed footage not shown in the leaked video. They also enlisted the help of a certified Veterinary Behaviorist to study the complete video where they concluded that the dog was "momentarily stressed" but no lasting negative effect was seen.
Investigators ruled that the film production performed and provided necessary safety measures and procedures required for filming with an animal on set including safety meetings to reiterate protocols and precautions. It was also mentioned that the dog involved was particularly chosen for the scene because he naturally loves to be in the water and was professionally trained for six weeks on how to deal with situations in water scenes.
American Humane required that the dog involved go through a veterinary check up last week. The results reportedly show that the dog remains healthy after filming for "A Dog's Purpose."
The film was originally slated to premiere in Jan. 19. But Universal Pictures decided to cancel it following the animal abuse allegations.
However, days before American Humane published the probe results, last Jan. 27, "A Dog's Purpose" started to open in theaters. The film features Dennis Quaid and Josh Gad.