By Amanda Anabeza, Courier Staff Writer
A disturbing video was released on Wednesday, January 18th, of a German Shepherd on the set of A Dog’s Purpose.
The video provided by TMZ showed a man attempting to force the dog into turbulent waters for a “stunt”. Towards the end of the video, the German Shepherd, Hercules, can be seen drowning for a very short period of time. Before this minute-long clip went viral, the movie was much anticipated by dog lovers everywhere.
The movie is about a dog “discovering the meaning of his existence” through the various people he finds a home with, coming back as a different dog each time.
Animal right advocacy groups like PETA, have called for a boycott of A Dog’s Purpose set to release on January 27. The hashtag “#BoycottADogsPurpose” was also circulating Twitter and other social media platforms.
According to TMZ, crew members for the movie are under investigation by a Chief Veterinary Office and they may face jail time if this agency discovers any evidence of wrongdoing. The CVO reports that the clip wasn’t taken in the process of filming, backed by the fact that a representative from the American Humane Association was on the set at the time of this incident. This representative has been suspended.
Producers for the film said that Hercules was not harmed during the filming process. Although that has been said, The CVO still has the authority to issue a fine up to ten thousand dollars and/or sentence the offenders up to 6 months in jail.
Josh Gad, the voice of the dog in the movie, was heartbroken after learning about this event and shared his thoughts on Twitter. He concludes by saying, “As the proud owner of a rescued dog and a fervent supporter of organizations like PETA, I have reached out to the production team and studio to ask for an explanation of these disturbing images.” Gad also states that he was never on set during the process of making the film.
