People Are Really Pissed Off About This Leaked Footage from 'A Dog’s Purpose'

UPDATE: A third-party investigation has cleared the film crew of harming any animals on the set of A Dog's Purpose. American Humane wrote a statement saying that although the trainer in the first part of the leaked footage could have been gentler with the dog, the dog was not forced to complete the scene, as the footage suggests. It said the footage was edited to be deliberately misleading. 

There have been mixed emotions leading up to the release of A Dog's Purpose—a feel-good movie starring Dennis Quaid about a dog who is reincarnated as different canine breeds. The trailer made my colleague Amil Niazi sob repeatedly. Another friend, on Twitter, wrote "this is it. The dumbest movie possible."

But, after the release of leaked footage of a clearly-terrified German Shepherd from the movie being forced into rushing water, there seems to be consensus that the people behind A Dog's Purpose fucked up.

The leaked clip, which was filmed in Winnipeg and surfaced on TMZ Wednesday, shows the dog, Hercules, and his trainer at the edge of a pool filled with rushing jet streams. Hercules is scrambling to get away, but his trainer holds onto his collar and pushes him towards the pool.

The man behind the camera says, "he ain't gonna calm down until he goes in the water. Just gotta throw him in."

Hercules' feet slip into the pool, as the owner continues to hold him, and he scrambles back out, still very afraid.

"He wants to get away, just throw him in," says the cameraman, chuckling.

Eventually Hercules is pushed back into the pool, though his owner holds onto his collar so his head is still sticking out. The footage then cuts to a scene of Hercules struggling under the current, as a man shouts "cut it! Cut it!"

Since the footage leaked, a Toronto-based group called Animal Justice has filed a lawsuit over the treatment of the dog. Meanwhile, PETA has accused the movie of violating animal welfare laws and has called for dog lovers to boycott A Dog's Purpose. Even the director, who said he wasn't on set for the scene, has called it "disturbing."

Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures released a statement Wednesday, saying Hercules was treated with care and was not forced to perform that stunt.

Meanwhile, the not-yet-release film's IMDB ratings are sitting at one star, with all six reviews referencing animal abuse.

Melissa Millett, a stunt dog trainer with Ultimutts, who has worked with dogs on movies, said the scene was completely mishandled.

She told VICE trainers are given scripts ahead of time and should be able to cast animal actors that are suited to the roles.

"We look at what these dogs can do, what they're comfortable with, and in this scene you would find a dog who is obsessed with water," she said, noting there is never a shortage of dog actors.

In this situation, she said the right thing to do, once observing that the dog is scared, is to try to get the dog comfortable.

"Turn off the jets, get him swimming around, then while he's already in the pool and he's in a good mindframe… turn on the jets for just a second" and gradually increase the duration he's in the pool with the jets.

"You don't shove the dog in the pool."

Millett, who has been training dogs for 18 years, said she would describe the scene as animal abuse, especially because of the turbulent nature of the water.

"To the animal, he's fearful for his life. When he went under, it turns out, valid fear. There were no safety measures in line."

She said it didn't appear the dog had a strong relationship with the trainer. Millett said a trainer can feel pressured to make a dog perform on a movie set due to the amount of money spent on any given scene. But she hopes the release of this footage will cause people to think twice.

"It's a good thing for the ethical people to kind of give them that strength to say they're not going do that," she said. "If (the dogs) are not having fun there are a million other volunteers."

Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter.