Of the handful of dogs starring in A Dog’s Purpose, footage from the set shows one of them forced to perform in a stunt involving rushing water. Even though the animal was clearly petrified — struggling to break free of the handler’s hold — the German shepherd was dropped into a pool of water churned by eight outboard motors, according to TMZ, which obtained the footage from November 2015. “He wants to get away, just throw him in,†a poolside observer can be heard saying in the footage. After being shoved into the water, the dog went under and handlers rushed to retrieve the animal, though it’s unclear if the pup going underwater was a scripted part of the scene. TMZ reports that director Lasse Hallström was on set at the scene’s shooting, and at least one crew member was very upset by the animal’s handling. Amblin Partners and Universal Pictures told TMZ they’d be looking into the incident, saying, “Fostering a safe environment and ensuring the ethical treatment of our animal actors was of the utmost importance to those involved in making this film and we will look into the circumstances surrounding this video.†Watch the footage below.
Footage From A Dog’s Purpose Set Shows a Scared Dog Forced Into Stunt With Rushing Water
