"A Dog's Purpose" Rocked By Scandal

A week before “A Dog’s Purpose,” a movie that was filmed right here in Winnipeg, was due to hit theatres, accusations of animal abuse have changed many moviegoers minds.

This is the movie that everyone is talking about.

TMZ reported that one of the dogs “desperately resisted shooting a risky scene, but chilling footage shows filmmakers apparently forcing the animal into rushing water.”

This is their behind-the-scenes footage from back in November 2015.

Needless to say, this had a lot of dog lovers concerned. Including the director of the film!

Likewise, Gavin Polone, one of the film’s producers, told Variety he worked on set for 70 percent of the shoot and, “Had I been on the set, this would have never happened. This movie got made because of how I feel about animals. So this happened 15 months ago and should have been investigated immediately. It’s unconscionable that someone waited a year and three months to call attention to this.”

The movie’s production company, Amblin Entertainment, and distributor, Universal Pictures, released a joint statement saying the dog, named Hercules, had “several days of rehearsal of the water scenes to ensure [he] was comfortable with all of the stunts. On the day of the shoot, ?Hercules did not want to perform the stunt portrayed on the tape so the Amblin production team did not proceed with filming that shot.”

They say the director called for a break in shooting and Hercules was fine with doing the scene when they resumed.

Amblin also say the movie “is a celebration of the special connection between humans and their dogs. And in the spirit of this relationship, the Amblin production team followed rigorous protocols to foster an ethical and safe environment for the animals.”

While Amblin is confident that “great care and concern was shown for Hercules and all dogs featured in the film,” the representative from the American Humane Association who was on the set during the shooting of this particular scene has been placed on administrative leave pending an independent third party investigation.