That being said, it is important to note that this was recognized and the scene did not proceed as insinuated by the misleadingly edited video. At the same time, American Humane believes that the handling of the dog in the first scene in the video should have been gentler and signs of stress recognized earlier.
The investigation and eyewitness reports affirmed that throughout its work on the set, the dog was treated with great care, attentiveness and respect. A veterinary checkup was performed last week at the request of American Humane, which confirmed that the dog is healthy.Still, out of an abundance of caution, American Humane stopped filming of any more scenes with the dog. Eyewitnesses report that the dog wanted to go back in the water. During the last scene, handlers immediately assisted the dog out of the water, at which point he was placed in a warming tent and received an examination that found no signs of stress.
Prior to shooting the scene, safety meetings were held to go over and reinforce safety precautions and protocols.A full spectrum of preparation and safety measures were in place, including the following:.The dog was not forced to swim in the water at any time. The first video scene was stopped after the dog showed signs of stress.In fact, the two scenes shown in the edited video were filmed at different times. The video was deliberately edited for the purpose of misleading the public and stoking outrage.The investigation and eyewitness reports have brought to light the following facts: The findings of the independent investigation confirm that no animals were harmed in those scenes and numerous preventative safety measures were in place. The decisions by the individual or individuals who captured and deliberately edited the footage, and then waited longer than 15 months to release the manipulated video only days before the movie’s premiere, raise serious questions about their motives and ethics. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, FebruAn independent, third-party investigation conducted by a respected animal cruelty expert into the treatment of animals in the filming of “A Dog’s Purpose” concluded that an edited video given to the gossip site TMZ mischaracterized the events on the set.