This image released by Universal Studios shows John Ortiz in a scene from \u201cA Dog\u2019s Purpose.\u201d Marketers would describe \u201cA Dog\u2019s Purpose\u201d as a film with \u201cfour-quadrant\u201d appeal, meaning it\u2019s likely to draw moviegoers of both genders, young and old. Based on a bestselling book and told from a dog\u2019s perspective, it\u2019s a feel-good story for animal lovers of all kinds. Which is why a video leaked last week of a frightened dog apparently forced into rushing water during the making of the film is so damaging to its opening box-office prospects this weekend : It alienates, even offends, its very audience.(Joe Lederer\/Universal Studios via AP)
LOS ANGELES \u2014 Leaked video showing a frightened dog being forced into churning water during filming of \u201cA Dog\u2019s Purpose\u201d was misleadingly edited and the German shepherd was unharmed, according to third-party findings released by American Humane, the group responsible for overseeing animal safety on the movie set.
An independent animal-cruelty expert found that preventative safety measures were in place to protect the dog, Hercules, American Humane said. The board-certified veterinarian, who was not identified, concluded that the dog was momentarily stressed but suffered no lasting ill effects.
The group said the outside expert, whose name was withheld because of the public outcry following the video\u2019s release, found it to be a misrepresentation of events.
\u201cThe 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\u2019s premiere, raise serious questions about their motives and ethics,\u201d American Humane said Friday.
\u201cThe video was deliberately edited for the purpose of misleading the public and stoking outrage. In fact, the two scenes shown in the edited video were filmed at different times,\u201d the group said in reporting the findings.
READ: Dog \u2018forced\u2019 to film water scene in \u2018A Dog\u2019s Purpose\u2019
That conclusion was based on viewing unedited footage from the set and on eyewitness accounts, group spokesman Mark Stubis said Saturday. Who may have leaked the video wasn\u2019t addressed in the report, and American Humane doesn\u2019t know who is responsible, he said.
The video had an immediate impact on \u201cA Dog\u2019s Purpose,\u201d starring Dennis Quaid and featuring Josh Gads\u2019 voice, as a planned press day and starry premiere were canceled. But producer Amblin Entertainment and distributor Universal Pictures stuck to plans to release the PG-rated film a week ago in more than 3,000 North American theaters.
Despite the controversy, the feel-good film that had been pegged to open in the mid-$20-million range still managed to earn an estimated $18.4 million and place second at the box office, behind \u201cSplit.\u201d Studio representatives said that was in line with their hopes.
Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures declined comment on the report Saturday.
READ: Leaked video likely to hurt \u2018A Dog\u2019s Purpose\u2019 at box office
American Humane, which had an animal safety representative on the set, acknowledged that \u201cthe handling of the dog in the first scene in the video should have been gentler and signs of stress recognized earlier.\u201d
\u201cThat being said, it is important to note that this was recognized and the scene did not proceed as insinuated by the misleadingly edited video,\u201d the group added. The dog was immediately taken to a warming tent, an examination found no signs of stress, and the dog later was returned to filming, it said.
The on-set representative, who American Humane said was joined by three trainers, a safety coordinator and a water safety diver throughout the scene, was suspended after the video\u2019s release. The group declined to address the person\u2019s status, citing confidentiality for personnel issues.
Lisa Lange, senior vice president for the animal rights group PETA, called the report\u2019s findings incomplete and said the video still shows \u201ca frightened dog who did not wish to go into the water.\u201d
\u201cThe fact that the dog did not get injured or die is not at issue, but questions remain,\u201d including why the dog was checked at the time, Lange said in a statement. \u201cIn the making of a film, no animal should be frightened at all. It is a film.\u201d
Dr. Kwane Stewart, the veterinarian in charge of American Humane\u2019s \u201cNo Animals Were Harmed\u201d program based on filming guidelines developed by a scientific advisory committee, said in a statement that the organization is \u201cthe first to address fight cruelty and abuse\u201d and that none occurred on the movie set.
American Humane is the sole industry-sanctioned animal safety group on film and TV production sets.
READ: Premiere of \u2018A Dog\u2019s Purpose\u2019 canceled amid treatment issue<\/p>\n

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