Universal Picture’s "A Dog’s Purpose," starring Dennis Quaid, drew harsh criticism and viral infamy when a leaked video showed a frightened German Shepard named Hercules being forced into a pool of artificial rapids.
The video shows the trembling dog eventually pushed over the edge of the pool into the waves where it struggles to swim. However, an investigation by American Humane, the organization responsible for the safety and well-being of animals on film sets, says the video misrepresents the true events of the day.
The video circulated through social media networks where people expressed their outraged that a feel-good movie about the important relationship between man and
Now American Humane has released a statement clearing the production of any violations of its ethics and abuse standards. A board-certified veterinarian from the oversight group chooses to remain anonymous, but confirms in an interview with CBS News that the dog was “momentarily stressed but suffered no lasting ill effects.”
According to American Humane, the video was purposefully edited to misrepresent the dog’s handler as abusive and uncaring and was held for longer than 15 months only to be released days before
Despite being cleared by American Humane, the film has not particularly dented the box offices. By its third week, the film had grossed only just over 42 million dollars. It received a 35% grade on Rotten Tomatoes and critic Roger Ebert ranked it with 1.5 out of four stars. Niel Genzlinger may have put it best when he said in a New York Times film review, “you don’t need an animal-rights group’s boycott to give you permission to avoid "A Dog’s Purpose.”
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