Last week, a video was released showing a terrified German Shepherd on the set of the upcoming A Dog’s Purpose being forced into a pool against its will. It swiftly prompted outrage from PETA and animal lovers alike calling for a boycott of the film.
Since the release, a producer, writer, and animal supplier have all released statements defending the footage, and now Dennis Quaid, one of the film’s stars is joining in on the defense.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Quaid stated he “was there. I never saw any abuse of any animal. If there had been, I would have walked. My experience is that the animals were treated great. There was no animal abuse.”
He went on the question the timeliness of the video’s release.
“That video that someone took and sold for money and held onto for a year and a half until right before the film’s coming out, does not tell the whole story. First of all, it’s been edited and manipulated. And I think it’s a scam, to tell you the truth.”
He also speculated another reason for the German shepherd’s behavior.
“That was towards the end of the day and I would not say, in real context, that the dog was frightened. The dog was acting like a dog who was kind of tired of taking a bath and was ready to get out. And, in fact, that’s what happened. They took the dog out.”
The Los Angeles premiere of A Dog’s Purpose was canceled in wake of the video but is still set to debut in theaters this Friday, January 27th.
