In 2017, the feel-good movie “My Dog’s Lives” was released in our cinemas. An outing marred by a controversy of animal abuse…
Who said animals don’t have souls? Certainly not little Ethan, 8 years old, who in 1962 embarked on an extraordinary adventure by taking in a puppy named Bailey. Over the years, Ethan forms a very strong bond with his dog, who is present at every important stage of his life. Until the day when, devastated, he must resolve to let Bailey, old and sick, go. What if the animal’s departure was in fact just the beginning?
My Lives as a Dog, released in 2017 at the cinema, is one of those feel-good films, full of good feelings, and which do a lot of good. After Hatchi (which also melted our little hearts), director Lasse Hallström once again tells us the fabulous relationship between a man (played by KJ Apa then Dennis Quaid) and his best friend, throughout his life.
If the international press did not fall for My Lives as a Dog, spectators fell under its spell, if we are to believe its rating on AlloCiné: with an average of 4.1 out of 5, it is the second feature -Hallström’s highest rated film after Hatchi. And if the studios gave the green light for a sequel (released in 2019), the film had to face an unexpected controversy…
Associations intervene
January 2017, a week before the film was released in theaters. The American tabloid TMZ publishes a video featuring a German shepherd forced to dive into a pool. The animal, thrown into the water against its will, ended up sinking before a team came to rescue it. It’s a cold shower. As the controversy swells, the producers decide to cancel the American premiere supposed to be held a few days later.
Josh Gad, who lends his voice to the dog Bailey, shares his sadness at these images, when the director takes to Twitter (now X) to explain that all measures were taken on the set to protect the animals from any mistreatment . But the damage is done: Peta calls for a boycott when the American Humane association decides to conduct its own investigation.
On February 3, she finally published a press release denouncing a “rigged filming video” with the aim of sabotaging the release of the film. The association concludes that production has indeed taken all the necessary measures to ensure the well-being of the dogs…
My Lives as a Dog leaves Netflix on June 30.