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Shelter dog becomes a movie star
Aleister, a terrier rescued from a California animal shelter, stars in 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,' along with several other rescue dogs.
Fri, Jun 15 2012 at 3:32 PM
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Photo: Focus Features
The canine star of a movie about getting a last chance at love is a dog that got a second chance at life when he was rescued from an animal shelter.
Aleister, a 5-year-old terrier mix that was found in a California shelter in 2008, stars alongside Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.” The movie follows Carell’s character, Dodge, as he and Penny, played by Knightley, search for his high school sweetheart in the days before Earth is destroyed by an asteroid.
Aleister plays Sorry, a dog Dodge finds attached to his leg after a failed suicide attempt. A note by the dog simply reads “Sorry,” and Dodge takes it literally, addressing the dog as Sorry.
“Sorry enters the story right when Dodge has reached his lowest low and given up hope altogether,” said writer and director Lorene Scafaria in a press release. “He wakes up that morning and finds he has been given someone else’s burden, which becomes a responsibility that gives Dodge’s life meaning again.
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“When I saw Aleister and his wonderful scrappy snaggletooth and wiry coat, I loved him and felt, ‘Here’s our hero dog,’” she said.
But Aleister wasn’t the only rescue dog on set.
"These days when a dog has a starring role, having two to three matching dogs is required. I searched all the shelters online to find a double for Aleister, and I finally found a good double but he wasn't available to adopt for another week," said dog trainer Sarah Clifford.
"A week into our training, I called to shelter to check on this dog and find out that they had messed up the dates in the computer system and had scheduled to euthanize the dog that same morning. He was already in the back room when I called. I was so sad to think this wonderful little dog would not be here anymore if I had not had the strange instict to call the shelter that morning to check up on him. So I named the double Mulligan, the do-over dog."
Mulligan learned the ropes quickly and was doing takes only two weeks after he was rescued from the shelter. Clifford says he did the scene where Sorry is crawling down the fire escape, as well as other scenes that required a lot of action.
In addition to Aleister and Mulligan, two other shelter dogs were also involved in the film.
“There was another terrier on-set, a fourth Sorry,” said Scafaria. “They just make the set better. Or maybe I’m a crazy-dog-lady-in-the-making.”
Aleister won the hearts of his co-stars early on, and he was particularly fond of Knightley, according to Clifford. When they met, “he went up to her and nestled on her dress,” she said.
But it was the dog’s on-screen interaction with Steve Carell that was most important to the movie.
“We would take a little bit of time every day before we started filming for what we called a bonding session. We’d get Steve and Aleister comfortable together. Steve gave him treats, and kissed and cuddled him. That way, when Aleister worked with Steve on camera, there was already a bond,” Clifford said.
Although “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” is Aleister’s first major movie role, his previous credits include print and television commercials for Pedigree, Texas Energy and Microsoft. When he isn’t on set, the rescue pup spends his days sunning himself and sleeping upside down on the couch at a movie animals’ ranch in Castaic, Calif.
Just how often do shelter dogs end up in movies? More often than you'd think, according to Clifford.
"We almost always utilize the animal shelters to find dogs for film and television. The shelters and rescues are full of future stars! I would say that the majority — at least 80 percent — of all studio dogs come from shelters," she said.
And those doggy doubles that don't stay in show business aren't returned to the shelter.
"After the film I placed Mulligan in a home with a close friend of mine who is a Hollywood makeup artist. Now he lives as a spoiled pet," Clifford said.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” arrives in theaters June 22. You can watch the movie trailer below.
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That's a great story but what happened to the dog's after the movie? Were they adopted or taken back to the shelter?
It's good to read that this dog trainer doesn't dump the dogs back in a shelter. The trainer for the dog used in the Harry Potter series claimed he traveled too much for work and couldn't take proper care of the dog that played Padfoot. I just find it unbelievable that a man who uses animals to make a very comfortable living can't find a better alternative. This trainer has a conscience. Good for her and these dogs.
I was reading about the blind dog in the garbage dump and lost the connection. I would like to finish reading the story.
Dogs are the best people.
IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO ADOPT SHELTER DOGS TO PLAY IN THE MOVIES. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU!!!!
Sarah Clifford - you have a special place in Heaven for finding your work in this :)))
More people should adopt from shelters. Your best friends are there.
what a lovely story and such a beautiful happy ending its nice to know there are such kind people out there .
Lucky dog!!!!
Hooray and love for all these great rescue pets!! Now, can we just
get puppy mills shut down for good, and find homes for all
the great dogs and cats in shelters? Thanks!
was rescued "on the morning he was scheduled to be euthanized." STOP IT. STOP USING THIS WORD "EUTHANIZE." The correct word is MURDER. EXTERMINATION. Would Americans please stop using "euthanasia" to describe what we do to animals in shelters. Stop sounding stupid and passive. Change these laws and stop this murder.
dogs are cool
So what happens to these amazing dogs after the movie>?
HI it said right at the end of the report that they were taken in by a close friend of hers and they are now very pampered pets
I think the idea of a large portion of the profits going to animal shelters is an awesome idea. I hope the human "stars" of the show see these postings and offer to split thier mega earnings with the Star of the shows' brethern in the animal world.
Are these lovely animals going to end up back in a shelter or is someone going to give them their forever homes?
The article says they don't send them back to the shelter, they find them homes
Now if the profits from the movie would go to animal shelters all over the place ....that should be the message!!!
He has an important role but they couldn't put him in the trailer ?
color or collar . Pftttttt.
it's sad the star dog did commercials for big name companies and ended up in a shelter.
I think he did the commercials after he was rescued -- they got him in 2008 -- per the article.....
Looks good, and even though it's a mushy love story, I will go. I have not been to a movie in 8 years, but this one has rescued dogs. I like dogs, very much, and the article says that Aleister, who plays "Sorry", has a central role. I'll see any movie that has a dog playing in it, who was scheduled to die, the morning of his rescue. If the movie donates to shelters, I would even go a second time.