Disney’s new movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua is being blamed for everything from helping dog farmers, to filling the shelters with abandoned animals. In a drive to protect the welfare of pets, rescuers criticise the movie makers of promoting unrealistic expectations of dog ownership and predict a wave of abandonment by mislead movie goers.
And it’s not even released until October 3!
But this is far from a new phenomenon. In 2000, at the release of 102 Dalmatians, rescuers protested the movie and called for a percentage of the proceeds be given to rescue;
Activists demonstrated outside Disney’s studios on Monday and tried to deliver a letter to Disney chairman and CEO Michael Eisner demanding a disclaimer (be placed at the beginning of the film).
They also want 1 percent of the proceeds from the film’s ticket and merchandise sales donated to Dalmatian rescue groups and no-kill shelters. ref
When Snow Dogs came out in 2002, rescuers diligently explained the negative aspects of Husky ownership
Carolina Siberian Rescue has a message posted on its Web site stating, “As at any other time, we strongly encourage you to research the breed you are considering bringing into your home. Siberian Huskies have a variety of personality traits that make them less than the ideal dog for a large number of families. Stunning blue eyes and a cute curly tail do not make up for incompatibility issues.†ref
And last year when Underdog was released rescuers pleaded for people to realise the bad about Beagles
“They don’t like being alone,” said Valarie Rahbany, volunteer coordinator for Beagles & Buddies. “When they’re alone, and they don’t want to be, they can get very noisy.”
As well as destructive. A bored beagle will chew, dig or bark. A lot. Beagles can also suffer from separation anxiety, said Rahbany. ref
But there has always been dogs in films; Whether Benji or Lassie, Beethoven or Hooch movies have always included dogs because… people like dogs!
By the end of the 1930s, animal movies were such big business that the top animal trainers became celebrities in their own right. Carl Spitz, the owner of Buck the St. Bernard from The Call of the Wild, was one of these celebrity trainers. In 1940, he embarked on the public appearance circuit, taking with him around $120,000 worth of dogs ($1.6 million in today’s market).
His entourage included Musty, the Mastiff from the Wild Boys of the Road, the Great Dane from Wuthering Heights, Mr Binkie, the Scottie from The Light That Failed and, most famously, Terry, the Cairn Terrier who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.
Hollywood Dogs, Ann Lloyd
Sure, the dogs in these films capture peoples hearts and drive them to desire particular breeds but does that mean as rescuers, we should all be waving placards at the release of this new movie and lamenting the damage this will cause Chi kind?
While undeniably many people were inspired by the gorgeous antics and decided to get Dalmatian, not all automatically went on to be terrible owners. Most of the Dallies will have stayed with their families and lived long, happy lives. But it was this sudden surge of popularity that was the cause of the large number ending up in rescue… the sheer influx of this breed that saw them abandoned and not just another breed of dog.
Soon, the market settles, the overproduction of the breed stops and numbers return to normal levels, both in sales and abandonment. And the issues of dog farming and pet store puppies continue movie or no movie.
We should be pleased that people connect with dogs in films and use this opportunity to educate people of the plight of rescue dogs, the fantastic benefits of pet adoption and the folly of pet store puppies. Chi rescue groups should be making themselves known to their local media and use the interest generated by the movie to adopt more pets;
A local Beagle rescue group recognized a good marketing opportunity with the opening Saturday of the Disney movie ‘Underdog.’
Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue brought more than a dozen beagles and beagle mixes ready for adoption to greet guests at the Muvico Theater. No on-site adoptions were planned, but the group hoped the exposure might boost awareness of the plight of homeless animals, elicit applications from potential adoptive families and recruit volunteers. ref
Despite our intentions, running down dog breeds in the media doesn’t deter new owners from buying; it just cements in their minds that rescue dogs are ‘broken’ and they don’t buy from us. If we assume that everyone who falls in love with a breed from a film is automatically an irresponsible owner, then we lose the chance to interact with them and help them become a great one. If BYB and puppy farmers see huge benefits from movies such as this and we don’t, it is simply shows that our choice to boycott films rather than use them to promote our rescues has meant our message isn’t heard.
Simply, love them or hate them these movies influence the public immeasurably. We should consider them an opportunity to do the same.
[…] 26, 2008 · No Comments When I blogged about the new Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie, rescue groups both here and abroad had just started to agitate about the influx of chi’s […]