Dennis Quaid Addresses Mistreatment of Dog on Set of ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ on ‘Ellen’

Dennis Quaid, star of the film A Dog’s Purpose, joined Ellen on Monday and addressed the behind-the-scenes video from the set that has sparked outrage among animal lovers. The video, released by TMZ, shows a German shepherd being forced to complete a stunt in rushing water. The dog is obviously trying to resist but is eventually pushed in. Later in the video, two swimmers can be seen rushing to the dog’s aid as it was being pulled underwater by the current. Quaid says he didn’t witness any mistreatment of dogs or any other animals on set.

“First off, I would not be on a set that had any kind of abuse to animals, any animals, or people, and I don’t think this video tells the whole story,” Quaid said. He later added, “I know my experience when I was on the set, that the dogs that I worked with and even the donkey that was also in the movie and all the other animals, they were treated with the greatest respect and care and compassion.”

Quaid said that he, along with the director and producers, was appalled when he saw the video, which was taken in 2015 when the movie was shot but was just released ahead of the film’s open on Jan. 27. Both Quaid and host Ellen DeGeneres took issue with the timing of the video’s release, saying the mistreatment of the dog should have been brought to light as soon as it happened.

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