WATCH: Dennis Quaid Defends "A Dogs Purpose" Amid Allegations of Animal Abuse
A Dog's Purpose, which premiers this Friday, has been mired in controversy since TMZ posted a video last week that appeared to show a terrified German Shepherd being forced into choppy waters on a Winnipeg, Canada set in 2015.
Director Lasse Hallström responded to the dispute by tweeting that he was "very disturbed by the video" but "did not witness these actions," adding that they were undergoing a thorough investigation and "were all committed to providing a loving and safe environment for all the animals in the film."
PETA called for a boycott of the film, after which Universal, the company distributing the movie, decided to cancel its premiere and press junket.
On Monday, Dennis Quaid, who plays the lead (human) role in the film, appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to defend the film amid its allegations.
"First off, I would not be on a set that had any kind of abuse towards any animals, or people, by the way. I don't think this video tells the whole story, number one. And number two, I know my experience when I was on the set, that the dogs that I worked with and even the donkey, who's also in the movie, and other animals, they were treated with the greatest respect and care and compassion. And they had lots of breaks. And Lasse Hallström, the director of the film, he's done Hachi and My Life as a Dog, if you wanna include that, he has the greatest respect for dogs. And I really believe, for one thing, this video does not tell the entire story, and the dogs were treated with the greatest respect."
Ellen also defended the film, which she said she watched with Portia and loved. She brought up the point that if the person filming the video was so concerned about the welfare of animals, why didn't they release it in 2015, when it was filmed, instead of just prior to the premiere?
"If you care about a dog and you see a dog that is being forced to do something or treated badly, the next day that should have been released. Somebody should have said something the next day."
You can watch the full interview below:
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