Before I start, I’d like to apologise for. It reading as many blogs as I should. I haven’t had time but I’ll work on it soon!!!
For those of you that are not aware of the recent controversy regarding the book-to-movie adaption of A Dog’s Purpose, allow me to enlighten you.  On the set of  ADP, one of the dogs used into production needed to be put in a gushing river, for the purpose of the movie.  Well, the German Shepherd that was acting did not want to go into that water UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.  But, being the Hollywood industry, everyone is forced to do things they don’t want, and the dog was forced into an artificial river created by turbines that made the water have a very strong current.  After attempting to stay afloat and being unable to, the dog appeared to be almost drowning, at which point someone yelled “CUT” and the dog’s handlers ran over to pull him out of the water.

Now, the dog is completely fine, but does that really make it okay?  Should we really go and watch ADP knowing that they treated helpless animals like they were toys that could be forced to do their every bidding?  Is that really right?  The problem here is, I honestly don’t know.  If it were a movie I hadn’t really wanted to see in the first place, that would probably have been enough to push me over the edge and make it so that I’m absolutely not going to watch it.  But, I had really been looking forward to seeing this… it had been on my calendar for MONTHS.  It was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I was eager to relive that on the big screen.

But now I’m not so sure.  PETA is calling for a boycott of the movie for their treatment of animals.  And, if one video leaked of them doing that to a dog, who’s to say that they weren’t equally (if not more) cruel to other dogs on the set.  I don’t see how I can justify a dog being handled unkindly merely for my entertainment.

I certainly will not be going to the theaters to see ADP, as I know that the success of the movie is primarily determined by Box Office numbers and I don’t want to add to that.  However, when it comes out on DVD, or is free on my TV later on, is it okay for me to watch then?  Where can I morally draw the line and still get what I want?  Is it even possible (in any questionable situation) to do that?  Because, when it comes down to it, despite the fact that I know the German Shepherd (and maybe another dog) wasn’t treated the best, he wasn’t hurt, just scared, and probably swallowed a little water too.  Bottom line– I just wish the entire situation was handled differently be those involved in production, because this is a movie that I don’t want to miss out on.

I think I’ll have to wait until it is free somewhere, because then I will not be giving money to the industry which is responsible for this whole situation in the first place.  When I do watch it, I’ll be sure to update you with how it was, and whether I think it is worth the watch.

Do you think it’s okay to watch ADP at any time? Why?  I really want to know (don’t worry about disagreeing, that’s what makes life interesting).

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