The company emphasized not just the meticulous rehearsals, but also the ever-present training and safety staff. Hercules shook the water off and wagged his tail.” Trainers poolside then pulled him out of the water. When the dog reached the wall, he was briefly submerged, at which point the diver and trainer immediately pushed him to the surface. While swimming across the pool, the current carried him closer to the wall at the end of the pool than it had in previous takes. “In the next shot, Hercules entered the pool from his rehearsed location. “After less than one minute of Hercules insisting on getting back to his original starting point, this plan was abandoned and he was brought to the end of the pool from which he’d been conditioned to enter, and he did so happily,” the company noted.

“Here is what actually occurred: Hercules, a two-year-old German shepherd, had been in training for months to perform the same behavior, but changing the point from which he was to enter the pool … It quickly became apparent that Hercules did not want to enter the pool from this location,” the statement continues. Quaid said if he witnessed animal abuse, he would have.

A dogs purpose dog abuse