Scooby Doodle’s Cinderfella story started on
October 3, 2006, with an email from Deb Mcwhorter, an Indianapolis
resident and volunteer with the National Brittany Rescue and
Adoption Network.
The subject line read “Laurel, this one has your name all over it” and contained a link to a petfinder website belonging to the Gibson County Animal Control shelter in Princeton, IN.
The message simply said “This shelter is euthanizing tomorrow. I can help pull on Sat if you want him.”
Deb knew that I had fostered and developed a ‘soft spot’ for these lab-poodle mixes being touted as the new breed “Labradoodle” by the backyard breeders and large puppy mills alike, who have been scurrying to cash in on part of America’s fascination with the latest “designer dog” fad.
Scooby, like so many shelter dogs, was an owner surrender. Purchased as a “Labradoodle” as a puppy, Scooby had been living on a chain in the back yard after being bought “for the kids”. After about a year, “the kids” were no longer “paying attention” to the energetic young dog and the parents deposited him at their local shelter.
And while such owners leave the shelter telling themselves that “they’ll find him a good home”, Scooby, like millions of other shelter dogs, mutts and purebreds alike, who die every year in U.S. shelters, was left to the care of animal control workers who are obligated to take and care for far more homeless animals than they could possibly house for more than a few days.
Fortunately, for Scooby, Deb McWhorter’s email opened the door to a second chance with The Animal Placement Bureau, an all breed canine rescue based in Lansing, Michigan that uses volunteer foster homes through out the state to house and rehabilitate shelter dogs, prepare them for adoption and then find them good homes.
One
look at Scooby’s sad, bewildered face on the Gibson County website
and any question of where to put “one more” in my foster home
vanished. Deb was instructed to contact the shelter to arrange his
“pull” and we began planning his transport to Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
On October 7, 2006, shelter workers met Deb McWhorter in Terre Haute, IN. With help from five other drivers in Indiana and Michigan, Scooby was relayed to Grand Rapids. His was a typical rescue relay transport with a series of drivers each driving 50 to 70 miles, handing him off to the next driver, until he reached Grand Rapids.
When last leg driver, Lee Lapham, of Martin, Michigan, handed Scooby to me in a Meijers parking lot in Wyoming, she reported that he’d been snuggling and kissing her kids for the last fifty miles. Scooby apparently preferred the kids to old ladies with canes, as his first reaction to me was a big “woof”.
Arriving in our foster home, Scooby was cleaned up and soon introduced
to Dr. Oatley at the South Kent Veterinary Clinic in Byron Center.
Over the course of two appointments, his shots were updated, he was wormed, tested for heartworms, started on preventatives, treated for coccydia and neutered.
With his medical work done, the job of crate training, housebreaking and civilizing began. Scooby was a wild child. Life on a chain had left him lacking the social graces that most adopters expect in a house pet.
Ever alert to the presence of food, always on the look out for new vistas, Scooby could land foursquare on a kitchen counter top from a sitting position on the floor. Toilet paper and junk mail afforded chewing entertainment. He and his foster brothers could locate and stretch an athletic sock into a thigh high legging faster than I could fill kongs with peanut butter and retrieve balls from under the back porch steps.
Over the next two months Scooby emerged as a loving and gentle dog. He played well with other dogs of all sizes and greeted visitors with a wagging tail. Housebreaking seemed to be his biggest challenge. Some dogs take longer than others and Scooby put a lot of miles on the old mop.
Finally,
in early December, Scooby was added to our website along with the
notation that an adopter would have to be prepared to continue his
housebreaking and be willing to begin obedience training. Scooby
would need an active family to match his energy with a commitment to
training. A smart dog allowed to be bored is asking for trouble.
On December 8th I received a call from Debbie Pearl. She asked the usual questions about his temperament, how social he was, how did with other dogs, was he shy or outgoing.
And then she asked me how tall he was. When I replied that he weighed 53 lbs, but I didn’t really know his height, she asked me to measure him.
That was perhaps my first clue that this was no ordinary adoption candidate.
Debbie went on to explain that she lived in Los Angeles County, California, and owned a company called Paws for Effect that provided dogs for movies, television and commercials. Her place in the mountains north of Los Angeles was home to a number of dogs with a long list of film and television credits to their names.
And every one of them was a rescue or shelter dog. Debbie was emphatic about not buying dogs from breeders when so many great dogs were sitting on death row or waiting for homes in rescues all over the country.
Her interest in Scooby stemmed from his resemblance to a dog she owned named Cameron. Any where from two to four dogs will share a role when making a movie or television show, she explained. The dogs are used according to their special talents for particular scenes and the use of multiple dogs prevent any one dog from becoming tired and bored.
Debbie went on to describe her very dog-friendly home. A huge house
with a doggie door, a great room dotted with dog beds, fenced acres
with shade trees and populated with several assistants who came
daily to play with the dogs, groom and care for them.
Four professional trainers who do the actual training and accompany the dogs when they go off to work on a shoot round out the dog’s extended ‘family’.
The
next day, Debbie’s application arrived and an email with pictures of
her home and grounds. In a subsequent phone call I grilled her on
how the dogs were housed, what became of them if they didn’t ‘make
it’ in the training or proved to not be popular with casting
directors or became to old to work.
She assured me that once there, the dog’s were home for life. Those that grew old but had a strong intrinsic need to work were matched with roles that accommodated their age and physical abilities. Old timers who preferred to just hang out never had to worry about earning their keep.
We proceeded with the normal APB adoption screening process.
Transport and rescue colleague, Gail McKenzie, who does Dalmatian
rescue in Los Angeles, was recruited to do a home visit at Debbie
Pearl’s home.
The veterinarian was contacted and assured us that Debbie’s dogs were well cared for and always had everything they needed. They were also impressed by the fact that no matter which assistant might bring a dog in for an appointment, that person always knew all about the dog and their history. They said the dogs were always social and happy. They enjoyed having Paws for Effects dogs visit the clinic.
I also combed the American Humane Association’s website, searching out all of the movies where Paws for Effect was listed as the animal trainer or wrangler. The AHA monitors movie and television productions that use any type of animal, rating them based on the safety and care given the animal actors. Every movie Debbie’s company was associated with had received the association’s highest rating.
Sending a dog to any adopter almost 3,000 miles away is never taken lightly. But as with all adoptions we do, the best match of home and dog is the goal. Scooby, now known as Austin, is the type of dog that will enjoy being trained, having a job and working for his people.
Thus, on December 20th, 2006, Scooby Doodle boarded a plane in Detroit
to begin a new life and career in California.
Arriving at LA International later that evening, a slightly bewildered Scooby emerged from his crate, got a badly needed potty walk and quickly regained his energetic approach to life.
Scooby spent his first night crated in Debbie Pearl’s bedroom, happily chomping away on a bone.
Day
One: The next day was all about learning the wonders of the
doggie-door and meeting his new two-legged and four-legged family.
In the picture on the right, he meets his ‘double’, Cameron. The two will share roles.
The practice of using multiple ‘look-alike’ dogs prevents any one animal
actor from becoming too tired or stressed and allows trainers to
capitalize on each dog’s special talents.
Scooby was officially renamed Austin. In Debbie’s home ‘doggie spa’, Austin was bathed, groomed, had his nails trimmed and received an application of “Sun In” to begin to lighten his coloring to more closely resemble Cameron’s. Austin took it all in stride.
Day Two: Austin’s big adventure.
Debbie and one of her trainers take to the local streets to begin getting
Austin and two other new arrivals used to crowds.
A movie or television set is a busy, chaotic, noisy place full of people and equipment. Canine stars get plenty of attention from cast and crew. Visiting the local mall, pet supply store and sight-seeing with Debbie help prepare Austin for his new career.
Austin, having spent much of his young life on a chain, investigates
this new world with reserved curiosity; woofing at a man who runs
past, learning that even the strangest looking strangers may offer
yummy treats [supplied by mom] and begins to absorb this new
environment.
The subject line read “Laurel, this one has your name all over it” and contained a link to a petfinder website belonging to the Gibson County Animal Control shelter in Princeton, IN.
The message simply said “This shelter is euthanizing tomorrow. I can help pull on Sat if you want him.”
Deb knew that I had fostered and developed a ‘soft spot’ for these lab-poodle mixes being touted as the new breed “Labradoodle” by the backyard breeders and large puppy mills alike, who have been scurrying to cash in on part of America’s fascination with the latest “designer dog” fad.
Scooby, like so many shelter dogs, was an owner surrender. Purchased as a “Labradoodle” as a puppy, Scooby had been living on a chain in the back yard after being bought “for the kids”. After about a year, “the kids” were no longer “paying attention” to the energetic young dog and the parents deposited him at their local shelter.
And while such owners leave the shelter telling themselves that “they’ll find him a good home”, Scooby, like millions of other shelter dogs, mutts and purebreds alike, who die every year in U.S. shelters, was left to the care of animal control workers who are obligated to take and care for far more homeless animals than they could possibly house for more than a few days.
Fortunately, for Scooby, Deb McWhorter’s email opened the door to a second chance with The Animal Placement Bureau, an all breed canine rescue based in Lansing, Michigan that uses volunteer foster homes through out the state to house and rehabilitate shelter dogs, prepare them for adoption and then find them good homes.
One
look at Scooby’s sad, bewildered face on the Gibson County website
and any question of where to put “one more” in my foster home
vanished. Deb was instructed to contact the shelter to arrange his
“pull” and we began planning his transport to Grand Rapids,
Michigan. On October 7, 2006, shelter workers met Deb McWhorter in Terre Haute, IN. With help from five other drivers in Indiana and Michigan, Scooby was relayed to Grand Rapids. His was a typical rescue relay transport with a series of drivers each driving 50 to 70 miles, handing him off to the next driver, until he reached Grand Rapids.
When last leg driver, Lee Lapham, of Martin, Michigan, handed Scooby to me in a Meijers parking lot in Wyoming, she reported that he’d been snuggling and kissing her kids for the last fifty miles. Scooby apparently preferred the kids to old ladies with canes, as his first reaction to me was a big “woof”.
Arriving in our foster home, Scooby was cleaned up and soon introduced
to Dr. Oatley at the South Kent Veterinary Clinic in Byron Center.
Over the course of two appointments, his shots were updated, he was wormed, tested for heartworms, started on preventatives, treated for coccydia and neutered.
With his medical work done, the job of crate training, housebreaking and civilizing began. Scooby was a wild child. Life on a chain had left him lacking the social graces that most adopters expect in a house pet.
Ever alert to the presence of food, always on the look out for new vistas, Scooby could land foursquare on a kitchen counter top from a sitting position on the floor. Toilet paper and junk mail afforded chewing entertainment. He and his foster brothers could locate and stretch an athletic sock into a thigh high legging faster than I could fill kongs with peanut butter and retrieve balls from under the back porch steps.
Over the next two months Scooby emerged as a loving and gentle dog. He played well with other dogs of all sizes and greeted visitors with a wagging tail. Housebreaking seemed to be his biggest challenge. Some dogs take longer than others and Scooby put a lot of miles on the old mop.
Finally,
in early December, Scooby was added to our website along with the
notation that an adopter would have to be prepared to continue his
housebreaking and be willing to begin obedience training. Scooby
would need an active family to match his energy with a commitment to
training. A smart dog allowed to be bored is asking for trouble. On December 8th I received a call from Debbie Pearl. She asked the usual questions about his temperament, how social he was, how did with other dogs, was he shy or outgoing.
And then she asked me how tall he was. When I replied that he weighed 53 lbs, but I didn’t really know his height, she asked me to measure him.
That was perhaps my first clue that this was no ordinary adoption candidate.
Debbie went on to explain that she lived in Los Angeles County, California, and owned a company called Paws for Effect that provided dogs for movies, television and commercials. Her place in the mountains north of Los Angeles was home to a number of dogs with a long list of film and television credits to their names.
And every one of them was a rescue or shelter dog. Debbie was emphatic about not buying dogs from breeders when so many great dogs were sitting on death row or waiting for homes in rescues all over the country.
Her interest in Scooby stemmed from his resemblance to a dog she owned named Cameron. Any where from two to four dogs will share a role when making a movie or television show, she explained. The dogs are used according to their special talents for particular scenes and the use of multiple dogs prevent any one dog from becoming tired and bored.
Debbie went on to describe her very dog-friendly home. A huge house
with a doggie door, a great room dotted with dog beds, fenced acres
with shade trees and populated with several assistants who came
daily to play with the dogs, groom and care for them. Four professional trainers who do the actual training and accompany the dogs when they go off to work on a shoot round out the dog’s extended ‘family’.
The
next day, Debbie’s application arrived and an email with pictures of
her home and grounds. In a subsequent phone call I grilled her on
how the dogs were housed, what became of them if they didn’t ‘make
it’ in the training or proved to not be popular with casting
directors or became to old to work. She assured me that once there, the dog’s were home for life. Those that grew old but had a strong intrinsic need to work were matched with roles that accommodated their age and physical abilities. Old timers who preferred to just hang out never had to worry about earning their keep.
We proceeded with the normal APB adoption screening process.
Transport and rescue colleague, Gail McKenzie, who does Dalmatian
rescue in Los Angeles, was recruited to do a home visit at Debbie
Pearl’s home. The veterinarian was contacted and assured us that Debbie’s dogs were well cared for and always had everything they needed. They were also impressed by the fact that no matter which assistant might bring a dog in for an appointment, that person always knew all about the dog and their history. They said the dogs were always social and happy. They enjoyed having Paws for Effects dogs visit the clinic.
I also combed the American Humane Association’s website, searching out all of the movies where Paws for Effect was listed as the animal trainer or wrangler. The AHA monitors movie and television productions that use any type of animal, rating them based on the safety and care given the animal actors. Every movie Debbie’s company was associated with had received the association’s highest rating.
Sending a dog to any adopter almost 3,000 miles away is never taken lightly. But as with all adoptions we do, the best match of home and dog is the goal. Scooby, now known as Austin, is the type of dog that will enjoy being trained, having a job and working for his people.
Thus, on December 20th, 2006, Scooby Doodle boarded a plane in Detroit
to begin a new life and career in California. Arriving at LA International later that evening, a slightly bewildered Scooby emerged from his crate, got a badly needed potty walk and quickly regained his energetic approach to life.
Scooby spent his first night crated in Debbie Pearl’s bedroom, happily chomping away on a bone.
Day
One: The next day was all about learning the wonders of the
doggie-door and meeting his new two-legged and four-legged family.
In the picture on the right, he meets his ‘double’, Cameron. The two will share roles.
The practice of using multiple ‘look-alike’ dogs prevents any one animal
actor from becoming too tired or stressed and allows trainers to
capitalize on each dog’s special talents. Scooby was officially renamed Austin. In Debbie’s home ‘doggie spa’, Austin was bathed, groomed, had his nails trimmed and received an application of “Sun In” to begin to lighten his coloring to more closely resemble Cameron’s. Austin took it all in stride.
Day Two: Austin’s big adventure.
Debbie and one of her trainers take to the local streets to begin getting
Austin and two other new arrivals used to crowds. A movie or television set is a busy, chaotic, noisy place full of people and equipment. Canine stars get plenty of attention from cast and crew. Visiting the local mall, pet supply store and sight-seeing with Debbie help prepare Austin for his new career.
Austin, having spent much of his young life on a chain, investigates
this new world with reserved curiosity; woofing at a man who runs
past, learning that even the strangest looking strangers may offer
yummy treats [supplied by mom] and begins to absorb this new
environment.
Day Three and Four: Acting 101
Back home, its time for Austin to start learning his new job.
A “smarty pants” as Debbie calls him, he quickly learns to sit,
“speak” on command and take his “mark”.
The “mark” tells two-legged and four-legged actors alike where they
are supposed to be on the set.
The wooden platform shown in the picture on the left is being used
as his mark now.
It will gradually become smaller and smaller until he learns to go
to a dime-sized mark.
Austin’s love affair with food stands him in good stead with
Debbie’s
clicker and positive reinforcement training methods.
Judging by the big grin, Austin is enjoying his training sessions.
Hot dogs, attention, praise, a job to be done and hot dogs. What
more could a dog ask for ?
Testing Austin’s progress, Debbie returns to the pet supply store
with him where he speaks on command for her, even in the midst of
distractions.
“He’s a trainer’s dream”, Debbie says. “We’re just thrilled with
him. “
Austin is expected to make his film debut in March, 2007. The story
revolves around a girl who takes in homeless misfit mutts and turns
them into a winning sled team.
For Austin and Debbie Peal’s other rescued canine actors, the story
is one they are well qualified to tell.
On to Page 2
