Finding Rizzo

 

We start our journey at the North Central Animal Shelter, where we need to find a “Rizzo” for the shoot.

WATCH A VIDEO: The Kennels

Originally, we had thought we would used trained dogs (or Zach’s dog) and bring our hero animals into the cages.  However, after talking to the shelter, we realized that there are too many airborne diseases floating around the kennels, and we would be putting outside animals at risk.  So that left us with the daunting task of picking cooperative and sweet shelter dogs, who would hit their marks, find their eye lines and deliver brilliant doggie performances.

So many pitbulls and pit mixes.  As the shelter workers told us, they are the most misunderstood dogs on the planet.  Every one of them we played with was a total sweetheart.  Hyper, yes.  But awesome people dogs.

We also knew that there was no way we were going to use these animals for the shoot and then leave them at the shelter, so we were also determined to get any animals we used in the film adopted.  Which meant we needed to cast a dog that someone on our crew would be dying to take home.  It was a heartbreaking process because there were so many great dogs.   If nothing else, it taught me that most of the animals at the shelter are really good animals.

WATCH A VIDEO: Zach disobeys the “no fingers in the cages” rule.

We held auditions in the “getting aquainted yard”.

They all brought headshots…

This guy needs a new agent…

And then, at long last, we found our girl… a three year old pit with no name…

WATCH A VIDEO: Our Rizzo