Any one else see in the paper that the Dog Trainer who owns the dog that played Padfoot in Harry potter has given him to the GSD rescue along with another dog that has also been in various TV/Film roles. The dogs are 10 and 13 and he says he isn't home enough to give them attention although he admits that the roles for them have dried up now that they have aged.

I really think its a case of getting rid because they are not bringing in the cash :(
Lets hope that someone will take them in for some love as they get old.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041609/German-shepherd-Berry-Canine-star-Harry-Potter-film-homeless.html

Maybe just maybe he is doing the best for the dogs.
It might be the case that he takes all his working dogs with him to film, but if they are not working he is not allowed to take them. And he may well be away from home for months on end. And if he has dogs that are old and need to live life without the constant moving and living in caravans/hptels etc
There must be a huge bond between them, and giving them both up together.
I do think this maybe a case of someone doing the best for their dogs!!!!!
Others may noy agree
Lea xx

I find it extremely interesting how some people just thinkthe worst of people, reveals a lot about themselves IMO.

Let us all hope that we are never put into that position.

I rarely believe what the Daily Mail says either, probably skewed the story to make it appear he doesn't care, when in fact he may be doing the best for the dogs!

I think that we judge these things on how we would address the problem ourselves, many of us find or have found that work can take us away from home at times or to work longer and longer hours and we will have family, friends, petsitters, dog walkers to look after our animals if that happens, it is something which we should plan for happening, just as if we were taken into hospital or ill for a long period of time.

I honestly would not give up a 10 and 13yr old dog to rescue, unless I were penniless or homeless.

Luckily for these two dogs the chances are the story will encourage people to take them on due to their film notoriety, but if they were not 'famous' dogs it's pretty likely they would sit in kennels miserable and not knowing what was going on for weeks/months, end up pts or separated which would be awful for two twilight dogs who have been together since puppyhood.

It is not something I would do to a dog of mine.

Yes, there are worse things he could do to these dogs, but my goodness there are much better things too. There is no suggestion of financial problems just work issues, people in show business often pay someone to care for their animals whilst they are away it is a pretty normal thing, just like hiring a nanny, if there is no-one else to do it, it is the very least these dogs deserved care in their own home or in a pet sitters, even whilst looking for a new owner if he really did not want the responsibility anymore.

Not much loyalty to two old friends he has had since puppyhood, we will all judge this on what we would do and I would not do this....

>I find it extremely interesting how some people just thinkthe worst of people, reveals a lot about themselves IMO.

Ditto. It's a very brave thing to put your beloved pet's welfare your own.

  There is a page about it on the GSD rescue (http://www.germanshepherdrescue.co.uk/padfoot-harry-potter.html) with a bit more information.

Well, that is a plus at least after reading your link parrysite we can see at present they are in a foster home which would be the same as a paid pet sitter. Let's hope they are quickly homed.

Should I say I was once in a difficult situation myself, and did what I thought was best for my animals at the time, but it has come back to bite me on the bum.

I do not judge people on what I would do, we are all individuals, we all have idividual circumstances and NOBODY knows what goes on in household apart from those concerned, it is easy to sit on the outside and jump to conclusions based on some information and not all of it.  Who amongst us has not felt angered at unjustified criticism predicated on assumptions? ;)

WE are not HIM, and I for one cannot make a judgement on such scanty information; my crystal ball is currently in the shop, along with my high horse! ;)

True enough tohme, none of us know the in depth emotions that went into this decision, it could well have been a very heartbreaking decision and caused much pain, it probably is wrong to assume that they are re-homed due to no longer being cash cows, but it is an opinion that people will obviously jump to.

For me it is the decision at all to re-home a 10 and 13yr old for whatever reason but as has been stated due to work commitments, I know even speaking for myself that work loads go up and down the gentlemen may well be very busy right now, but what about next year, the year after?

For me an animal has always been for life, I would make arrangements for an animal to be cared for and given what it needs, as I have said previously plenty of very good pet sitters out there where a dog can spend the day/days or even weeks if he is traveling with a trusted carer. I guess this owner thought re-homing the best option, I just wonder if he even knew of pet sitters? Ihope that it was the right decision for the dogs and the owner as who knows what life will bring the following year he may not have a heavy work load at all, the dogs have already been in two foster homes, far better than a kennel granted, but not the same as still having contact with the owner who has had them from puppyhood.

> For me an animal has always been for life,

Yes for me too and yes there have been times when other commitments have made our two very difficult to deal with or even the time for as I would like. But have always made arrangements for them, neighbours, dogs sitters, family & friends where I could pick up the phone and ask for help, sometimes at very short notice. We are all different but to train a dog, derive an income from it and then to rehome when the work is not there or for whatever reason, is beyond my comprehension.

Me too, I would hope that I would never have to rehome a dog - but who can say 100% what lies in our future.

On a tangent, I always thought that Padfoot should have been a Newfie - sorry but a GSD just doesn't fit the description of 'huge and bearlike' to me! :-)

I just hope whoever takes them does it for the right reason and not so they can show off or to appease their spoilt offspring.

I think this portrays a different view. I'm not a fan of the mail and the way they write things tbh..

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9270837.Homeless_movie_star_being_looked_after_in_Sussex/?ref=mr

Tohme "I find it extremely interesting how some people just thinkthe worst of people, reveals a lot about themselves IMO."

No I don't think it shows anything about me at all when I assume the worst when it comes to animals.

Just look in the papers there are so many stories about how humans are treating their pets, giving them up on whims, abusing them etc etc. Look at any shelter and its full of dogs who were bought and then given up because people didn't want to deal wioth their behaviour, they were no longer cute puppies or they were just getting old and there was the possibility that there would be medical issues comming up. Todays society has become a disposable society and that goes for animals as well as other belongings unfortunately. Unfortunately people who put their animals first now seem to be the minority (this isn't just from media info its from my personal experience too) so yes when I see an article like this I will assume that this case is just like the thousands of other dogs that are in shelters; given up because they are no longer convienient.

I would never give up my animals due to work commitments - I would be lookig for sitters etc and then looking for other work. He knew the time needed when he first got a dog, he then went on to get a second one - their needs dont change just because he decided to travel more. Maybe he should look at his priorities.

As to the Daily Mail - they are not the best but a quick google search shows several other media sources all phrasing it in exactly the same way.

Whatever the views on rehoming the dogs, I don't for a moment think it is because they are no longer bringing in the cash. Dogs used for films get paid very little -I was only reading the other day about it, and it is small sums indeed. As for Harry Potter, it was a case of blink and you missed it -I was certain Padfoot was played by an animatronic dog only.

My other thought is that if he cared for the dogs but truely couldn't rearrange his life to look after the he should have rehomed them himself. After living with them for 10 and 13 years to just give them to a shelter rather than finding a home himself just screams that he didn't care for them and that they were surplus to his requirements. After having them as his loving friends for so long you would think he would want to know who they going to and that they would be safe and happy etc

The way I read it they went to breed rescue -who better to find the best homes?

I am afraid I agree with Goldmali

One person trying to rehome a dog/dogs via the local paper, ads etc, personal interviews and home checks would take FAR longer than a specialist organisation with nationwide contacts, pool of kennels and fosterers.

It is a bit of a no brainer.

If the guy is working then the time available is shorter and in the meantime who suffers? 

That would be the dogs.

As he has selected a breed specialist rescue (not any old pound some of which are less than ideal) he has demonstrated that he DOES have the welfare of his dogs at heart as he knows they will move heaven and earth to find the right home so they would be safe and happy.

His actions scream "caring owner".

My friend is involved in their care/assessment and re-homing. The requirements and home assessments are harder to adopt these dogs than it would be to adopt a child. And from what she has been told the owner is absolutely heartbroken over this but they have always been working dogs and are used to being trained and with someone constantly and he isn't able to do that anymore and they were becoming stressed.

If these dogs were trained to film standard and are now 10 and 13 years old, they wouldn't need constant training. It would be a case of them ticking over, just giving them fun things to do (eg tricks) so they feel involved and that they are using their brains/pleasing you. I am also sceptical that they need to be with someone constantly - again, trained dogs don't tend to have that clinginess and have surely been trained, like any dog should be, to be left from an early age? IMO he owes it to them to either pay for someone to help look after them when he is away or to rehome privately himself. Did he know when he approached breed rescue that they wouldn't have to go in kennels and did he care either way? I don't know but it really is a poor reflection on him imo.  

I am also sceptical that they need to be with someone constantly - again, trained dogs don't tend to have that clinginess and have surely been trained, like any dog should be, to be left from an early age?

Think you're wrong there as it would depend entirely on what the dogs and owner did. I knew a police dog that had to be retired aged about 9. He went from being with his handler 24/7, literally, to seeing her just a few hours a day, and no longer having any real work to do. That was one seriously stressed and bored dog.

I used to see the same thing in retired horses, people underestimate how much animals miss their "work" and think they would welcome being put out to pasture as it were, this is often not the case.

Re the police dog. In that case the onus would be on the handler to make sure that the time she spent with him was very meaningful to the dog - whether it be clipping a tracking harness on him, getting him to 'find' things, running hard after his ball, going through some of his obedience training etc. You can do an awful lot with 'a few hours a day'! She also did him no favours if she couldn't teach him to have an 'off' switch. And was he seriously with her '24/7'. Aren't police dogs kennelled when they're not working?

Re horses put out to pasture. I wasn't suggesting that these dogs didn't need to do anything. I said they could be given things to do which would keep them ticking over, and these could be a mix of fun activities and those which stretch their brains a bit more.

You can do an awful lot with 'a few hours a day'! She also did him no favours if she couldn't teach him to have an 'off' switch. And was he seriously with her '24/7'. Aren't police dogs kennelled when they're not working?

And what about the rest of the time, after 9 years of having company all the time? I know many Malinois that don't have an off switch and I am sure they are not the only dogs like that. And no, it's not at all a case of police dogs always being kennelled when not working -that depends on the individual handler's circumstances and also the individual police force -they don't all have the same rules. Some prefer central kennelling as it is cheaper to keep all dogs in one place to be cared for, others believe it is better for them to live with their handler -but the hander then has to be paid to look after the dog when off duty, which is why some prefer the central kennelling system as it saves money. Many police dogs however live as family pets when off duty in the handler's home. So in that case it truly is 24/7.

Sorry but I still don't believe this '24/7' thing. Are we seriously saying that this police dog never had to sit in the van when his handler was doing other things, that he never had to wait in kennels if she was doing paperwork, in meetings, on the phone, or on a coffee/lunch break? Did she also not have any social/family life at all? It's just not feasible. I'm at the home at the moment but I'm still not with my dogs 24/7. There is shopping to do, errands to run, people to see etc (or at least there will be when the puppies have gone). I also wasn't aware that the police dogs that went home actually lived indoors as part of the family. It was my impression that they were kennelled in the handler's garden, certainly the ones I've known of lived this way. Shall we just agree to disagree on this one as we are getting off the original point? 

There is no nationwide policy on how police dogs are housed, some are kennelled some are not and live indoors as part of the family. So if you were only exposed to a certain police force then you will only get one view. ;)

I hope that you are never put into a position which leads others to view you in the same light as you do this man.

Nobody knows what the future holds.....................

I'm curious about this thread.  I've certainly read several previous topics on here where people who 'give up' or replace their old dogs are condemned.  There are fairly regular accounts where 'readers' have noticed old dogs being moved on for their old age (often listed in the free ads) and, to my recollection, the majority of responders were outraged at the very idea - "A dog is for life" etc

What is it about this particular story that has so many of you defending his actions and why is this man to be congratulated for doing what others have been vilified for?  Is it that these particular dogs are effectively his employees rather than his pets?

You're right, no one knows what the future holds. On the bright side, hopefully these dogs will have a better chance of getting an owner who actually cares about them now.....

DOB,

You have taken the words out of my mouth. Why is this man excluded from the normal standards of dog ownership we all expect? Don't we say if you have the sort of job that will not allow you to support your dogs throughout their lives then don't own one? This man has not changed jobs and the fact that he works with dogs for a living somehow makes his actions even worse.

I suppose that had he found them each homes himself checked by him and ensured they had a soft landing that would be different. I accept though that perhaps we do not have the full story.

>Don't we say if you have the sort of job that will not allow you to support your dogs throughout their lives then don't own one?

Only to people who have a functional crystal ball and can accurately predict the future! Normal mortals can't do that, so I suppose none of us here should have dogs ...

^^^^^^^^ Where is the like button JG ^^^^^^^^
I stick by with my first post.
He is doing what is best for the dogs.
I hope that everyone that is belittleing what he has done and saying he shouldnt is never put in the situation to have to give up your dogs.
Noone can EVER say they will not be put in the situation. Yes you may do everything to avoid it, but oince you have done everything and your dogs are still miserable, would you still keep them/be able to keep them????? That would be cruelty.
There are members on here that have had to rehome dogs through no fault of their own. They have done whats BEST for the dogs.
And that what I see from this case. He has done whats BEST for the dogs.
Lea.

JG,
Come on, that argument works the other way too- because none of us know what the future holds we should just live for the day and have a dog because we want one now.

I just feel a bit uncomfortable about this one but understand also that it might not be so different to moving on show dogs, once they are too old for the ring. I would hope however, that those dogs were found hand-picked homes, not put into a specialist rescue.

:-D :-D dogs a babe,

I think you have said what many of us are thinking ;-) from the beginning I have felt that the person in question is known or known of by some on the board and I feel that is the reasoning for the protective wall around this story.

If re-homing is to happen than I do agree that breed rescue are the place to go as they will vet very carefully, a friend of mine who constantly impulse buys, upon realising she wasn't going to off load her dog onto me called them and they were wonderful she kept the dog until they found a suitable home and the new owners sent photo's for a while etc so contact can still be kept with the previous owner too if one likes, unlike a bog standard rescue homing a dog.

I still just can not shake not being there when these two dogs pass over, become ill etc after sharing so many years with them.

In my younger days I travelled and worked late a lot, my family had my dog often but I always knew I would be coming home and we would be together again as did my dog, I would certainly have paid for a carer if I had no family. Unless in a very poorly paid job, giving up a dog due to increased work commitments doesn't wash with me I'm afraid.

When my youngest brothers relationship broke down, his ex moved away and he was left with his two GSD's and full time work, we all just rallied around, I had his dogs for near on 3yrs whilst he was at work, until he married and the dogs went home full time again. He would have moved heaven and earth for those dogs, definitely would have paid for a carer if he did not have us.

We've all just been brought up to believe that when you bring an animal home it is yours for life to care for or sort out care, re-homing just doesn't come into it, an animal is treated just like a child would be, you find a way to work around it.

So, I agree dogs a babe this case no matter what ending the dogs may have (a good owner I hope) it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

>Come on, that argument works the other way too- because none of us know what the future holds we should just live for the day and have a dog because we want one now.

That's why having black-and-white views aren't helpful; the world is made up of shades of grey!

Specialist rescues have the contacts and vetting experience that most people lack. If they'd put on the free-ads then I'd agree that it showed a lack of care, but breed rescue is a different kettle of fish, surely?

Luckily I've never been in the situation where I've had to consider rehoming my dogs through change of life circumstances because we've been lucky enough to have family to help out in times of crisis, but without them it could have been very different, which is why I know how easily the unexpected can happen.

JG,
I'm just seeing different shades of grey from you, but I think we are both along the spectrum of opinion.

We don't have all the facts and, on that basis I accept that there may be factors that make his actions more palatable. From the little I do know it makes me feel uncomfortable.

> I've certainly read several previous topics on here where people who 'give up' or replace their old dogs are condemned.

Indeed.
I personally, can not understand how anyone could part with an oldie. If the man has done this for the good of the dogs, then fair play to him, that is one heck of a tough decision to have made. If he has done this for his own conveinience, then shame on him. Either way I hope that he hasn't got other dogs, nor is planing on getting anymore soon.

Whatever the reasons behind it, I feel so sorry for these dogs. They are to be re-homed together as they are so close. I hope they can find a new home very soon and start bonding with a new,  'forever' owner as it is surely going to break the younger (10yr) dogs heart when the older (13yr) one dies, I hope they are truly settled into thier forever home by then, so at least the remaining dog can take some comfort of being in familiar, secure-feeling surroundings with a person they know & trust, not just in the next temporary foster home.

I have it in my will that any of my dogs that my children will not be willing or able to keep that are over 10 years old are put to sleep.

The 13 year old GSD, could easily be days from dying of old age.  None of my oldies that have died showed any signs of their impending end until 24 - 48 hours before, and in one case no warning at all.

I have a pretty adaptable breed who like people generally, have often stayed with friends, but I would not re-home at those ages.  So surely he could provide for their care in their own home until their end.

I don't think there is ANY way you can compare a working dog to a pet or show dog. Their lives and therefore needs are just not the same. This scenario would have been totally different if the dogs had been pure pets used to a couple of walks a day and not much more.

GM,

Yes, I suppose if one considers retired guide dogs for the blind we can see that there will always be a case and reason to move them on. I am open to persuasion on this one. What bothers me is that he must have known what was coming, unless the circumstances of his work had changed dramatically that is. I just feel he might have planned things a little better so that his dog could go straight to a new, properly vetted home, and not had to adapt to a foster home, before being moved on again.

Have to respectfully disagree Goldmali for many reasons...........

The dogs are in the latter part of their lives, there are many working dogs in my family and the oldies slow down and take life easier, some enjoy lounging around, they might enjoy doing bits and pieces,  but they adapt to not being used as they were much if younger fitter dogs are being brought on.

How are they still working and not getting bored in the rescue foster home? If that is the reason for passing them on due to the fact that the owner is not home much to give them mental as well as physical exercise, (though a carer could very well do that) boy they must be ready to explode with boredom by now. :-D Are they looking for a working home for these dogs, I very much doubt anyone would take on a 10 and 13yr old to work in any aspect.

All dogs retire and slow down from police dogs, show biz dogs to the game keepers best friend, this is the time that they are pampered and made to feel special for all they have done for us and enjoy their retirement.

It is not the age that you pass a dog on for a new home when it is getting to the end of it's life, if this were an advert on a free ads page everyone would be up in arms at the disgrace of it.

Can you imagine the uproar if Lassie after all her films (I know it was various dogs.... however) were sent off to a rescue aged 13yrs, the outrage, why is this different?

Carrington, this is the sticking point for me too. It just doesn't quite add up.

Another huge flaw in this action also is the breed traits of a GSD they are a breed who are totally loyal to their owner, they have spent their lives with this man, been trained and homed with him all their lives, it is probably why they were stressed being left with other people to start with, they need that person they are devoted to in their lives, I worry most about this as he is just gone, forever! He didn't die....... he gave them up.

My brothers GSD's soon got used to staying with me because their owner always came home to them, dogs adapt, these dogs also will have to adapt, but it just seems all the more cruel due to their breed traits.

Far less stressful to have been adopted by family or friends where their owner could have still seen them, or better still had a carer in their own home and still had contact with him.

Very sad.

> I don't think there is ANY way you can compare a working dog to a pet or show dog. Their lives and therefore needs are just not the same

By the same token these dogs cannot be compared to animals that have spent their lives working with the military or police forces, according to GSD Rescue their owner is a stunt man and animal trainer.  It was one film, many years ago

Their owner has not had a sudden and unexpected life change and his 'working' dogs were obviously going to age and slow down.  In theory, catering for his dogs old age should almost have been included in their employment contract and some of their earnings put aside for their pension.  If it is necessary that they retire then provision could have been made some years ago for this eventuality - and it needn't have involved rehoming

To give the guy benefit of the doubt perhaps this is just poor PR or inadequate reporting but there are currently a lot of gaps which seem to suggest poor judgement or poor management of a situation entirely within his control.  It's interesting to read the GSDR pages - they also appear to take a dim view of the situation these dogs find themselves in...

Carrington,
I don't like to rush to judgement and, as I said, I am open to persuasion on this, but so far the case for is not convincing and I completely share all your reservations and points well made. 

The dogs are in the latter part of their lives, there are many working dogs in my family and the oldies slow down and take life easier, some enjoy lounging around, they might enjoy doing bits and pieces,  but they adapt to not being used as they were much if younger fitter dogs are being brought on.

How are they still working and not getting bored in the rescue foster home?

Tell my 11 ½ year old she is supposed to have slowed down!!! So much would depend on the breed I'd say -for instance none of us knows if these GSDs are from working lines or not. We all know working line dogs are totally different to show lines. But even so, my 8 year old Golden looks and acts twice the age of my 11 year old Mali -the breed makes all the difference.

How they are not getting bored in the foster homes we don't know so we cannot judge.

By the same token these dogs cannot be compared to animals that have spent their lives working with the military or police forces, according to GSD Rescue their owner is a stunt man and animal trainer.  It was one film, many years ago

How do you know that? How do you know they were only used once? How do you know they weren't continually worked, whether for payment or not, whether employed or at home? It's not the type of work that matters, it's the fact they DO it.  A friend of mine had a GSD she competed in obedience with. She then got unwell (the owner) and couldn't keep up the constant training she had been doing. The dog was going nuts, never able to settle indoors for even a minute, I don't think I ever saw her lay down and relax, she just paced all day long, needing something to do. My friend then died and the only home that turned out to be suitable for the dog, as she was so active, was one where she was able to be outdoors all day long doing things. She went to a park keeper who was able to take the bitch to work with her.

Was that dog 10 or 13yrs though? This is the difference. A young GSD as I suppose your own breed are very active dogs, at the ages of the above they are not as active. This is the difference.

It said in the reports that the dogs work offers, had dried up, so they may not have been active for quite some time.

GM said 'Don't think there is ANY way you can compare a working dog to a pet or show dog. Their lives and therefore needs are just not the same. This scenario would have been totally different if the dogs had been pure pets used to a couple of walks a day and not much more.'

Sorry but have to disagree. Being in Obedience for the last 30 years, I know from personal experience that the dogs who work in films/ads etc generally live as part of the family and the 'work' they do is regarded as just another training session. It's just one aspect of their lives - they weren't bred for this purpose and it's not their raison d'etre. I don't think any film dog ever cried himself to sleep at night because the roles had dried up. A good handler would just make sure that he still felt special and involved in things. Quite honestly, I don't think they can be compared with the likes of real working dogs such as military dogs, sheepdogs etc. I have high drive dogs myself. I own 10 collies who all live in, including a pretty nutty collie, but the 'off' switch can be found. I use a crate and he goes in there to chill out when I feel he is being ott. I would not personally breed from dogs who don't have an 'off switch' but that is another topic lol.