"Harry Potter" dog remains in shelter

[AbbyK9]

Potter Dog to Remain in Shelter - Female First

The black German Shepherd which played Padfoot in Harry Potter and THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN will remain in a British animal shelter for several more weeks amid fears the dog will be adopted just because of its fame.


Berry's former owner, a movie stuntman, handed the animal over to the German Shepherd Dog Rescue last month (Sep11) because he was no longer able to properly look after the pet.


Rescue officials have been searching for a new home for the mutt but are now holding back on choosing a new owner for Berry until the publicity surrounding the Harry Potter movies dies down, according to Tmz.com.

This doesn't make any sense to me.

When the rescue got the dog, they went to the media and made it very public that a dog that (supposedly) starred in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" needed a new home - and now that they and they dog are getting all this press and people want to adopt the dog, they will keep him in the shelter "until the publicity dies down" because they're worried someone will adopt him only "because of his fame."

Wasn't that the whole point of going public, to get the dog adopted? And telling everyone the dog was in Harry Potter to get more attention for the dog and get it adopted?

It makes no logical sense to me. At all.

(I also said "supposedly" above because I am not at all convinced the dog was in or modeled for "Prisoner of Azkaban". Supposedly an English Wolfhound named Fern was the model for all the CGI actually seen in the movie - there's a picture of Fern with her "fake" erect ears and fake teeth on the breeder's website.)

[Jessiewessie99]

I think its because like many people get dogs as yard ornaments and won't care for the dog. Its just so people have something to brag about.

But I do see the positive of using the media to get dogs adopted. My shelter shows dogs on a local news channel and many of the dogs get adopted that way.

[Liesje]

I cut the scene with Padfoot from the movie. The dog is definitely CGI. I can share privately if anyone else is curious. The dog in the later movie is a deerhound.

[AbbyK9]

Yes, the dog in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is a Scottish Deerhound by the name of Cloud. Article about him, from 2007, here --> Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Meet the star! | PetConnection.com The breeder of Cloud is Kilbourne Deerhounds (Deerhounds) who has a photo of Cloud on the set of Harry Potter, here --> Deerhound Kilbourne Macleod

Kilbourne's Fern was used as the model for Padfoot in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". There is a photo of the trainer, Sue, with Fern on the Harry Potter set and a picture of Fern with her fake perky ears on her page, here --> Solo Star at Kilbourne

So ... I think someone's lying.

I would not be surprised if the person who dumped Barry said, "Hey, this is the dog that was in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" to give the dog a better chance of getting adopted. I mean, it's difficult on the best of days to adopt out a senior black German Shepherd. But if that dog is a famous dogs, offers to adopt him just pour on in...

[kiwilrdg]

It could be a dog that was used for research shots while they were in the concept phase. I know a lot of film is shot for animators to use as a reference but not used in the film.

If the dog had been used for something like that, of course stories get better every time you tell them.

It could also be a case where the word "like" does not register.

Of course it could also be a fabricated story.

[CelticGlory]

Actually there was an article written in the other thread about this from the trainer/owner's own mouth. So he is the dog that is used at first at the start of the HP third movie(when we see Padfoot in the bushes when Harry is catching the night bus in HP and POA).

[RoseRegn]

Originally Posted by CelticGlory

Actually there was an article written in the other thread about this from the trainer/owner's own mouth. So he is the dog that is used at first at the start of the HP third movie(when we see Padfoot in the bushes when Harry is catching the night bus in HP and POA).

The dog in the bushes was also CGI. It's very obvious if you watch the film.

I feel the owner probably said that the dog was used in the film to increase his chances of finding a home, and/or the rescue decided to run with the story in order to gain attention. The rescue would benefit as they may be able to adopt out more of their dogs, as well as gain donations from Harry Potter fans around the world. The longer the dog remains in the spotlight, the more the rescue benefits. It seems like they're trying to milk this as long as they can.

The whole thing is just rotten. Someone is clearly lying, yet many blindly believe the story to be true.

[Liesje]

I agree. I just went back and watched that scene too, definitely CGI and if it was a dog it's certainly not the dog in the rescue (the dog in the film is tall, lanky, has wiry hair not at all like any GSD, yellow eyes.....CGI).

[AbbyK9]

It could be a dog that was used for research shots while they were in the concept phase. I know a lot of film is shot for animators to use as a reference but not used in the film.

The dog used for that was Fern, a Scottish Deerhound. If you go back and look at the article from Pet Connection that was written in 2007, you'll find this snippet -

Kilbourne hounds are no strangers to the Potterverse. Glenis’ dog Fern was the model for the figure of Padfoot in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Fern was filmed in live action, but what we saw on the screen was a computer generated graphic based on her. Glenis, and friends who have seen the film, assure me that Padfoot is a real live dog this time.

The owner of Fern has photos on her website of Fern learning to do the jumps she had to do, and also of Fern in her "makeup". Fern was filmed live-action for all of the scenes, and then they animated a CGI dog for the movie based on her movements and appearance.

I trust the author of the article about the Kilbourne Deerhounds a lot more than a supposed former stuntman who dumps his two senior dogs in rescue with a big story. The author of the Pet Connection article writes the pet column for the San Francisco Chronicle and is an editor for The Bark magazine. She's not just some random blogger (like me) or tabloid writer.

Plus, I don't think the Deerhound breeder has anything to gain by making up stories (years ago) that her dogs were in the Harry Potter movies. These are dogs she owns and isn't going to sell - they're used in her breeding program. (Well, Fern passed away in 2009, but Cloud is still around. They took Cloud out of the show ring for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and then went back to showing him in conformation after the movie was done with.)

[Minnieski]

In any case it makes me sad that the dog was dumped.