‘A Dog’s Purpose’ Video Update: Dennis Quaid Slams Controversial Footage, Says No Dogs Were Harmed

Echoing what producers and the director of the film had said, actor Dennis Quaid assured that no dogs were harmed in the filming of “A Dog’s Purpose.”

Appearing on NBC’s “Today” on Wednesday morning, Quaid spoke with Matt Lauer about the controversy surrounding the film due to footage obtained by TMZ. “Absolutely no dogs were harmed in this,” the actor said. “This was a piece of video that was shot during the making of this by some unknown person at the time.”

Quaid also claimed the video was edited to make it appear worse than it actually was. “He also spliced, edited and manipulated that to make it look as if a dog was being abused,” he said. “The dog had been in that water happily and afterwards, too, and the dog was fine.”

While it’s unknown if the original footage was edited, TMZ states that it did not alter the footage. “TMZ did not edit the video. We posted all the footage as obtained,” the website stated.

Although the footage may show the dog in distress, Quaid said there were no problems during filming. When asked if he felt any mistakes were made, Quaid said, “Not that I can see. What is not shown are divers underneath the water for the dog. Every precaution was taken. Platforms underneath the water that the dog was standing on. Not dangling in the water.”

Since the release of the footage, PETA has called for a boycott of the film, while the movie’s red carpet premiere was canceled. It will still be released in theaters on Friday. In a statement, PETA said, “PETA is calling on dog lovers to boycott the film in order to send the message that dogs and other animals should be treated humanely, not as movie props.”

The film’s producer, Gavin Polone, called out PETA for its boycott, saying “unlike any other major animal welfare group” PETA has been “formenting negative publicity around these events with great energy.”