Animal Actors

Did you know that a majority of the cats, dogs, horses and other critter actors that wow us on TV, film and stage have been rescued? Not only that, pro-trainers are unsung heroes who rescue needy pets and then either keep or rehome their furry charges. After all, once the cat or dog has been trained and worked with all kinds of folks on the movie set or broadway stage, people WANT to adopt him! American Humane estimates that more than 80% of the dogs and cats used in motion pictures come from shelters. Name some of your favorite animal characters. Do you remember the cat that played in the movie Thomasina? What about the famous German shepherd, Rin Tin Tin? More recently, a Neopolitan mastiff played the part of Fang in the Harry Potter movies. Kim Novak & "Pyewachet" One of my faves was a Siamese cat who starred as Pyewacket in “Bell, Book & Candle,” a stage play of the 1950s. The cat was adopted from the Speyer Hospital for Animals in New York, and promptly stole the show from the human actors. Kim Novak later played the part of the witch with another Siamese in a movie of the same title. Learn more about recent animal actors and the role animal welfare plays at the American Humane website (http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_film_stars)