Investigation opened into 'disturbing' treatment of German shepherd on set of A Dog's Purpose

A still from the trailer for "A Dog's Purpose."
(Image credit: YouTube.com/UniversalPictures)

An investigation is now underway into how a German shepherd was treated on the set of the new movie A Dog's Purpose.

TMZ posted a video it says was filmed during the movie's production, showing a dog that appeared to be too frightened forced into churning water by a trainer, The Associated Press reports. American Humane, an organization that ensures animal safety on movie and television sets, said Wednesday it has hired an independent investigator to look into the incident, and has suspended the safety representative that worked on A Dog's Purpose.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.