Josh Gad Both Shaken and Sad (VIDEO)

Hollywood is taking a brief diversion from Trump hysteria to collectively gasp over how a German Shepherd was forced into a “virtual river” for a blue-screen action shot for the movie, A Dog’s Purpose. The video is gruesomely shocking, if you’re a nine year old girl who loves puppies. If you’ve ever worked on a film set with animals before, or happen to have ever trained a dog for outdoor life, it’s a big little nothing. The dog was never in physical danger, though the emotional trauma is untold. For a dog who has spent his entire life being trained for movie stunt work.

Everybody involved in the film is claiming they didn’t know about the potential vast cruelty of this production moment, including the director, Lasse Hallstrom, which is odd, since he’s he director. Josh Gad who voices the dog in the movie declared himself ‘shaken and sad’ before admitting he had no broader context for his sentiment. So shaken and sad are merely his default, as suggested by his reps.

The dog is fine. The water was even warmed to accommodate crew and dog. Tom Cruise does his own death defying stunts according to Scientology magazine. The dog balked at a water jump. You give him a push. Like you would your own children so they don’t grow up to be the one’s gang raped in the boy’s locker room at school. This dog likely has a trainer, a groomer, and a nutritionist. In the Hollywood bubble, there’s always room for redefining atrocity.