How and why pets feature in the world of TV and film media.
When was the last time you turned on the TV, streamed Netflix or went to the cinema and didn’t see an animal? Serious question!
Have a think about what shows you’ve seen where an animal wasn’t involved in some shape or form. Because pets and animals form such an integral part of human life, they’re integral to the media we consume.
We see pets in TV shows and films, we see animals in film and music videos; indeed, there are entire documentaries and series dedicated to animals and pets. These shows may just contain a pet that is incidental to the plot or the feature, or it may be that the animal is the central character.
If you’re a director or producer of any popular show, we’re willing to bet that at some stage of your career, you’re going to have to work with pets and animal talent in films.
For those who aren’t animal lovers (apparently such people do exist), fear not! We don’t expect you to go deep-sea diving or climb a mountain to encounter our trained animals. Here at The Animal Talent, we’ve got your back. Our aim is to make the process as seamless as possible for you and remind you that animals, on or off TV, bring joy to our lives.
Any animal, large or small, warm-blooded or cold-blooded, can bring emotions to our screens.
TV Pets
Continuing our discussion on pet animals in film, where would the Dingles of Emmerdale be without a dog? Fans of the soap loved Alfie the wolfhound so much that there have been several press articles about him in the likes of Radio Times, Digital Spy and Hello magazine. Alfie worked on the set of Emmerdale for an incredible nine years. That’s not all with pet animals in TV shows, though.
Remember the outrage, anger and sadness that came from the murder of Grey Wolf at the ‘Red Wedding’ in Game of Thrones? And when Sansa’s dire wolf, Lady, was ordered to be killed? What about all those emotions when Jon had to say goodbye to Ghost, his dire wolf? As far as pet animals in film go, these scenes were integral to the plot and were performed brilliantly by the Northern Inuit Dog actors.
Sometimes, pets are incidental to the plot of a TV show and are utilised in the background to make families appear more real and more human. Animals really do have that effect! Take Lady Di the bulldog and Dave the tom cat in EastEnders, Schmeichel the Great Dane in Coronation Street and Neighbours even featured a sheep named ‘Casserole’.
Finally, we have shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent where dogs, cats and even pigs have wowed audiences. Two dogs went on to win BGT with their owners: Ashley and Pudsey and Jules O’ Dwyer and Matisse. So it’s not pet animals in film only; they’re even on reality shows.
We see a lot of dogs on TV shows in the UK and we’d love to see more cats and other pets too as that would truly reflect the animal landscape of the UK. Are you the show writer who can make this happen? Talk to us about how wonderful cats, rabbits and reptiles would be to feature as pet animals in your TV show’s next episode.
Animal TV shows
People love pet animals in film and TV shows. We cannot say this enough. A nation of animal lovers, there are very many TV series dedicated to the subject on UK screens.
One of the much-loved shows is Supervet featuring Noel Fitzpatrick. Another was Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs. What is and was special about both of these programmes is that they are so emotive. As viewers, we connect with the heart-wrenching stories surrounding the animals and the humans that love and care for them.
We find ourselves desperate for positive outcomes in the real-life storylines and we become emotionally involved just watching the shows because of the pet animals in these films. These shows are not only brilliant viewing, but they’re informative and educational too – the best of all worlds. It’s easy to see why TV producers are so keen to cover real-life stories following animals and portray pets and animals outside TV shows, too.
This has very much expanded into wildlife shows and documentaries. Take Countryfile for example, which is so popular that it even has its own magazine and has been on our screens since 1988. Presenters of such programmes and docu-films have become legendary. David Attenborough has become famous worldwide due to his love of animals and his knowledge of natural history.
While wildlife programmes present a large variety of animals, it’s interesting to note that many of the pet animals in film or even TV programmes on UK television are still centred around dogs. According to the PDSA PAW Report 2024, about 28% of UK households own at least one cat, with approximately 10.6 million pet cats currently in the country. The UK Pet Food 2023 survey shows there are around 12 million pet dogs, 11 million cats and 1.5 million rabbits living with UK families. That same survey reports approximately 1.3 million indoor birds, 1 million guinea pigs, 900,000 hamsters, 900,000 tortoises and turtles, 800,000 lizards and 700,000 snakes.
These figures highlight the fact that the UK is highly invested in all sorts of wonderful animals; it’s not just about having pet animals in films. We’re truly an all animal-loving nation. Here at The Animal Talent, we’d love to see a wider variety of pets on TV shows and our screens in general. If you’re a scriptwriter and interested in featuring alternative animals, talk to us and we can offer our specialist advice on working with pet animals in TV shows.
Film Pets
Are you a director or a producer working on a film where pets are required? Maybe the animal is a sidekick to one of the feature characters, like Harry Potter and his owl, Hedwig. Sometimes pet animals in film are an integral part of the plot, such as with Tom Hanks and his Dogue de Bordeaux in the 1989 classic, Turner & Hooch.
Maybe the animal you’re working with is incidental to the plot and just mentioned or seen in the background of the featured action. A good example of this type of animal actor is Toto, the Cairn Terrier that was in The Wizard of Oz.
A standout role in 2024 goes to Dogpool the dog, who steals scenes in Deadpool and Wolverine. This comedic variant of the famous superhero character charmed audiences worldwide, proving once again how well-trained pet animals in film can bring energy, humour and heart even to a blockbuster shoot.
Sometimes even animated films work with real-life animals in order to capture, understand and imitate real-life actions of the said animal. For example, in 2019, our founder, Paula Stewart, worked with Disney in capturing footage of Persian and Selkirk Rex cats in order to establish animations of movements of these breeds. This footage was then used to animate the characters in the cartoon film Flora & Ulysses. That’s another way pet animals are used in TV shows and films.
In all instances, you need to work with professional animal actors when it comes to pet animals in film. This is just like working with professional human actors. The animal must be prepared, be capable and most importantly be comfortable with working on set in a pressurised environment. We all need to be mindful that film sets work on tight budgets and tight deadlines. Therefore, you need to work with animals on TV that are trained to work in this capacity.
Communication with the agent, the animal handler and everyone involved with working with the animal is absolutely essential. It’s important that the animal that has been cast for the role has had adequate training in advance.
For pet animals in film, we should also always ensure that there is a minimal crew on set at the time of filming so that the animal has as few distractions as possible when working. Our professional animal handlers and agents can guide you through this process so that you get the best possible results on filming day.
If you need to source a well-trained and confident animal actor for a film, please contact us.
Animal Films
When pet animals in a film are the main feature of the plot, such as Beethoven, the St Bernard or Babe, the pig, the pet animals in these TV shows must be prepared and happy to work several days in a row for multiple hours. In these cases, it is essential to take advice from our animal handlers who will tell you when the animal needs to take a break or have a rest. Working with our vets, you can be assured that the animal is being cared for correctly and ethically.
This is hugely important in any case, but particularly in films such as the Nativity film series that feature very many animals. For pets and other animals in film, please be mindful that not all animals can work together; it would be folly to put a mouse and a cat in the same film studio at the same time!
When you work in an ethical environment, you’re allowing the animals to really express themselves and ultimately, you will capture better action and those shots that will really make your film sparkle. It is the precious moments of animal ad lib that really create the magic!
Looking for the animal star for your next film? Look no further. Contact us here.
