Turner Classic Movies Celebrates American Humane’s 130th Anniversary With “No Animals Were Harmed” Film Festival During April
To commemorate American Humane’s 130th anniversary of protecting animals from cruelty and abuse, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is airing a festival of films starring some of Hollywood’s most renowned four-legged and finned actors on Monday nights in April. American Humane has monitored the welfare of animals in film and television since 1940 and is the exclusive source of the famous end credit “No Animals Were Harmed”®.
The festival includes several TCM premieres and will act as the national kickoff for American Humane’s Be Kind to Animals Week®, May 6-12. Be Kind to Animals Week has been nationally recognized and loved since its inception in 1915.
Among the films will be Francis (1950), starring the famous “talking mule”. Actually a female mule named Molly, Francis “spoke” to co-star Donald O’Connor in the original movie and in several sequels by borrowing the voice of actor Chill Wills. Animal heroes include those in The Day of the Dolphin (1973), a sci-fi thriller in which dolphins (trained in real life by Peter Moss and on film by George C. Scott) learn to speak English and are stolen in a political assassination plot.
Perhaps the most famous of all rescued animals in film is Higgins, a mix of cocker spaniel, poodle and schnauzer who was rescued from the Burbank Animal Shelter by revered trainer Frank Inn to star as Benji (1974). Other dogs took over the role in the movie’s sequels, but it is the original Benji that everybody remembers. Higgins’ cremated remains were buried with Inn, who died in 2002. Inn’s contributions to filmmaking are honored with four films in which his unique skills played a vital role, including National Velvet (1945).
The festival will also include Free Willy (1993). Keiko, the orca (killer whale) who plays Willy, confronted dramatic situations in real life. Born in 1976 and captured off the coast of Iceland in 1979, he was part of the marine park industry before being cast in the movie. Later he was found living in unhealthy conditions in an aquarium in Mexico. Thanks to an international pledge, money was raised to have Keiko transported to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, then back to Iceland for a return to life in the wild.
For more information on the pet food that is being recalled, please check out:
A Dog’s Soul
Every dog must have a soul
Somewhere deep inside
Where all his hurts and grievances
Are buried with his pride.
Where he decides the good and bad,
The wrong way from the right,
And where his judgment carefully
Is hidden from our sight.
A dog must have a secret place
Where every thought abides,
A sort of close acquaintance that
He trusts in and confides.
And when accused unjustly for
Himself, He cannot speak,
Rebuked, He finds within his soul
The comfort he must seek.
He’ll love, tho’ he is unloved,
And he’ll serve tho’ badly used,
And one kind word will wipe away
The times when he’s abused.
Altho’ his heart may break in two
His love will still be whole,
Because God gave to every dog
An understanding Soul!
Author Unknown
Sandi’s Keys to Successful Management
The dictionary definition of the word management is: the act or manner of managing; handling, direction or control. Management is the key to controlling situations and your dog’s environment. Living with puppies and/or adult dogs provides many opportunities to prevent problems before they happen; and successful management allows you to do that. Let’s take a look at some management situations:
· Crating the puppy when you can’t supervise him. Prevents housetraining accidents and destructiveness
· Keeping the counters clear of food items. Prevents counter-surfing!
· Keeping items besides dog toys picked up off of the floor. Prevents puppy from chewing up your stuff!
· Closing doors to rooms. Helps to supervise puppy as he is only allowed in a limited amount of space.
· Putting puppy on leash when guests arrive. Prevents puppy from jumping on guests.
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Stay one step ahead of your puppy to prevent bad habits from developing! |
Here are just a few examples of management tools:
· Leashes and long lines
· Collars
· Crates
· Fences
· Baby gates
Management = Prevention! Managing situations and staying one step ahead of the puppy will prevent bad habits from developing. If you are consistent with your management, this will also help the puppy to learn what is expected of him and what is not.Thinking proactively vs. reactively is a major part of management and preventing unwanted behavior. Focus on what you want your dog to DO. Don’t focus on what you DON’T want your dog to do!
This handout may be reprinted free of charge as is for distribution with full credit given to:
© Copyright 2006 Sandi Hansen Sandi’s K9 Management “Building Relationships One Dog at a Time”
sandi@k9management.com www.k9management.com All rights reserved.
Enriching the Lives of Our Best Friends
Zookeepers and behaviorists have been enriching the environments of zoo animals for years. When an animal is taken into captivity, or domesticated as is the case with dogs, they are deprived of many things that they receive in the wild. While we tend to think that we are making life better for our dogs by providing food, shelter and love we often overlook the need for these animals to engage in the natural behaviors of their species. Natural behaviors include: foraging/hunting for food; seeing, hearing and smelling different things as in the wild; tasting different foods; climbing on, under and jumping over various objects; and too often we even deprive them of interacting with other dogs. Deprivation of these types of behaviors typically results in behavioral issues such as digging and barking that can be pretty tough to live with. Fortunately, there are many ways to make up for these missed behaviors in our dogs lives. First, let’s look at the different types of environmental enrichment… Food Enrichment Includes being able to taste different foods that are healthy and safe for the canine digestive system Sensory Enrichment Includes anything having to do with stimulating the different senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting Social Enrichment Includes time spent interacting with people or with animals of the same or different species Physical or Structural Enrichment Includes any structure that the dog cannot move but can relate to in some way· Crate, kennel· Houseo Furniture· Yard Occupational Enrichment Includes any object that the dog can interact with· Toys and feeder puzzles. Since every dog is an individual with his/her own likes and dislikes, it is difficult to come up with a formula that applies to all dogs. Getting to know your dog’s individual character and a little bit of creativity from you are the keys to success for enriching the life of your best friend! Although this list is never complete, be creative while always keeping safety in mind. Here are a few examples to get you started:
| Type of Enrichment | Examples | ||||||||
| FOOD ENRICHMENT (also taste/sensory enrichment) | tasting: treats, meat, vegetables, fruits*, kibble, cheerios, cheese, yogurt, ice | ||||||||
| SENSORY ENRICHMENT |
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| SOCIAL ENRICHMENT | Play with other dogs, dog daycare, play with you, dog park, safe/supervised play with other species | ||||||||
| PHYSICAL/STRUCTURAL ENRICHMENT | Kennel, furniture, barn, things to climb on such as play equipment | ||||||||
| OCCUPATIONAL ENRICHMENT | Toys, food puzzles, interactive toys, busy toys, items to intentionally destroy (such as food wrapped up in a paper bag) with supervision | ||||||||
| TRAINING AS ENRICHMENT | Anything you can teach your dog, classes, private lessons, tricks, fetch |
*Grapes and onions are toxic to dogs
© Copyright 2007 Sandi Hansen Sandi’s K9 Management “Building Relationships One Dog at a Time”
sandi@k9management.com www.k9management.com All rights reserved.
Sandi Hansen and Heidi were on the movie set for 11 days.
| 2/23/2007 8:39:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
Move over Lassie: Local dog makes good
Melissa Rice
Assistant Editor
When it comes to the “Silver Screen,” a few Washington County residents can claim their 15 seconds of fame. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of their faces in movies like “Full Ride,” filmed in part at Dana College and Fort Calhoun.But the first known starring role by a resident will go to a four-legged actor, not a human.
On March 4, the Omaha Film Festival will screen, “Out of Omaha,” produced by NoHo Films International. The dramatic comedy, headed up by well-known Hollywood actors Dave Foley, Lea Thompson, Patricia Richardson, Vickie Lewis and Ethan Phillips, will also feature “Heidi,” a collie mix owned by Sandi and Terry Hansen of Blair.
Heidi portrays “Bounder.” In some films, animals are merely “set decoration.” But Bounder plays a pivotal role in this film.
“I like road movies,” said producer Linda Payne. “And this one had well defined characters we can all relate to. Linda (Voorhees) is a good writer with a unique voice and I looked for an opportunity to work with her.”
Casting the film – both its human and canine actors – is always critical.
“It’s not enough having a name actor, but essential they are cast in roles they can illuminate,” said Payne. “As this is a character-driven story, casting was of prime importance.”
“I wanted the principals to be named actors who could carry the film,” said writer/director Linda Voorhees. “But we always had it as part of our agenda to cast the secondary characters in Omaha.”
Among those secondary characters was the dog.
“You’re casting the dog, but it’s the trainer you’re hiring,” said Voorhees.
In this case, the trainer was Sandi Hansen.
Sandi, who owns and operates “Sandi’s K-9 Management,” has been training dogs since she was a child.
“I had a Cockapoo when I was eight, and I was sure I was going to Hollywood with him,” Sandi laughs.
Sandi’s business today revolves around private dog training. Whether it’s working with an owner and their pet on resolving problem behaviors, or training a dog for obedience, agility, flyball or tracking, Sandi says each dog learns in a different way.
Heidi is among the best. But her acting career, which also includes TV commercial work, starring as “Sandy” in the Omaha Community Playhouse production of “Annie,” was almost never to be.
Sandi and Terry found the collie-mix in the Dodge County Animal Shelter in Fremont. Sandi spotted her potential almost immediately.
Heidi was the only dog in the shelter who wasn’t barking, recalled Sandi.
“She was working her charm to get out of there,” she laughs. As potential adopters walked down the row, Heidi, sitting with her back to the aisle, would look over her shoulder, keeping her eyes fixed on them.
Heidi wasn’t always the well-behaved lady she is today. Initially, she was “naughty.”
“She thought life existed on two legs,” said Sandy. “She was a year old and had had no training. We’re lucky we got her because I think she’d have been destined for a life in shelters,” Sandi said.
Today, Heidi has a repertoire of between 30 and 40 tricks. She got the opportunity to use many of her skills on the set of “Out of Omaha.”
Sandi said initially, the call went out for a smaller dog.
“Bounder went through several iterations,” explained Voorhees. “Originally, we had in mind a smaller dog because the actress (Lea Thompson) would have to pick it up and run with it. We didn’t want a Newfoundland or Neopolitan mastiff.”
The film has been described as a “social comedy” that “captures the humor in dysfunctional family relationships amidst an escalating series of unfortunate adventures.”
“It’s about a family who is trying to take an RV vacation, out of Omaha, and everytime they get in the RV and head to the city line, they have to pull over and stop,” explained Voorhees. “They are in Omaha, and just going in circles.” During one of those “unfortunate adventures,” Bounder gets loose and the family must stop again. What happens to Bounder becomes a “plot point with the family,” Voorhees said.
Sandi said the casting call was held in Omaha, where Voorhees and the cinematographer met her and Heidi.
“I could tell they really liked her,” Sandi said. Afterward, they told her they’d let her know. “Hollywood said they’d be in touch,” she laughs. That very night she got the call.
Filming took place over 17 days in and around Omaha during September of 2005. Heidi and Sandy were filming for 11 of those days, several of them crammed into an RV that serves as the set for much of the film.
“The reason we really loved Sandi and her dog was because (Heidi) really responded to her,” said Voorhees. “Sandi had such a rapport and relationship, far beyond that of being a trainer and owner. It is a true connection.”
Many of Heidi’s tricks (such as playing the piano, a’ la Stevie Wonder) were not used. However, Heidi did have to do the basics: sit, stay, down, and run. Sandi said “target work” sending the dog to a specific “target location” on a set – was also used.
In one scene, Sandi said Heidi had to be left on a street corner, then called to “come” from a distance. The cameramen had to film her on a parallel as she runs from the Upstream Brewery toward the center of the Old Market.
Heidi, Sandi said, responds to both verbal commands and hand signals. That’s a plus in filming because Sandi’s voice does not have to be edited out.
“I really felt that one of the great blessings of this shoot was that Sandi was a part of it,” said Voorhees. “She came to us as a dog trainer, but her sensibility as a trainer and her presence on the set just really added to the joy of the shoot. It really made every part of it easier.”
“She was very professional and very personable, and very warm and always made sure her dog was well cared for,” added Voorhees. “The dog is really something special, due to what (Sandi) brings out of her. I just can’t say enough good things about her.”
Sandi said the once-abandoned dog loves to work.
“You can tell she enjoys it,” said Sandi. “This is her thing.”
For now, your only opportunity to see “Out of Omaha” will be during the Omaha Film Festival. The film will be shown the final day of the festival, March 4, at the Westwood 8 Theaters. However, Payne said negotiations are underway for commercial distribution of the film. Tickets for the Omaha Film Festival are available at www.omahafilmfestival.org Voorhees, Heidi and Sandi will all be participating in a question and answer session for attendees after the screening.
Heidi and Sandi now have TV, theatre and film work under their belt. It’s anyone’s guess where their paths will take them next.
“We can claim we discovered her,” said Voorhees. “It was a real blessing to have her on the set and be a part of this.”
As the interview concludes, Heidi walks to Sandi, and stands, head pressed flat against Sandi’s abdomen, tail gently wagging. Heidi is happy.
“Lassie was a fictional character, but I live with the real Lassie,” Sandi said.
