Firehouse Dog movie storyline. The world’s most famous – and Hollywood’s most pampered – pooch is separated from his owner and ends up as the mascot of a hapless fire station. There, he helps a 12-year-old boy and his father, a veteran fire chief, turn the station into the city’s finest. Rex, Hollywood’s top-grossing canine, is known for his extreme athletic abilities and diva-like demeanor. His perks package, rivaling that of any A-list celebrity, includes Kobe beef, a poodle harem, and a diamond collar.
Rex’s luck – and Hollywood high life – runs out while shooting a commercial; an aerial stunt goes awry, leading Rex’s handlers to presume he’s dead. But Rex is merely lost – alone, filthy and unrecognizable in an unfamiliar city. Chased by animal control, he takes refuge in grubby abandoned lofts, a far cry from his former luxurious lifestyle.
Shane Fahey (Josh Hutcherson), a bright but rebellious 12-year-old, has exasperated his father Connor (Bruce Greenwood) for the umpteenth time. A single parent and captain of the rundown inner city fire station known as Dogpatch, Connor is charged with inspiring the sad-sack company: veteran and firehouse cook Joe Musto (Bill Nunn), the super-fit and strong-willed mother hen Pepita “Pep” Clemente (Mayte Garcia), the exhausted family-man Lionel Bradford (Scotch Ellis Loring), and the calendar-worthy rookie Terence Kahn (Teddy Sears).
The team is still coping with the recent loss of their former captain, Connor’s brother. Shane is also troubled by his uncle’s death, and he’s been acting out by ditching school. As Connor reprimands Shane for his unruly behavior, Dogpatch gets a call to put out a blaze tearing through the lofts where Rex has been hiding Trapped on the loft’s burning roof, Rex makes a death-defying leap and is rescued by Connor. Once they are safe on the ground, Shane is tasked with finding the mutt’s owner.as her closest friends and embarks upon a retributive justice of her own, to right the wrongs of this unforgiving period of history.
The pompous, fastidious Rex and the troubled, messy Shane immediately clash. Unaware of Rex’s true identity, Shane becomes his reluctant new master. But his attitude changes when he discovers Rex’s spectacular skills, which the firefighters put to use during rescue calls.
Inspired by the dog’s talent and courage, Dogpatch makes Rex its mascot. It’s just the boost the company needs – and what Shane and Connor need to help bring them together. But Rex’s fame has drawn the attention of his Hollywood handlers who want him back – while father and son face a deadly challenge from an unexpected source.
FIREHOUSE DOG originated with an idea – a “dog movie” mandate – from screenwriter Claire-Dee Lim, who approached two former UCLA classmates, the writing-producing team of Mike Werb and Michael Colleary about turning the idea into a film. For Werb and Colleary, In addition to providing the chance to make a fun, family picture, Lim’s idea allowed the two filmmakers to explore the reality versus the fantasy of dogs that perform in films. “Having worked with dogs on a previous project, we were struck by the irony of their portrayals in many Hollywood pictures,” says Werb. “Dogs that perform in filmed entertainment are nothing like their on-screen characters so beloved by audiences.” Adds Colleary: “With so many rules surrounding these actor-dogs, they seemed more like workers than the dogs we grew up with. Actor-dogs can’t be touched or even looked at by anyone other than their trainers.”
Werb approached his friend and colleague Todd Holland about directing what became FIREHOUSE DOG. “In taking on FIREHOUSE DOG, I was motivated by a love of dogs and great respect for relationships with dogs,” Holland continues. “My own dog Rosebud taught me so much about life and love.”
Werb and Colleary made their title character, Rex, more than just a character that supports the human story – or who serves only to make trouble and act cute. “We wanted to make a movie where the dog had as strong a personality as any human in the film,” says Werb. “This was a challenge, given that Rex cannot speak. But Rex is definitely a personality; he’s a fusion of every horrible superstar and their perk package with a little operatic diva thrown in for good measure.”
The filmmakers were also determined to incorporate an adult perspective. “I thought it would be fun for adults watching the film to be able to pull back the curtain on Hollywood’s canine stars,” Colleary states. “The film definitely has a satiric perspective about contemporary Hollywood and how people lose perspective when a star is involved.”
The search for the canine star to play Rex was challenging. Prospective candidates had to be agile, athletic and small enough to fit inside a drum, yet large enough to intimidate the story’s villain. It couldn’t be a celebrity dog (such as Benji or Lassie), and it had to walk a fine line between realism and a bigger-than-life quality. “It’s quite simple: We have to believe that Rex is the smartest, most athletic dog on the face of the earth, yet be recognizable as a real dog,” says Colleary.
As they began the canine casting process, the filmmakers consulted dog breeding guides, which helped them exclude breeds that wouldn’t work for the film. Then, Holland explains, the production team “interviewed” dogs and dog trainers, ultimately bringing aboard a quartet of Irish terriers to portray Rex. under the watchful eye of trainer Ursula Brauner (from Boone’s Animals for Hollywood, which provides animals and trainers for movies). “Casting Rex was a unique experience even though I’ve done a lot of work with dogs,” says Brauner. “FIREHOUSE DOG uses every single trick you can imagine to get Rex’s `performance.’ We had four trainers on location and four dogs – named Stryder, Frodo, Arwen and Rohan – who played Rex, or served as stunt doubles and stand-in dogs.
“We got these dogs specifically for this movie,” Brauner continues. “This is their first `acting’ experience so we had to teach them everything from scratch.” Because Rex doesn’t speak, he has to convey emotions through physical expression and behavior – and with a little help from computer generated imagery.
The stunning red headed Irish terriers who play Rex won the hearts of cast and crew of FIREHOUSE DOG. Many bonded with the animals, even though Irish terriers are a spirited breed. “Working with dogs on movies like this requires creating a bond and a trust with the dogs and getting them used to the absolute madness of filmmaking,” explains Brauner. “It’s work for the dogs because they are exposed to so many different environments on the set, such as fire, ringing bells, and lights and cameras. As we build trust with the dogs, they come to understand that if they stay connected to us, they will be able to ignore everything else.”
Casting the young man to play Shane was much easier than finding the canine lead. Regency Enterprises had just finished shooting “Little Manhattan” starring Josh Hutcherson, and executives at the studio suggested the filmmakers have a look at his performance. Five minutes into the screening, Claire-Dee Lim exclaimed, “Look, it’s Shane!”
Todd Holland spent the day with Josh and his mother Michelle on the Vancouver set of “R.V.,” where Josh was working alongside Robin Williams. “I felt confident that Josh was Shane after our meeting, and during shooting, he surpassed my already high expectations,” says Holland. “I’ve worked with a lot of famous kids, and Josh is at the top of the heap. He’s smart, hard working and brings a great energy to the set.”
The fact that Josh loves dogs and has one of his own was invaluable to his working opposite the “Rexes.” “Josh had a big job in terms of working with the animals,” says Brauner. “He had to get acclimated to four different dogs and that takes a lot of patience and confidence even for an adult.”
“Working with the dogs was fun but also a big challenge,” adds Josh Hutcherson. “In one scene where I’m crying, and the dog has to come in and hit his mark and the trainer is saying, `Sit, sit, sit’, and I have to weave my lines between the trainer working with the dog, it’s tough. It is hard for me to get in touch with my emotions when there is such a lot going on around me. But the dog trainers and the dogs in this movie are amazing and so well trained.”
Veteran actor Bruce Greenwood portrays Shane’s father, Connor. “I can’t imagine anyone else in that role,” says Holland. “Bruce and Josh look alike and developed an immediate father-son chemistry that is palpable on screen.” “I liked the story right away,” says Greenwood. “It is a really sweet tale about a bunch of misfits who get it together to overcome odds that seem insurmountable at the beginning, and they are helped by the inspirational friendship of this young man and his dog.”
Like Hutcherson, Greenwood summoned extra patience to work with the dogs. “I accepted early on that the process was not about me and that I was just a cog in the engine of a much bigger machine,” he smiles.
Holland says the rest of the ensemble came together in a “lovely balance” – with Mayte Garcia as the firehouse’s mother hen, Bill Nunn as the oldtimer, Scotch Ellis Loring as the committed family man, and Teddy Sears as the eager-to-please newcomer. Dash Mihok and Bree Turner, who portray Rex’s master and producer, respectively, were a selfless duo in their elaborate scenes with the dogs, which required of them, says Holland, “the patience of saints.” In addition, the director was “selfishly quite pleased with the timing of the demise of Steven Culp’s character on `Desperate Housewives’ because it freed up his schedule and gave us the perfect Zach,” a local politician who is Connor’s close friend and a former Dogpatch firefighter.
After 16 weeks of dog training and pre-production, FIREHOUSE DOG began principal photography in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Holland embraced the chance to reunite with such previous collaborators as production designer Tamara Deverell, cinematographer Victor Hammer, co-producer Michael J. Maschio, and costume designer Judith Gellman. Together, they faced the daunting tasks presented by three simple words: Dog. Boy. Fire.
A child actor has a shorter work day than adults, the dogs required a lot of rehearsal time with the trainer, and the scenes requiring pyrotechnics required much planning and preparation to ensure accuracy and safety.
“No one could have predicted everything we’d have to deal with on this picture because there were so many variables,” explains Todd Holland. “This is the `little dog movie’ where the only thing small is the dog!”
Seeing first-hand how much skill and effort (and a few secret tricks) goes in to training animals was a fascinating experience for Holland. “I’m used to pushing and getting a lot in the time I have, but dogs just can’t be pushed, and no one worked harder on this movie than the dog trainers,” says the director. “Ursula and her team cared so much and I have infinite respect for what they do.” Holland soon came to terms with the situation, surrendering, as he says, to the “almighty dog.”
Firehouse Dog (2007)
Directed by: Todd Holland
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Bree Turner, Bruce Greenwood, Dash Mihok, Steven Culp, Scotch Ellis Loring, Mayte Garcia, Hannah Lochner, Claudette Mink
Screenplay by: Claire-Dee Lim, Mike Werb, Michael Colleary
Production Design by: Tamara Deverell
Cinematography by: Victor Hammer
Film Editing by: Scott J. Wallace
Costume Design by: Judith R. Gellman
Art Direction by: Aleksandra Marinkovich
Music by: Jeff Cardoni
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action peril, some mild crude humor and language.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: April 4, 2007
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