LASSIE

“No Animals Were Harmed”®

Set in a Yorkshire, England, mining town circa World War II, this Lassie update follows the struggles of the Carraclough family and their nine-year-old son, Joe (Jonathan Mason). Hard economic times force the family to sell their beloved collie to the Duke of Rudling (Peter O’Toole), who has promised to acquire the clever canine for his granddaughter. The mistreatment Lassie suffers in her new home spurs her to run away and embark on a journey from the remote Scottish Highlands back to the Carracloughs and her loyal master, Joe.

Although Lassie was filmed internationally and outside of American Humane’s Screen Actors Guild contract and domestic jurisdiction, the production company made arrangements for our Certified Animal Safety Representatives to supervise the animal action in the United Kingdom. We applaud productions that commit to the humane treatment of the animals in their films even beyond our borders, and encourage other producers filming internationally to make the same commitment.

Featured Animal Scenes

The role of Lassie was played by two nearly identical collies, Mason and Dakota, who were alternated during filming according to each dog’s skills. All of the actors and crew members were introduced to the dogs and received extensive handling instructions before working with them on the set. At various times  throughout the film, Lassie appears quite dirty as she roams the countryside in search of her family. To achieve this look, trainers applied a combination of fuller’s earth, egg whites and grease to the dog’s fur. The Safety Representative on set checked the grounds at every location for hazards and debris before filming began. Whenever possible, trainers hid on the set to cue the dog as well as provide treats for her action.

Fox and Hounds

The film opens with a classic English fox hunt involving hounds and horses. Only experienced horses and riders were used, and most of the fox work was filmed in separate segments that were blended with the other animal action in post-production. After a trainer at the starting mark released the fox, a second handler coaxed the animal to a crate with a treat inside at the end mark. The fox wore a nylon harness with a long line attached to prevent it from straying out of the area, and it was allowed to perform each run at its own pace.

Much of the hound work in this sequence was filmed on a circular track. A bag filled with anise, which has a scent that attracts dogs, was dragged along a path in order to entice the hounds to travel in a certain direction. Production built a special mine set for the film, and trainers squirted the floors with a scent that would encourage the hounds to enter the area and run into large pens with food and water inside.

Exploits and Escapes

In an escape attempt, Lassie shimmies through a space under the kennel fence. The dirt under the kennel had been dug out before filming and the hole refilled with sand to make it easy for the dog to plow through on cue. Later, Lassie climbs over the kennel to run away. To help Lassie climb out of the kennel, the crew set up and secured a two-foot-high carpeted platform inside the kennel and another three-foot-high version on the outside. The front chain-link panel of the kennel was replaced with a shorter piece to make it easier for the dog to go over.

During one amazing shot, Lassie jumps out of a parked car and literally runs on top of a flock of sheep huddled behind the vehicle. A flock of 52 sheep, accompanied by their owner and his sheepdog, surrounded the car while other trainers and the Safety Rep observed. Production set up a special pen, with edges covered in sheep pelts, behind the car. This pen held six sheep side by side and close together. A trainer draped in a sheepskin crouched on all fours between the pen and the car to provide stability for the collie as she exited the vehicle. The dog jumped first on the disguised trainer and then walked over the sheep before jumping to the ground. The sheep were very well prepared for this action, and according to the Safety Rep, seemed completely unfazed by the activity.

In one scene, men from the dog pound try to catch Lassie with a control stick and net. Trainers stood in for the actors to make the dog more comfortable with the action, and the collie had been encouraged to play with the net and control stick during previous rehearsal sessions. Even though it looks like Lassie struggles and bites, the dog was actually having a grand time playing as the cameras rolled.

The shot of Lassie lying prone in the road as a truck drives over her was filmed against a green screen. Mixed in with this footage were shots of Lassie in front of and under a parked truck as she followed the trainer’s verbal and visual cues. The rock thrown at Lassie by the driver was fake.

Also filmed against a green screen was much of Lassie’s courtroom escape sequence, in which the courageous collie jumps out an open window onto a ledge, and then leaps on top of a passing truck and rides away to freedom. Trainers placed the dog in a safety harness and guided her movements from a padded platform onto the back of the stationary truck. Once the harness was secured to the side of the vehicle, and two trainers hidden under a canvas tarp had a firm, supportive grip on the dog, the truck drove off.

Rowlie and His Dog, Toots

In one sequence, Lassie follows a horse-drawn wagon that carries a small dog riding on a pillow next to Rowlie (Peter Dinklage), the driver. A wrangler hitched a Clydesdale horse to the wagon and controlled the reins from behind the actor. Two additional trainers hid in the back of the covered wagon, coaxing Lassie to walk forward by using verbal cues and hand signals. The terrier playing Toots was very well-rehearsed and rode comfortably on the pillow, which was secured to the wagon seat.

Soon after, Toots attacks a villain by grabbing onto his pant leg. The dog appears to be hit below frame and next appears lying on the ground. During rehearsals, trainers encouraged the pant-grabbing trick by making a game of it. The terrier loved the action so much, it actually tore up the pants badly enough that they needed repair! A simple command from the trainer cued the dog to effect a prone position after the implied off-screen blow. Meanwhile, another trainer cued Lassie’s simulated attack against the coat and catch pole of the other villain.

When it appears that a man hits Lassie with his belt, in reality, the actor took off his belt and held it up in the air, then hit the ground with the belt.

American Humane’s On-Set Oversight

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