About us
Here at Dog – Extras’ we provide a service for both production companies and owners of dogs who wish to experience something different with their perfect pouch.
The dogs we use are not all champion Crufts winners, many productions are just looking for your “Heinz 57” family pet, so don’t worry if your dog’s lineage can’t be traced by the Kennel Club – they can still become a star!!!
We at Dog- Extra’s love dogs and we wish to promote them positively in many different media formats. The welfare and care of the dogs we promote is always our top priority.
Many companies over the years have recognised the selling power of dogs for their products or services. They have been more than lucky for insurance companies, painted the right image for DIY and even made certain brands of toilet roles a household name!
There have been numerous films where the dog has been the lead, but even more where they have played a supporting role or added to the story line.
We at Dog-Extras can not guarantee your dog will become a star, we unfortunately can’t even guarantee we will get them work, but we will guarantee that we will work hard to try and make it happen.
We advertise in “Contacts” the industries essential handbook for everyone working in the entertainment industry. Throughout the year we “direct market” production companies who we feel could benefit from our special breed of extras and ensure we keep ourselves updated for any new productions in the pipeline. We will regularly update our members on up and coming events to look out for.
Service to Production Companies
Our service to you is to save you the very precious commodity of time, and also to provide you with clients who are responsible and enter the contract with integrity.
We can advise you on the right dog to enhance your production.
At dog-extras we will help you to choose the correct breed of dog to match the era your production is set in, whether it is a TV period drama, film or commercial. If you are embarking on a biography, for example, it is important to know the correct dog your subject owned, such as Agatha Christie owned a Manchester Terrier called Treacle and Marilyn Monroe had a Collie called Muggsie. German Shepherds / Alsatians have been used in productions related to Hitler, when in fact he owned a Scottish Terrier.
We can provide a family pet to enhance your set or a champion to portray the social standing of a character. Different types of dogs evoke different associations in all of us. They can be used to illustrate the softer side of human nature, in play, relationships and as a confidant always willing to listen intently to the characters inner most thoughts. A dog can illustrate a mood, feeling, circumstance more efficiently than hundreds of words or elaborate settings.
If we do not have a dog which will suit your needs we will tell you, we will never try and supply a “square peg for a round hole”
Our reputation is vital to us, it’s the most effective way to grow the business and we accept that there may be a rare occasion when we may not be able to help you, however if you tell us what your requirements are, we can advise and will do everything in our power to provide it.
Our members come from all walks of life, across the UK and we actively market on the internet and in specialist publications such as Dog World, we believe if you are looking for a dog extra, you should come to us first!!
In many instances, for relatively easy extra work the owners of the dogs will be prepared to handle the dog on set. This can often be preferable since the animal will often be more relaxed around its owner and respond better to someone it knows well. Also from a welfare perspective it is important that the dog has a familiar face on set. If the work requires the dog to work directly with an actor, it is essential that an experienced dog handler is present to bridge the gap between your requirements and the dog’s welfare, we recommend the handler is a member of ACTA.
We have dogs at our agency which can perform “tricks” etc, but others, who do not, however can behave in the appropriate, natural way, you are looking for. Please ensure you fill in our on-line questionnaire with your requirements so we can ensure we meet your needs.
Although our agency recommends the use of “dummy” props to enable camera and lighting set ups, if it is essential to have a live “stand-in” dog, we can also provide this service for you.
At Dog-Extras our expectation of the production company is that our extra’s welfare and care is paramount, please look at our pre production page to ensure you have considered all the necessary criteria before embarking on using one of our dogs.
Our Services to our Members
Our aim is for you and your dog to have fun together, and earn a little spare cash! The safety and Welfare of our members dogs is paramount to us, and we will refuse work with any company who do not follow the highest levels of animal welfare, as you will see from our pre production page we request the companies we work with follow the “Five Provisions” developed by the Secretary of State, which include :
- Provision of Food and Water
- Provision of suitable environment
- Provision of animal Healthcare
- Provision of protection from fear and distress
- Provision of an opportunity to express most normal behaviours
As with any agency, we can’t guarantee the amount of work we will find for you and your dog, however we will do all in our power to find as much work for you as suits your individual requirements.
As already mentioned, all dogs are welcome to register, whether they are Champions or beloved pets with less esteemed pedigree. The production companies have many different requirements, so you should not worry about your dogs origins. Although there is work for dogs with skills, many companies only require dogs to do the things that come naturally to them, such as play, be affectionate or look great! We have an on- line questionnaire for our members to fill in which will help us ensure we match the perfect dog to the perfect job, the more details you fill in, the better the service we can provide to you will be. Please fill it in with honesty, there is no “right” or “wrong answers, filling in incorrect information may lead to wasting your time, and a considerable expense to the production Company.
