After receiving the script for Matariki we knew it was going to call for a very special dog to pull off the required action convincingly. The film called for the dog to not only have a very special bond with his master in the film, but to also suffer at the hands of a rouge car leaving the dog injured and dying. During the preproduction phase while auditioning dogs for the role, we came across Harley a young energetic Staffordshire Bull Terrier who had the “X” factor. Harley not only had the visual appeal required - tough but lovable - he also proved to be a natural at learning new behaviours. Harley went from a fun loving guy hanging out with his owner at work greeting customers daily, to a convincing animal actor within a matter of weeks. Harley’s trainer is so proud of the results they achieved on this project, that she considers his injured and dying scenes as some of the most convincing animal acting she has achieved to date.

Photo showing Actor Edwin Wright holding Harley. Photo taken by Matt Klitscher.

As part of Genesis Energy's latest ad campaign, Animals On Q trained a variety of Pukekos to perform tricks, such as turning on light switches, pulling electric cords, tipping paint cans over and painting zebra crossings for pukeko chicks to cross the road.