Producers, stars, and the director of the film have all stated that the video is intentionally misleading and that the dog was never harmed or in serious danger.
A Dog’s Purpose first came under fire when a set video was leaked showing Hercules the German Shepard struggling to complete his scene.
Still, the press junket and Hollywood premiere of the movie was canceled in light of the controversy.
Hercules was noticeably stressed about jumping into artificial waters, and the video makes it look like he was thrown into the water where he was quickly submerged.