2006 further update and what happened to 2005!

I must have had a senior moment because I have only just realised that I missed out the year 2005 altogether!
2005 was not as busy as 2006 as we had five assignments during that year, Twiggy had two.
One of the main ones was a commercial for Wagg Dog Food filmed down in Bournemouth with several different dogs, the theme always being wagging tails! Oz and Twiggy were both used although in the final cut Twiggy missed out as did a few other dogs. You can see Oz's tail by itself and then the whole of him jumping off a vet's examination table!
Twiggy was unlucky because her other commercial for the PDSA although we filmed a sequence were she was completely wrapped up in bandages was also not used! That's Showbusiness!!!!!!
During the whole of 2006 Oz had 11 jobs and Twiggy 2.
One of the most satisfying jobs was being used again for the Dogs Trust commercial. Once before Oz had played the hero dog and he was again picked for the lead. Twiggy also got in on the act and this time was used. You can also see me dressed up as a employee of Dogs Trust working with him.
All the dogs used had to come to a mark on the floor and this is a necessary trick for film dogs to learn although difficult.
It makes positioning for camera much easier. It is always nice to know that in the process we are helping lots of dogs in need of care and to raise money for the charity.

I have also been lucky enough to have worked on a certain BBC soap since 2004 with a much larger dog that I have been used to! Doing some initial training in the first place and then standing in for the main
Agent/Handler when they are unable to make the shoot through other commitments.
It is always challenging and a lot of fun too!

Oz is beginning to show his age now, although so very fit and willing to work. His experience is remarkable and the jobs he has completed successfully are too many to list. We have only had a couple of jobs this year so far, and one audition turned him down as being too old! Little Twiggy will hopefully do jobs from time to time but I have been priviledged to own Oz. His love of life and work is one in a million and he has a brain capable of taking him to University if dogs were allowed!!!!!!!! I think one day I may well write a book about him and his terrific career in the acting profession.

Having said that God willing he is booked to appear live at the Royal Opera House in October and November. Nothing too difficult but I hope he realises he cannot 'sing' along with the chorus!

Will write down our exploits at the end of the year.

OZZIE K9 ACTORS DIARY UPDATE

January 2006 to May 2006-06-11

In spite of Ozzie now being a 'mature' actor he has been lucky enough to have been quite busy on the acting front since the start of the year.
In January we travelled down to Basingstoke to do a photo shoot for a foreign company advertising one of their products. Oz is a good little agility dog so when he had to jump over pole he did it with ease!
At the end of January he did a film shoot for Nickleodeon channel where he was owned by a little boy who had magic glasses and when he looked through them they changed what he saw. When looking at Oz he saw a monster! Good fun.
A few days later Oz went on a photo shoot for Pedigree Chum when he had to jump up at a poster for a new brand of dog food. The finished product you can see on this site.

In March Oz auditioned for a role in a commercial advertising Frolic Dog Food. He had to dig outside a house finally coming up and bursting through the tiles in the kitchen. The other dog then pushed his bowl of frolic towards him and they both ate it up! This was a difficult stunt and took a week of training with a special set to get him to push up through polystyrene looking quite concrete and special tiles to look like the originals in the kitchen set. Being used to pushing through the collapsible tunnel in agility blind helped him I think. It was set up on a table so I could be underneath encouraging him. Then he had to put his paws on the side, bark and then jump out of the hole! On the day he also had a pile of compost on his back so that when he came through the hold it looked authentic. He was excellent and the crew clapped him for his efforts. Unfortunately this commercial will be shown all over Europe but not in the United Kingdom so British viewers will not see it which is a shame. It looks very funny and cute!
In April Oz then did a photo shoot for a promotional advert and all he had to do was pull on a lead and bark. Not too hard then!
In May Oz was booked to do a film shoot for X-Box and which was to appear on the internet website. It is promoting the World Cup and he runs on and off messing with the icons on the screen. Take a look and see him on www.Xbox.com/football.

Finally the funniest shoot of all! We went up to Trafalgar Square in London to film a commercial. There were 400 extras, Judi Dench was dressed up as a lobster and Ewan McGregor was dressed as a tomato. They were playing out of work actors who would do anything for a job. The commercial was directed by Kevin Spacey. It is for Channel Four advertising Film Four as being free from July this year. The idea was that Oz was to attack the tomato. Obviously they would not use Ewan McGregor but to get the action as funny as they could it was decided that as the sequence was in the far background I should dress up as the tomato. You can see me as the tomato in the picture! What a sight! Pity you cannot see my skinny legs in red tights and the foot long clown type shoes I had to wear. I had to run up and down like a lunatic with Oz jumping up at me and attacking! Wearing that suit was hard and being no youngster I had to sit down between takes as I was getting tired! However, it worked a treat and they were very pleased with the result. I now have the distinction of saying I was a stand-in for Ewan McGregor!

Update K9 Actors Diary 2004.

In September we went for a casting for a commercial for the Chelsea Building Society.

Ozzie was required to dig a hole and carry a telephone in his mouth.

Eventually we heard that Oz had been chosen for the part.

The storyboard was that Oz should dig a hole and then carry a phone and drop it down into that hole. Oz loves to dig holes!!!!!!

Fortunately he has a good hold and retrieve but I needed to practice him dropping exactly in the right spot. This is where being trained to a mark came in very handy.

On the day of the shoot he was required to dig lots of holes as they wanted the action from lots of different angles. His mark was painted brown so that it was hidden in the dirt but it gave him the exact place that he had to arrive at to drop the phone! Later in the day he did a further shot inside where he carried the phone past the actor playing his owner and then jumped over a rolled up carpet.

I have seen the finished result and Oz did his usual good job! Watch out for it!

K9 Actors Diary Update March 2004

Ozzie and crew have had a period of 'resting' as they say in the profession!
However, at the beginning of this year he landed a commercial which would be shown in the United States. This would be for the cotton industry.
He would need to do a lot of retrieving, open a drawer using his teeth, pull a washing basket over and sort and carry all sorts of clothing items.
The idea was that a little dog would go all over the house gathering cotton items of his choice to put them in a neat pile and then climb on top and go to sleep!
I was given training time for this as I had to get him opening a drawer so I purchased some wooden knobs and had him pull them. We also trained him to put his paw on the rim of a basket and knock it over. He already was a good retriever of articles.
He also had to put his paws up onto an open drawer to get out his chosen piece
.

As he was the only actor he had to perform for most of the day to get all the action as the director wanted. However all the training paid off and he did his usual good job! Fortunately I have been sent a copy of the finished commercial and it certainly comes over exactly as they wanted. It was certainly hard work but very rewarding in the end!

During the same month Ozzie did a photo shoot for a new veterinary product. All he was required to do was sit with his elderly master in a pub and look up at him. Not one to overtax him, although sometimes getting your dog to sit for long periods of time can be as difficult as other more complex action.

In May he did another photo shoot for Coca Cola although on this occasion he was used more as set dressing in an outdoor scene with lots of young folk playing frisbee!

Recently in June came a real fun day! On the 14th July on www.tango.tv they will be showing a short commercial of humerous ways to get fit for forthcoming tango competitions where you can win great prizes! The idea on this occasion was that a young man went down to his local park, stripped down to his underpants on which was sown back and front a large pig's ear! (dogs love 'em). He draped bacon into his socks and hung rows of sausages around his neck! The reason was to get all the local dogs in the park to chase him, thus getting himself fit! We took Oz, Twiggy, and my daughter's dog Flint. We also had my friend Mary Ann and her dogs. They all performed brilliantly and certainly chased him all over enjoying it immensely! We laughed so hard during the first take they had to do it again! I am sure you will all enjoy it if you see it too! A really lovely crew and good weather made this a most enjoyable experience for everyone including all the dogs!

OZZIE UPDATE July 2003 onwards

There are so many canine actors around these days and Oz has done a bit of 'resting' this year as they say in the film world. However, he has been concentrating on agility with his new handler Mike and has had a fairly good season.

In July he got the call to do some promo work for the Post Office. This was a photo shoot and a video storyboard. If the Post Office like them then they will be done for 'real' later on. It is to promote their holiday insurance.

September time saw Oz doing a commercial for Sony Play Station 2. It required him to be dressed as a cowboy. The costume was great but I think Oz was not of the same opinion! However, he did look brilliant. If you want to see the sort of thing then visit the site of www.spoiledrottendoggies.com. Then find the giddeup cowboy dog costume. Aarrhh!!!!!

Just recently though Oz and Twiggy were picked to do a commercial for the National Canine Defence League which has changed its name to the Dogs Trust. We were all proud to take part in this because they are both rescue dogs themselves. I feel it is one of the best things Oz has ever done. It is certainly hard hitting and there will not be a dry eye in the house! Little Twiggy did well too for her first assignment. The third dog used belongs to a friend of mine and is also a rescue. We all hope it may help others not so fortunate so watch out for it on Sky Television soon! I will not spoil it by telling you the plot but at a later date may be able to get some photos for the site.

Ozzie Update April, 2003.

As promised I am updating Oz in his role in the BBC series Paradise Height Reclaimed. This will the second episode to be shown in June this year.

He had quite a bit to do and took his usual part of a feisty Jack Russell who takes an instant dislike to Neil Morrissey, the star of the show.

Needless to say there was lots of running about and barking. Lots of trouser leg pulling and general mayhem together with other scenes. I shall not say too much as I do not want to spoil the plot but it should be a very funny episode to watch.

Everyone was very nice and made a fuss of Oz who thoroughly enjoyed all the naughty bits he had to play. The weather was extremely cold, so much so they even allowed him to wear his little Barbour Jacket in one scene!

We also did a little piece for Channel 4. All he had to do was to jump up a wall and bark at two men escaping over the garden fence. Easy Peasy!!!!

We also were required to be in a Direct Line Commercial and Oz had to sit in a bay window and stare out. In the finished commercial you just get a glimpse of him briefly but you can at least hear him barking!!!!!!

There are a couple of things in the pipeline but in show business you can never count on anything until you are actually on set.

Ozzie update JANUARY 2003

During the second half of 2002 we were lucky enough to do three photo shoots and a commerical

We also did a piece for the Richard and Judy show using Sam and Ozzie. They were trying out a japanese device which is attached to a dogs collar and which is said to translate a dogs's barks and whines into language you can understand through a handheld min computer. Unfortunately this device translates only in japanese at present and not english so an interpreter was employed to tell you what was said. I was also interviewed and asked for my opinion. We had a lot of fun with this one!!!!!

You may have seen Ozzie on your televisions over the Christmas period 2002 and into the New Year in a very short commercial for Courts Furnishers. He had to go round and round chasing his tail (his speciality) on a worn out carpet and then you see him sitting on a nice new one.

Back in October 2002 we also did a promotional shoot for Virgin Atlantic which was great fun. We also did a photoshoot in November for an exhibition coming to the NEC which was just a side on shot of his handsome neck and head.

We recently auditioned successfully for the BBC to work on a series called Paradise Heights which is being shot at the end of January, 2003 and I shall be telling you all about it after we finish filming. I am busy training Ozzie with a couple of tricks he has not done before and so far so good!

Ozzie has done a stills advertisement for British Gas which has been in lots of publications. He was required to be able to use a treadmill. As he had never done anything like it before I was given a couple of hours prior to the shoot to practice. Fortunately for me he took to it O.K. The idea of the advertisement is that the british gas home is so nice that the owner walks himself and his dog inside the house on a treadmill rather than go out! The actor was very nice and although he had to use the treadmill in carpet slippers both he and Ozzie did a good job as the picture will show!

Jan - March 2002. Ozzie has been quite busy in December. He did a couple of photoshoots, one for Pedigree and one for Tesco. In the Tesco shoot he is advertising their Pet Insurance. He had to sit in a shopping trolley, with his paw in a bandage. I have been told some folk have actually seen it in store!

Lastly he did a promotional video for Nickelodeon Television channel. It is for a programme called 'Jimmy Nutron' and should be out in March 2002. Ozzie has lots of interaction with a child actor and should be quite amusing!

Finally Ozzie appears in the latest Argos summer catalogue which was shot last year! Only a little photo, mind you but then a Ozzie says any publicity is good publicity!!!! But he would draw the line at taking his clothes off!!!!!!

BT. December 2001.

Ozzie has been very lucky the last few months and has had a lot of work come his way.

He is currently appearing in an advertisement for BT where he had to hang on to the trouser leg of a young man with his head stuck down the back of a settee! Ozzie had a great time but the young man ended up with quite a headache!

He also took part in a short film entitled the Tea Party where he belonged to an elderly couple and one of the things he had to do was to jump up on a worktop and eat a plate of sandwiches. Very hard indeed for a Jack Russell!!!!!

He will be appearing in Tesco stores in the New Year in their advertising campaign for Pet Insurance. He had to sit in a shopping trolley with his paw bandaged.

Finally he had a little part in a commercial for Take a Break Magazine. Blink and you might miss him so to speak! However, Ozzie feels that any exposure on the box is a good thing for a budding actor!!!!!

A MUSIC LESSON WITH NODDY HOLDER. September 2001.

Ozzie had the good fortune to make an In-House Information Video for Carlton Television with Mr. Noddy Holder of the pop group 'Slade'. Mr. Holder was lovely to work with and certainly got the best out of Ozzie as he was used to dogs! It was really hard work but the Director and Crew were all great professionals and we had lots of laughs along the way! The storyboard is not the one intended but a light hearted 'tongue in cheek' review as from Ozzie's viewpoint. Hope you find it entertaining!!!

THE PAROLE OFFICER. August 2001.

Ozzie was lucky enough to get a small part in the Steve Coogan film the Parole Officer currently showing in cinemas.

He had to drag a severed human head through a gap in a hedge and drop it at the feet of a young actress. When she bends down to pick it up Ozzie had to grab it again and then a tug of war ensued.

The actress then had to swing head and dog around and around finally throwing them both back over the hedge. Obviously a very life like 'dummy' dog was used for this last action.

The head was made of latex and was also very lifelike. It was also extremely heavy so it was no easy task for a small dog. I was given a lot of support and advice by the Head Animal Trainer on how to prepare Ozzie for this sequence and after a weeks intensive work Ozzie was able to carry it successfully.

WHAT'S UP DOG? June 2001

Carlton Television in Birmingham were so pleased with Ozzie's previous performance in their in-house video with Noddy Holder that they engaged him again to do a commercial for their new animal programme 'What's Up Dog' starring Katie Boyle for Central Television.

As you can see from the photos Ozzie had to look around a door to check that the room was empty then look at a magazine on the floor with an advertisement for the programme, go and turn the television on and settle down on the settee to watch!

The results speak for themselves! The Director was pleased with his efforts and the Crew were very kind and helpful. A very clever voice over was put on the finished result which made Ozzie look like he was talking about it!

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