Firehouse Dog movie

[MyBestFriendIsADog]

Some of you may have seen the ads (or even seen the movie) for "Firehouse Dog". The movie features a rather uncommon breed, the Irish Terrier. I've owned an IT for 2 years now, and I'm already getting e-mails from people asking me where to get one based solely on the movie Our breeder was actually contacted a few years ago and asked to provide the dogs for the movie. He declined, because as he says that kind of intense popularity often doesn't serve the breed well, as you get people breeding specifically to profit from the popularity, and because you get people wanting to own them based only on the movie and not based on the actual "fit" of the dog into their lifestyle.

I'm trying to politely respond to these e-mails, LOL, but honestly don't you think people would know that just because a dog looks cute or has been in a movie that doesn't mean it's the dog for them? Sigh. ITs are a whole heckuva a lot of dog, despite their size. They would not be good dogs for many people because they require a lot of attention and training, as otherwise they would be quite happy to run the show. I really do hope this movie isn't that successful, LOL, and doesn't make the breed overly popular. As much as it thrills me to see "my dog" up on the big screen I fear it won't be good for the breed in general, you know?

Thanks for reading!

 

[MyBestFriendIsADog]

Argh....sorry, this was supposed to be in General Dog Chat!

 

[dogsarebetter]

i loved the irish terrier before seeing the movie
i can understand how you feel. this has happend with Lassie, 101 dalmations, betoven, etc.

 

[very_vizsla]

thousands of dalmations ended up in shelters after the remake of 101 dalmations. peoples kids loved the movie & wanted a dog 'just like in the movie' i really curse these breed specific movies!

 

[Brattina88]

Dals, Cockers, Chihuahuas, Goldens and many many more breeds have all suffered the wrath of movie poplarity...
I know exactly how you feel! While I haven't seen that movie (yet, I'm actually supposed to go and see it today) I can already feel it coming. A co-worker asked me if a Norfolk Terrier is a miniature IT because she wants one, only smaller

Respond with patience, but don't be afraid to be brutally honest. You can refer some to Chazhound, if appropriate, we're pretty convincing sometimes lol!

 

[otch1]

Just had this conversation with an IT owner whose dog's here with me now. Do not have the same concerns for them, their subsequent popularity, as I did the Dalmation. As you stated, ITs' are a lot of dog. I'm in Washington and unless you know the breeders (only a few here) you're not likely to get a puppy. They are also expensive, compared to some of the other breeds that exploded in popularity after their movie debut. I'm hoping that those factors alone, will make it more difficult to acquire one. My client, also a friend, was ready to choke me after a month of owning his IT puppy! I'd spent a year telling him that an IT was a great breed for him, refered him to a breeder, evaluated the pup and had him hooked. Now after getting thru the first 6 months, obedience training, showing in conformation and starting agility last week, he and his IT have bonded and he wouldn't have chosen another breed. It took some work though! Lol.

 

[MyBestFriendIsADog]

Thanks for your replies! I know that it's unlikely the breed will see the same explosion in popularity since breeders for the IT are few...but you never know. It seems if there is a profit to be made from a breed then there is someone out there unscrupulous enough to make it, ya know? And once someone starts breeding them in larger numbers the price may drop making the breed more accessible...and well, we all know many breeds have been down that road before, and not to their benefit.

We love our IT, LOL, but she is no doubt a challenging dog to own. We spend a lot of time with her and it shows, but boy, in the wrong hands could a dog like this ever become a disaster! For 25 pounds she packs a whole lot of personality and attitude, LOL!

I may well send potential IT owners to Chazhound, LOL - some of them need a dose of reality, I think, and need to learn how one finds a breed of dog that suits them. Thanks again!