WITH this weekend’s release of “Hotel for Dogs,” a new dog star is born: Friday, the whip-smart little white terrier and beloved pet of plucky orphan kids Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin).
The pooch pin-up’s real name is Cosmo, and he’s top dog in the stable of talented performing pets at Hollywood pet agency Birds and Animals Unlimited, the power behind some of Fido filmdom’s living legends.
While Cosmo was groomed for the lead role in “Hotel for Dogs,” his handsome mug was kept under wraps so he wouldn’t risk overexposure before his screen debut. “We were careful not to show his picture for any other jobs – we wanted him to be fresh for this film,” says his trainer, Mark Forbes.
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Like all important movie stars, Cosmo has a body double, an almost equally adorable white terrier named J.R. Although not related, the lookalike dogs are both 3 1/2 years old, and both were rescues; J.R. was “discovered” at an animal shelter in the Bay Area, and Cosmo was given up by a family that couldn’t handle his high-energy habits.
“For us, that [energy] is a great thing,” says Forbes. “We can channel [it] and drive in his training. This type of terrier, the Parson Russell, needs a job to do. He’s not the type of dog that can just sit at home.”
In terms of pound-for-pound hound charisma, Cosmo has stiff competition from his canine co-stars in “Hotel for Dogs,” notably a sweet, three-legged, amputee pit bull named Lucy who has a cameo as herself.
So, what does the K9 cast have to look forward to after all the red carpets are rolled up? A grand retirement on the Birds and Animals ranch, about half an hour outside LA, where they’ll hang with 15-year-old Freckles (Pongo from “101 Dalmatians”), 9-year-old Coal
(a k a “The Shaggy Dog”) and 12-year-old Laiko (the star of “Because of Winn-Dixie”).
And like all actors, they’ll await a sequel to their greatest hits.
js@pet-reporter.com