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SMALL BUSINESS MONTH - SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019
By Jennifer McFee for the Free Press ANIMAL ACTORS TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT L ights! Camera! Action!
to teach the basic stuff. Then we can start teaching whatever the script requires,” Voth said. “We often have to train the animals to do things you normally wouldn’t want them to do at home, like jumping on counters, jumping on people, rummaging through garbage or digging in the yard. We do have to train a lot of bad habits in the animals and we often have to train them to interact with the actors. It’s all trained behaviour and it has to look real on camera.” Business has been booming for the small company, which has recently supplied animal actors for commercials, TV shows and films such as A Dog’s Journey and The Grudge. “You can read the script and have meetings with the director, but you never know what you’re going to get,” Voth said. “Sometimes you just have to think out of the box on how you’re going to get the shot done without stressing the animal.” Currently, Animal Actors Manitoba employs three main people who go to sets as well as five instructors, including Voth’s two sisters. “The work environment is always different, so the animal has to be comfortable with going to different places. We might need to hike into a set in a remote area or we might be circling downtown Winnipeg with a horse and carriage,” Voth said. “We work with every animal that’s on set. We just did a commercial with some ducks. I’ve also worked on set with Arctic fox, wolves, owls and other types of birds, but your typical animal is a cat or dog. My rabbit actually gets a lot of work too.” In addition to running Animal Actors Manitoba, Voth operates a company called Wild Dogs, which offers high-energy animal entertainment for fairs, rodeos and special events. Earlier this month, she also opened her own training centre called Dumbledogs in a 10,000-square-foot space at 974 Powell Ave. in St. James. At that facility, she’ll offer training classes as well as doggy daycare, grooming and more. “It’s definitely a challenging job, but the challenge is fun,” Voth said. “It’s always different and there’s never the same thing twice.” ❚
Local animal actors are flooding the film industry with a lion’s share of talent, proving that they truly are the cat’s meow. Animal Actors Manitoba serves as a talent agency for dogs, cats, bunnies — and just about any other type of animal that might be needed for a film project. Courtney Voth founded the company in 2016 after being mentored in the industry for several years. “We search out animals that productions are looking for. We make sure that they’re a good fit for the show and then we bring them to set,” said Voth, who has been an animal trainer for 20 years. “We found that there was a lack of animals trained specifically for film, so at the beginning we were bringing in a lot of dogs from other provinces. I wanted to start a class so people in Manitoba had an opportunity to have their pets on film sets rather than always bringing in animals from elsewhere.” “We often have to train the animals to do things you normally wouldn’t want them to do at home, like jumping on counters, jumping on people, Pets and their owners can sign up for basic acting skills classes. Over time, they can build on skills, eventually leading up to specialized tricks and script work. The company works with all different animals, but the classes are geared mainly for dogs. “Ideally, we like to use dogs that have been to our classes because then we know them and we’ll usually have a bit of a relationship with the owner. Also, the dog or cat will have some training so that when we get the script, we don’t have rummaging through garbage or digging in the yard. We do have to train a lot of bad habits in the animals and we often have to train them to interact with the actors. It’s all trained behaviour and it has to look real on camera.”
Animal Actors Manitoba serves as a talent agency for all types of animals. Photos courtesy of Animal Actors Manitoba
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