An independent investigation has concluded that no animals were harmed on the set of A Dog’s Purpose, according to American Humane, the group in charge of overseeing animal safety on the film’s set. 
 
 The investigation was launched after a controversial video surfaced apparently showing a German Shepherd being forced into turbulent water onset. 
 
 “An independent, third-party investigation conducted by a respected animal cruelty expert into the treatment of animals in the filming of A Dog’s Purpose concluded that an edited video given to the gossip site TMZ mischaracterized the events on the set,” American Humane says in a statement posted to their website on Friday. 
 
 “The decisions by the individual or individuals who captured and deliberately edited the footage, and then waited longer than 15 months to release the manipulated video only days before the movie’s premiere, raise serious questions about their motives and ethics,” the statement continues. 
 
 American Humane claims the investigation, along with eyewitness reports, concluded the video was edited “for the purpose of misleading the public and stoking outrage” and the footage was pieced together from two scenes filmed at different times. 
 
 Additionally, American Humane says the investigator notes that the dog was not forced to swim, and the scene was stopped after the dog showed signs of stress. A full range of standard safety measures were also in place, according to the report, including safety meetings, proper training techniques and onset handlers. The report also notes that the dog was chosen “for his love of the water” and was immediately placed in a warming tent after showing signs of stress. 
 
 RELATED: A Dog’s Purpose – Hercules Playing 
 
 After warming up in the tent, the investigator claims “eyewitnesses report that the dog wanted to go back in the water” — but the scene was ended anyway “out of an abundance of caution.” American Humane also states that a “veterinary checkup was performed last week” which confirmed the dog is healthy. The filmmakers behind the film also released photos and videos (see above) of the German Shepherd Hercules to prove he was not harmed. 
 
 However, the organization does admit in its report “that the handling of the dog in the first scene in the video should have been gentler and signs of stress recognized earlier.” But unlike what is shown in the video, American Humane claims the stress was recognized and the scene was stopped. “A separate, independent, board certified Veterinary Behaviorist brought in to examine the events concluded that there was ‘no lasting stress response or conditioned fear of the water as a result,’ ” notes the website. 
 
 “American Humane is at the forefront of combatting cruelty to animals through our rescue efforts, support of anti-cruelty raids, and work to improve conditions for animals around the world,” Dr. Kwane Stewart, the veterinarian who heads American Humane’s No Animals Were Harmed program says in the statement. 
 
 “It is disappointing that the public was misled by a manufactured controversy promoted by a radical organization like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals with a mission to remove animals from films and other parts of our lives. We are the first to address and fight cruelty and abuse, and no such things happened on the set of A Dog Purpose.” ||||| CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share The upcoming film “A Dog’s Purpose” looks like the perfect family film animal lovers would enjoy but PETA is calling for a boycott of the film after a disturbing video surfaces. Susana Victoria Perez (@susana_vp) has more. Buzz60 
 
 The poster for 'A Dog's Purpose.' (Photo: Universal) 
 
 Universal Pictures has canceled the A Dog's Purpose Hollywood premiere scheduled for Saturday after international furor from a viral video showed one of its canine stars in distress while making the movie. 
 
 Distributor Universal and production company Amblin Entertainment announced late Thursday that the premiere and a Monday press day around the film were scrapped. The joint statement said the premiere would not be appropriate while an investigation is conducted into the events around the 2015 set video which surfaced on TMZ.com Wednesday. 
 
 "Because Amblin’s review into the edited video released yesterday is still ongoing, distributor Universal Pictures has decided it is in the best interest of A Dog's Purpose to cancel this weekend’s premiere and press junket," a joint release stated. "Amblin and Universal do not want anything to overshadow this film that celebrates the relationship between animals and humans." 
 
 The planned release for the film remains January 27. 
 
 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has spearheaded a call for a A Dog's Purpose boycott following the video's release. The video shows a German Shepherd, Hercules, during filming of a rescue scene involving jumping into a pool with churning waters. Hercules is seen struggling to stay out of the water as a set trainer forces the dog into pool. 
 
 A Dog's Purpose voice star Josh Gad tweeted shock over the "disturbing" video and called for an "explanation." Director Lasse Hallstrom said he didn't witness the event and demanded an investigation. 
 
 Amblin representatives said in the statement that the investigation was ongoing. 
 
 "Amblin has engaged with many associated with the production of the film, including safety personnel, trainers and stunt coordinators as part of their in-depth review," the statement said. "While we are all disheartened by the appearance of an animal in distress, everyone has assured us that Hercules the German Shepherd was not harmed throughout the filmmaking. 
 
 "We continue to support this film, are incredibly proud of it and will release it for audiences nationwide next Friday," the release added. 
 
 Amblin also released a current video showing Hercules. 
 
 CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Hercules, the dog at the center of controversy following the release of an 2015 set video, is shown on January 19, 2017. Amblin Entertainment 
 
 Lisa Lange, senior vice president of PETA, celebrated the decision to scrap the Dog's Purpose premiere. The group had planned to protest at the premiere. 
 
 "This is not a movie to be celebrated. It was appropriate to cancel the premiere," Lange said in a statement. "Now it is up to filmmakers to do the right thing going forward and no longer use animals in movies...it has never been more clear that Hollywood is no place for animals." 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2jFGURo ||||| PETA has called for a boycott of the film after a video surfaced of a German shepherd forced to perform in artificial rapids. 
 
 Amid the controversy surrounding a troubling video which revealed a stressed German Shepherd was forced to perform in artificial rapids on the set of the upcoming A Dog’s Purpose, Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment have canceled the movie's premiere, which was to have taken place in Los Angeles this weekend. 
 
 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called for a boycott of the film and is pushing for further action, calling on the director of the Amblin production, Lasse Hallstrom, and producer Gavin Polone to pledge never to use animals in films again and to rescue the dogs from Birds & Animals Unlimited, the training and handling facility said to be the provider of the canines. (The Hollywood Reporter wrote about alleged federal Animal Welfare Act violations at the company’s Acton, Calif., headquarters on July 11.) 
 
 In cancelling the premiere, Universal and Amblin on Thursday issued a statement saying, "Because Amblin's review into the edited video released yesterday is still ongoing, distributor Universal Pictures has decided it is in the best interest of A Dog's Purpose to cancel this weekend's premiere and press junket. Amblin and Universal do not want anything to overshadow this film that celebrates the relationship between humans and animals. 
 
 "Since the emergence of the footage, Amblin has engaged with many associated with the production of the film, including safety personnel, trainers and stunt coordinators as part of their in-depth review. While we are all disheartened by the appearance of an animal in distress, everyone has assured us that Hercules the German Shepherd was not harmed throughout the filmmaking." 
 
 A Dog’s Purpose is scheduled for wide release on Jan. 27. 
 
 Hallstrom did not return a request for comment about PETA's most recent demand. Polone, however, was forceful in a conversation with THR (for which he regularly writes opinion columns about industry issues). A prominent Hollywood vegan and animal rights activist, he contends "PETA wants to fire up its base and it's not productive. It's also kind of crazy — I'm the person they should be strong-arming? This is a movie about promoting the idea of animals as sentient and deserving of empathy and rights." 
 
 Polone went on to note that he'd worked with PETA in the past, but disagreed with its contention that no animals should be used in production. The organization has argued that CGI should solely be employed, but others in the industry insist that such technology would be cost-prohibitive. "It's naïve and untenable and will never happen — we all know that," the producer says. "What's needed is a replacement for the [American Humane Association]," the non-profit monitoring group financed by producers that's tasked with on-set animal oversight. (It's known for its "No Animals Were Harmed" accreditation.) He continued, "There's a person there all the time and clearly they are ineffective. That's the issue and that's what needs to be corrected." 
 
 For its part, PETA has written to the AHA to ask for a complete copy of a report that the monitoring group claimed on Wednesday it had initiated as soon as it saw the footage, bringing in an independent investigator to spearhead. (It also placed the on-set AHA safety representative on administrative leave.) “We’re hearing that the monitor did not report [the incident] to her supervisors but the AHA gave the movie an acceptable rating anyway,” says Lange. “We don’t know if that is true, but we’re asking.” 
 
 When contacted by THR, the AHA declined to address PETA’s request. In 2013, THR exposed a history of complicity, internal cover-ups and failed investigative work at the monitoring group.
– The American Humane Association has launched an investigation and PETA is calling for a boycott over disturbing footage of a dog on the set of A Dog's Purpose. In a video released by TMZ, an apparently terrified German shepherd struggles as a handler forces it into churning water, the AP reports. The dog is then seen submerged as people rush toward him. The AHA, which monitors the treatment of animals on film sets, says it has suspended the representative who worked on the movie. The association is "disturbed and concerned by the footage," the group said in a statement to USA Today. "When the dog showed signs of resistance to jumping in the water, the scene should have been stopped." In a statement, actor Josh Gad, who provided the dog's voice, said the movie is "one of the most beautiful love letters to animals I have ever seen," but he found the video disturbing and he has asked the studio for an explanation. "I am shaken and sad to see any animal put in a situation against its will," he said. Director Lasse Hallstrom tweeted that he was also disturbed by the footage and has been told that wrongdoing will be punished. The movie is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures on Jan. 27. Entertainment Weekly reports that the studio released a statement Wednesday evening saying Hercules, the dog in the video, didn't want to perform the stunt that day, but "great care and concern" was shown for him. The studio says it's reviewing the footage.