“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," American Humane said Friday. The findings of the independent investigation confirm that no animals were harmed in those scenes and numerous preventative safety measures were in place. 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. In fact, the two scenes shown in the edited video were filmed at different times," the group said in reporting the findings. 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. Marketers would describe "A Dog's Purpose" as a film with "four-quadrant" appeal, meaning it's likely to draw... (Associated Press) 
 
 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Leaked video showing a frightened dog being forced into churning water during filming of "A Dog's Purpose" was misleadingly edited and the German shepherd was unharmed, according to third-party findings released by American Humane, the group responsible for overseeing animal safety on the movie set. A full spectrum of preparation and safety measures were in place, including the following: Prior to shooting the scene, safety meetings were held to go over and reinforce safety precautions and protocols. In addition to one of American Humane’s Certified Animal Safety Representatives, five experts—including safety specialists and animal handlers—were present to supervise and safeguard the dog throughout the water scene. During the last scene, handlers immediately assisted the dog out of the water, at which point he was placed in a warming tent and received an examination that found no 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. 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. "That being said, it is important to note that this was recognized and the scene did not proceed as insinuated by the misleadingly edited video," the group added. Although the dog was momentarily stressed, based on studying additional footage not included in the video, body posture, and the fact that he quickly and willingly went into the water and performed the scene soon afterwards, 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.” Eyewitnesses also report that following the water scene, the dog was wagging his tail and wanted to go back into the water. “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.’” 
 
 About the “No Animals Were Harmed®” program 
 
 The No Animals Were Harmed program is based on the comprehensive Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media, rigorous, species-specific protocols that are defined, reviewed, and regularly updated by a Scientific Advisory Committee of leading, independent animal scientists, animal behaviorists, veterinarians, and animal ethicists. Who may have leaked the video wasn't addressed in the report, and American Humane doesn't know who is responsible, he said.
– All that controversy over the treatment of a German shepherd in A Dog's Purpose? Bogus, says an independent investigation. There was no animal cruelty on the set, just a deliberately misleading video, declares American Humane, the group charged with ensuring animal safety on movie sets, per People. It commissioned the review, which concluded that not only was the dog treated well but that the video leaked to TMZ was "deliberately edited for the purpose of misleading the public and stoking outrage." A statement from the group says those who released the video manipulated footage shot at different times, then waited 15 months until the film was about to be released for maximum impact. (The strategy worked.) The group does say that "the handling of the dog in the first scene in the video should have been gentler and signs of stress recognized earlier." But it says the video was stitched together to make the situation seem far worse than it was. It notes that eyewitnesses said the dog was wagging its tail and wanted to go back in the water, and a veterinary expert concluded that the dog was only "momentarily stressed." The investigation backs up the assertion of the filmmakers, who earlier complained about a misleading video. Still, a PETA rep called the report's findings incomplete and insisted that questions remain, reports AP. "In the making of a film, no animal should be frightened at all," she says. "It's a film."