Like most dog lovers, I was beyond thrilled when I saw the trailer for the movie “A Dog’s Purpose.”  This movie stars a dog that is reincarnated to lives as different dogs to complete his purpose as a dog. This movie looked not only adorable, but also moving as he supports his various owners and the people in his life.

After viewing this trailer I became overjoyed at the idea of seeing this movie. I had read the book a few years ago and thought that the movie would be just as good. That was until I learned of the animal abuse in the making of the movie.

Despite the claims that most movies make that “no animals were harmed in the making of  this movie,” “A Dog’s Purpose” goes directly against their claim. Videos were posted online along with articles from different news websites including “The Washington Post,” “New York Daily News” and “Daily Mail.” In this video, a dog is pushed into water and tries to escape. Handlers shove the dog back in and laugh at him as he struggles to swim in the water.

As a movie celebrating a dog’s life, I believe this is an absolutely ridiculous way to treat a dog. No animals should ever be harmed for the entertainment industry. There is no way to explain away this action of animal cruelty and it can not be deemed necessary for the making of a movie.

To avoid supporting animal abuse, do not go see this movie when it comes out this Friday. The money spent on your movie ticket goes to the paychecks of the people making the movie that abused this dog. If you see this movie, you are indirectly supporting the animal abuse that took place.

Instead of seeing “A Dog’s Purpose” and supporting animal abuse, you could read the book. It is highly enjoyable and offers the same heartwarming story that the movie does. No animal deserved to be harmed, so by reading this book you get the story you’ve been waiting for from the author who created the story. Rather than supporting animal abusers, you support the creator of the heartwarming story, so think about this before you decide to see the movie this Friday.