Mike White Is Molly Shannon’s… Dog?

Year of the Dog Director and Star Reunite in PETA Video Telling Dog Owners No Yanking, Yakking, or Yelling: It’s His Walk!

For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

On the first day of spring, your dog has probably been cooped up a lot in one of the coldest winters on record, so when he or she wants you to play fetch or go on a long walk, how do you react? What if, instead of your dog, the request came from Year of the Dog and Enlightened writer and director Mike White? That’s exactly what happens to Saturday Night Live alumna Molly Shannon in “It’s His Walk,” the quirky new PETA video that stars White as Shannon’s dog—complete with a leash and collar.

The short video follows Shannon’s evolution from a distracted dog guardian who puts White in a crate and speeds him through his walk to an attentive best friend who praises him, encourages him to take his time sniffing flowers and rolling in the grass, and throws the old crate out with the recycling. PETA hopes the new video will encourage dog guardians to get out and enjoy the spring weather with their canine companions—and allow their dogs the chance to exercise their bodies and minds.

“Our dogs love us unconditionally, and we sometimes forget that the only time they get out to see and smell the world is when we take them out. But we often rush them, leaving them with little to look forward to other than yanks on the leash,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange, who makes a cameo in the video as a friend of Shannon’s who encounters the pair on their walk. “As Molly Shannon and Mike White hilariously demonstrate in PETA’s video, spending quality time with our dogs takes so little for us but means so much to them.”

Shannon and White previously collaborated on White’s film Year of the Dog and his HBO series, Enlightened, among other projects. Shannon’s many other acting credits include her well-known work on Saturday Night Live as well as the upcoming zombie comedy film Life After Beth. White’s on-camera credits include appearances in School of Rock, Zombieland, and the upcoming drama Ride.

Broadcast-quality footage is available for download here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.