Bradley Cooper Nabs New Award for Casting His Own Dog in ‘A Star is Born’

Actor Receives PETA’s First-Ever ‘Compassion in Film’ Award for Featuring His Pup, Charlie, in New Movie

For Immediate Release:
October 4, 2018

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

PETA is sending actor Bradley Cooper its inaugural Compassion in Film Award for casting his own companion pup, Charlie, in his new movie and directorial debut A Star Is Born, rather than using a dog supplied by one of Hollywood’s notorious animal exhibitors—such as Birds & Animals Unlimited, which was cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violations of the Animal Welfare Act last year.

“Bradley Cooper’s happy, adorable, and much-loved dog steals the spotlight—and viewers’ hearts—in this film because it’s clear that he loved being with his real-life ‘dad,’” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA has witnessed so much abuse and neglect of dogs, both on and off set, that we’re hoping Cooper’s kind decision sets a precedent for all of Hollywood to follow.”

A 2016 PETA investigation into Birds & Animals Unlimited documented chronic neglect and revealed that dogs were kept outside in barren kennels without bedding in temperatures that dropped as low as 43 degrees and that animals were sometimes denied food during training.

Disturbing cases of abuse have also taken place on film sets. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—condemned the treatment of the German shepherd in A Dog’s Purpose in 2017, after video footage surfaced showing the reluctant dog being forced into a pool of rushing water. The group also blasted the treatment of a young dog on the set of Crazy Alien earlier this year, after the German shepherd was reportedly locked in a cage, suspended in the air, spun around by a crane, and plunged into a frigid, fast-flowing river, as can be seen in whistleblower footage leaked to PETA.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.