There used to be an adage in show business about never working with animals or children, but for Violetta Hessing, there’s nothing more fulfilling than finding a dog that wants to be on set and training it to deliver just as much emotion as its human scene partners.
Hessing owns and is the head trainer at V’s Talented Animal Performers, and her latest gig is as the animal wrangler on the CW drama “In the Dark,” in which the protagonist, played by Perry Mattfeld, is blind and depends on a guide dog. But rather than hire a real guide dog, the show tapped Hessing, who trained a retriever named Levi to act as one.
The decision to not use a certified guide dog was in part because it would mean taking one out of rotation for a person who actually needs it, says show consultant Lorri Bernson. Additionally,...
Hessing owns and is the head trainer at V’s Talented Animal Performers, and her latest gig is as the animal wrangler on the CW drama “In the Dark,” in which the protagonist, played by Perry Mattfeld, is blind and depends on a guide dog. But rather than hire a real guide dog, the show tapped Hessing, who trained a retriever named Levi to act as one.
The decision to not use a certified guide dog was in part because it would mean taking one out of rotation for a person who actually needs it, says show consultant Lorri Bernson. Additionally,...
- 4/11/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
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