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Safety First

Now it's time for logistics. Just how safe will your pet be on set?

The American Humane Association's Film & Television Unit is designated by the Screen Actors Guild as the only animal welfare organization with onset jurisdiction. The Association has supervised the safety of pets on production sets since 1940. It usually has a Certified Animal Safety Representative on set to make sure all pets, including yours, are treated well.

Many times in movie credits you'll see a line that reads: "No Animals Were Harmed..." Technically this is called an End Credit Disclaimer. It means that in agreement with the Screen Actors Guild or upon request of the producer/director the American Humane Association has monitored the film and found it to be "Monitored Acceptable." It means an Animal Safety Representative was on-set whenever the animals were used.

If a film received this rating it means that throughout the pre-production stage, American Humane received a copy of the script and was able to review the daily schedules for the animal actors to determine if any scenes or situations put animals at risk.

There are other ratings a movie can get too, though you're not likely to see those as well advertised in credits. If a production films a segment considered risky without authority from the American Humane Association and it ends with an animal being hurt or injured, it's "Monitored Unacceptable."

If the American Humane's Film and TV Unit wasn't able to directly oversee the animal action because of limited resources or time conflicts but the production complied with all requirements that apply to a Monitored Acceptable film it is deemed "Not Monitored: Met Production Expectations." If the Association was not contacted regarding animal action in a film and wasn't given the right paperwork, the film will receive a "Not Monitored" review.

The Association's Web site is a great starting place to brush up on the rules and regulations that surround movie-making. It also gives you some insight into what a day is like on set for a pet. For a complete list of rules a film must follow to be "Monitored Acceptable" check out the site's 32-page safety booklet called: Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media.

Benji: Off the Leash! was "Monitored Acceptable" and received a "No Animals Were Harmed..." End Credit Disclaimer. In this movie there's a scene where Benji almost gets hit by an animal control van. The van; however, comes to screeching halt directly in front of Benji.

In real life, this situation would be extremely dangerous for anyone. Moviemakers and the Humane Association made sure the van was stationary the whole time. Crew members jumped off the back of the van to make it look as if the van had just stopped, and a trainer placed Benji on mark and cued him to bark and shake his head.

If you'd like to know how other scenes were filmed in Benji, or other movies, go to www.americanhumane.org and click on "Protecting Animals," then "Film Monitoring." At the bottom of the page you'll see a link that says "Search for Movie Reviews," there you can get tricks of the trade on different movies monitored by the American Humane Association.

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