Dita the collie-cross plays Bounder, the family pet at the centre of a bitter divorce wrangle. Her star potential was spotted the moment she arrived as a young puppy at a kennel for homeless dogs. Sue Darley, her handler on the set of Who Gets The Dog? describes Dita’s journey from abandonment to stardom.
“Dita came into the rescue kennel as a very lively character. Although not an aggressive dog, she was naughty and needed a lot of training. The kennel contacted Gill Raddings (founder of Action Stunt Dogs) saying, ‘This little one will be ideal for you.’ Gill went to see her and the rest is history.
“What makes any dog a good stunt dog is firstly being non-aggressive to other dogs, non-aggressive to people, very friendly and not noise-sensitive. They have also got to enjoy working and be greedy. They have got to love their food because that is the way to get them to do things. Dita has all of those qualities.
“Dita is an eight-year-old bearded collie cross. Being the sort of dog she is, she always tends to play the part of a scruffy little family pet. She is very good for that.
“Her main motivation is food and her tummy. When you do 15 takes of something the only way we can go in and ‘pay’ them is to give them a quick sausage or something similar and tell her she’s a good girl and then get back out ready for the next take.
“Dita has been doing this for at least six and a half years. She started when she was still pretty much a puppy. She is very well trained and so used to being on set that a camera can be put right up to her nose and she won’t bat an eyelid. She won’t even back off.
“She has got quite a CV. Recently she has done Children of Men. She was also in 102 Dalmatians playing one of the scruffy mutts found in the dog home. She was the K9 star of a feature film called The Magic Railway that was filmed in Wales.
“She also went to America a few years ago with the Royal Shakespeare Company but I must admit we decided live theatre wasn’t Dita’s forte as she got very noisy during that. She went on stage three times and every time she started barking.”
Dita was introduced to Kevin, Alison and the other actors off screen before filming her scenes.
“Dita is very laid back about it all and she behaved herself very well on Who Gets The Dog? I think you can best describe her as having a very lively, cheerful disposition. On set people would always come over and say hello to her, they can’t resist.
“She has a foster family that she will go back to in between whatever she is doing. She is just a little pet for them. We are the people who just come and collect her for work.”
Dita’s other credits include Enigma, Fugitives, My Family, Children Of Men, The Magic Railway and 102 Dalmatians. Her preferred doggy treats on set include a combination of Arden Grange and hot dogs or sausages.
