ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
January 16, 2009
Who Let the Dogs In?
TFK Kid Reporter Claire Epting chats with the stars of Hotel for Dogs
 |  CHRIS EPTING Kid Reporter Claire Epting with Friday, the canine star of Hotel for Dogs. |
Think it would be fun to own a hotel built just for dogs? What kind of space and gadgets would be necessary? Find out in the new movie Hotel for Dogs, which hits theaters on January 16. The film is based on the popular book by Lois Duncan. It follows a puppy-loving 16-year-old named Andi and her younger brother Bruce. They are played by Nancy Drew star Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin of the Disney Channel’s The Wizards of Waverly Place. The siblings’ new foster parents have forbidden them to have a pet. That means they must use quick thinking to find a home for their dog, Friday. When Andi and Bruce find an abandoned hotel, they have an idea: turn it into a luxury hotel for dogs! Soon, every stray in the neighborhood is staying there. But can they keep suspicious neighbors from checking in?
The action doesn’t just come from the human actors though. Animal actors make an appearance too. Melinda Eichberg is the trainer for Georgia, a Boston terrier that stars in the movie. Eichberg says the hardest part about training dogs for a film is getting them to ignore all the other things around them, like the lights and people. And what’s the most fun part? According to Eichberg, it’s when the hounds finally realize what you have been teaching them and do what you need them to do. After meeting many of the canine stars of the movie, I can tell you that these animals know how to take direction!
What do Emma, Jake and Lisa Kudrow, who plays one of Andi and Bruce’s guardians, have to say about their canine costars? Read on to learn the answer.
TFK:Who was your favorite dog to work with on set?
JAKE:The one I spent the most time with was Cosmo, so I guess he’d probably be my favorite. He played Friday, the main dog in the movie. We really bonded. Whenever they needed him to lick me they’d smear baby food chicken on my face to attract him! That was interesting.
TFK:How many takes would you have to do to make sure the dogs got the scene right?
EMMA:It depends. Some days the dogs did everything right. Other days it could take up to 15 or 20 takes, so it could get crazy. The scenes were long, so if one little thing was wrong, we’d have to do the whole thing over.
TFK:What’s your favorite scene in the movie?
LISA:The kitchen scene where I eat the oatmeal. I had to lick the spoon after the dog licks it!
EMMA:I like the scenes with the car that’s in the shape of a dog.
TFK:What was the most fun part about filming?
EMMA:The cast was really fun, and the dogs were great to work with. That's the great part, enjoying who you’re with all those hours.
JAKE:Everything was great — working with the dogs, working with some of my idols, like Lisa Kudrow and Emma Roberts. We shot for four months, so we had a lot of crazy experiences. And working with this many dogs every day was pretty crazy.
TFK:Bruce is a mechanical genius in the movie. What was your favorite gadget that he invents?
EMMA:I liked the thing that fed all the dogs. I thought that was so cool.
JAKE:I liked the feeding machine best. In school, I do well in science, so I could relate to the character I played.
TFK:Have you ever picked up a stray dog?
LISA:Not really, because growing up, my family was always allergic to dogs.
EMMA:I never really see strays, but I have a friend who always seems to see them, and she picks them. So unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to rescue a stray . . . Yet.
TFK:What pets do you have at home?
EMMA:We have a longhaired Chihuahua. We surprised my little sister with it, and she thought it was a cat when we first showed it to her. I do have a cat named Stranger.
LISA:We have a toy poodle, all white and fluffy, and his name is Wooly. My son named him, but he doesn’t really like anyone so when people come to the house he just barks and nips.
JAKE:Bogie and Bijou, two miniature poodles.
TFK:Can they do any tricks?
JAKE:Bogie, who is 20 now, used to do a back flip when we’d come home from vacation.
TFK:If there really were a hotel for dogs, would you take your dog there?
EMMA:I would! I think it would be cool to drop your dog off and have it get pampered for a week.
TFK:If you were a dog, what breed would you be?
LISA:I’d be a cat.
EMMA:A cocker spaniel or a border collie. Shep, the border collie in the movie, was my favorite dog there.
JAKE:A golden retriever. Or a teacup poodle, because they can fit anywhere.
TFK:What do you hope kids will take away from this movie?
EMMA:I think Hotel for Dogs has lots of positive messages. Be comfortable with yourself, and also, look after other people and not just think about yourself. That’s what I really liked about the movie besides the fun—the messages.
JAKE:To be bold, like we were when we opened our own hotel in the movie. And I think it will bring awareness to how many strays there are in the world and to maybe help out.
