Dubai: Patrick is just 18 months old but he is a fine performer. The black Labrador has made a mark in Bollywood and has now forayed into the UAE. Full of expression and character, he can respond to hand and voice signals, do jumps, turns, circles and several other jaw-dropping stunts.
Golden Retriever Willow, four, who has appeared in Annie The Musical at the Madinat Jumeirah, besides several school shows, can also respond to hand and voice signals. She is an epitome of patience and trust.
Animal actors both, Patrick and Willow are in huge demand. Like them, there is a growing ‘A list’ of animals, whose acting and modelling services are for the first time in the UAE being made available through a homegrown agency.
Launched three weeks ago by British marketing executive Karalynn Thomson, 34, and her lawyer sister Sheryl, 32, The Animal Agency claims to be the only professional animal agency in the country. “We provide animal models and actors of every colour, shape and size to the region’s growing film, media and advertising industry. We work with a variety of animals – from dogs and cats to exotic birds and Arabian heritage animals such as camels, horses and falcons,” said Karalynn.
A long-time resident of Dubai, she said she got the idea of an exclusive animal agency from a TV documentary she chanced upon during a trip to the UK last Christmas. “The show was about animal agencies in the West. I thought it was a great idea to start something similar in Dubai, which is big on events. Moreover, I worked in the marketing and events industry and had the right contacts.”
With a portfolio of 20 animals when it started off, The Animal Agency now has 30 models to offer. “We don’t keep the animals with us, we only represent them by working with their owners,” said Karalynn.
The hiring process is simple. An event organiser or filmmaker, be it for movies, TV shows, advertisements or just photo-ops, initially consults with the agency and zeroes in on an animal depending on the requirement. Detailed profiles of the animals are available on the agency’s website. The services of a photographer can also be enlisted. Once the terms are agreed upon for a fee with the owner - “they can run into thousands of dirhams” - the models are ready to shoot. All animals are accompanied by their owners and an agency representative during the shoot to ensure the animal is relaxed.
Patrick and Willow’s owner Denise Vertigen who is also an animal trainer, said: “Working with animals is a privilege and we must never forget to respect them as individuals. I am fortunate to have three wonderful “four-legged” friends in Willow, Patrick and Kipling. They are already stars in our eyes, but are also proving to be stars in their own right … It is great to have, at last, in Dubai, a solely animal agency, that understands the needs of clients along with the requirements of working with animals.”
Karalynn said all the animals are well-trained. Minnie, a cheeky five-year-old Great Dane, for instance, is a big hit for her entertaining acts. She can open doors, turn on taps, initiate pillow fights, talk on demand and plant kisses. Similarly, show-stopper Bonny’s skills in playing football and chasing toys are a treat to watch.
It’s not just the dogs that are a big draw. As Karalynn let on, a bull and goat from Al Dhabi Stables have been used in several promotional photoshoots and an ex-endurance horse has taken part in many high-end fashion shows.
