Shelby (dog)
| Species | Canis lupus Familiaris |
|---|---|
| Breed | Rottweiler-German Shepherd |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | April 10, 2016 Nashville, Tennessee |
| Nation from | United States |
| Years active | 2017 - present[a] |
| Known for | Acting in A Dog's Way Home |
| Owner | Debbie Pearl |
Shelby (born April 10, 2016)[b] is a former dog actress (now a therapy dog), who acted as Bella, the main character in the 2019 Hollywood Sony Pictures movie A Dog's Way Home. Shelby was found in a landfill before getting taken into a shelter, and was then trained by Debbie Pearl to eventually act in the movie. She was then adopted by her trainer after the film’s production. Her life was retold in a novel, featured in/on a cast Q&A, Inside Edition, the Los Angeles Times, and on the cover of A Dog's Courage.
Life
[edit]Shelby was found in a landfill and was taken to a shelter in Nashvile, Tennessee on June 8, 2017. It took a national internet search to find a dog actor for the movie A Dog’s Way Home, more specifically a rescue dog to better convey the message of the film. They eventually stumbled upon Shelby, who happened to be a Rottweiler-German Shepherd mix and was the only dog they could train in the timeframe and was affectionate and agile. Shelby was chosen and then trained by Debbie Pearl for 3 months before the film’s production which involved a variety of tests to prove she was eligible enough for acting as the main character of the film, Bella. After the film’s production, she got adopted by Debbie and is now a therapy dog for disabled children.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
In media
[edit]In 2018, W. Bruce Cameron retold her life story in the novel Shelby’s Story: A Dog’s Way Home Tale, which is otherwise known as Shelby’s Story: A Puppy Tale.[c]
On January 8, 2019, Shelby was in a cast Q&A with Bryce Dallas Howard and W. Bruce Cameron.[7]
On January 15, 2019, Shelby was featured on Inside Edition.[8]
On March 4, 2019, Shelby was featured on the Los Angeles Times.[9]
On May 4, 2021, she was featured on the cover of A Dog's Courage.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "'A Dog's Way Home': All About Shelby, the Dog Who Plays Bella". Movie Paws. January 18, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Alexander, Bryan. "'A Dog's Way Home': How Shelby went from junkyard stray to Hollywood star". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Corbley, McKinley (February 24, 2019). "Dog Goes From Digging Through Trash to Being Featured in a Hollywood Movie—and Happy Ever After". Good News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Post, Duncan Strauss Special To The Washington. "Shelby finds stardom in 'Dog's Way Home'". Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Outlooks, My Positive (February 11, 2019). "How this malnourished pup went from scavenging for food to starring in a Hollywood movie". My Positive Outlooks. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Fisher, Kelly. "Cheatham Co. shelter dog's 'rags-to-riches' story leads to Hollywood". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Sony Pictures Entertainment (January 8, 2019). A DOG'S WAY HOME - Cast Q&A (Bryce Dallas Howard, W. Bruce Cameron). Retrieved May 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "'A Dog's Way Home': How This Pup Went From Scavenging for Food to Starring in a Movie". Inside Edition. January 15, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ "Canine movie star living in H.B. Leaves a 'trail of love' after her debut in 'A Dog's Way Home'". Los Angeles Times. March 4, 2019.
Notes
[edit]- ^ This combines both her acting (including her training), and therapy dog career.
- ^ The first Inside Edition source shows a vet paper, and it stated that this is her approximate date of birth.
- ^ The external links point to this, but cannot be used as sources because they are promotional to some extent.