Fur-loughed: With Hollywood on Strike, Animals Are Out of Work Too

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On-set conditions aren’t always ideal, but protections for featured creatures when they’re off camera are far more lax

A dog and a clapboard
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The ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes might have a silver lining for at least some unemployed actors – the four-legged kind. 

With nearly all Hollywood film productions halted, many of the hardworking animal actors have had the last few months off. And while they’re not sipping piña coladas by the pool, some animals may be getting more care and attention from their owners as a result. Others, meanwhile, could be in more precarious positions — especially as the time spent between productions can oftentimes be the most dangerous for animal actors due to unsafe living conditions, unskilled trainers and lack of oversight.

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