Heading to St. John’s, N.L., on a work trip last week, I was excited for the brisk ocean air, the delicious seafood — but, most of all, for the prospect of meeting Rex, the canine hero of hit show “Hudson & Rex,” one of my most beloved guilty pleasures.
Season 8 debuts Sept. 22 on Citytv (and is currently replacing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”) — the first without original star John Reardon — so I dropped in to visit executive producer and dog master Sherri Davis at her training facility to find out how the new Hudson, Luke Roberts, joined the pack … and experience some behind-the-scenes stunt action from the show’s talented pups.
I arrived at the facility and met Davis, eyes ringed in her signature electric-blue liner, whose warmth and candour put any shaky-pup nerves at ease immediately. Dillon, who became the main Rex dog after the death of his uncle Diesel last year, loped up with two balls, nudging them at my feet, exactly like my corgi does. Stars: they’re just like us!
(Dillon loves balls so much that the yellow tennis balls used as part of the on-set equipment had to be replaced with black ones, otherwise Dillon couldn’t concentrate on his acting.)
Most celebrities are much tinier in person, but I was astonished at how huge he was; Dillon, whom Davis affectionately calls “son,” looks like a small dinosaur, each paw bigger than my own hand.
The facility is filled with giant cushy mats to protect the dogs’ joints, and obstacles of all sizes (I fangirled over the ladder in the corner that Rex once bravely scaled to capture a canine jewel thief). A whiteboard hangs on one wall, listing the dozens of tricks each Rex dog is required to know; another contains sketches of a complex stunt and lists of the pups’ abilities (Is-he, for example, can do a jump spanning 18 feet).
We sat down at a table, Davis methodically cutting marrow treats in half (gotta keep the dogs lean); these little morsels are the dogs’ “payment,” as Davis calls it, given in exchange for successfully executing their tasks.
A case of plastic prop guns sat open on the table next to a heavily highlighted script that Davis had marked up so she could figure out what tricks needed to be taught to which dog for an upcoming episode, given that each canine thespian has their own specialties.
The pack includes Dillon, the hero dog, and Dante, the backup hero dog, along with the stunt team: Diesel nephews Is-he and Iko, and distant descendant and lone female Dreamer.
Season 8 also features a new member of the pack: “Ransom” star Luke Roberts, who’s coming in as the new (Mark) Hudson after Reardon left “Hudson & Rex” at the end of last season.
Reardon did not have a close relationship with Diesel either on or off set, Davis said, but the new Hudson was elated to have so much pup time.
“We didn’t even have to use honey or peanut butter to get Dillon to show affection,” Davis beamed.
After Reardon left, according to Davis, “the vibe going into the new season was unknown to me, to be quite honest. Then Luke Roberts arrived in town. And magic started happening almost immediately.
“That is going to resonate onscreen: the relationship, the amount of time they trained together, them working in tandem doing stunts is something we haven’t seen before. It’s been such an incredible, easy season. The stress and time restraints seemed to melt away with the way everything just flowed, and how well everyone jives and gets along.”
Davis loves noticing the little kindnesses Dillon enjoys in his and Roberts’ ever blooming relationship. “He opens the door for the dog,” she said. “And he hasn’t stepped on him once.”
But first, Roberts had to earn the pack’s trust. Davis invited him over to the house she shares with the dogs. As the pups galloped around the yard outside, playing with their toys, Davis got to work inside at the kitchen island.
“I drill him about his animal experience and then he tells me, ‘I don’t have a dog’ and my heart dropped out of my chest. Pardon? It was a prerequisite: you have to own a dog and love dogs, but he said ‘Can I explain myself, please?’” she said.
“He could tell I was utterly done.”
Roberts explained that his intense travel schedule meant that he couldn’t have a dog of his own, but he was his friends’ go-to pup-sitter: “I would have a house full of dogs!” he pleaded.
“And I go, hmm, yeah, not so impressed at this point … You’re an actor, you’re full of s—t. What am I gonna do?”
Davis knew it was do-or-die time and told Roberts she’d let the dogs in, but he should ignore them. Thankfully, he passed the smell test. Then, Davis said, she sent him to the yard, where he immediately started playing the dogs’ favourite game: soccer.
“I watched through the window and the dogs and he jived, like peanut butter and jelly,” Davis smiled.
Next came a trial spin around the bullpen studio set (thumbs up), then finally the twosome headed to the dog training facility for the final test.
“How would you like to try and do some stunt work?” Davis asked. “And off comes the jacket and the sweater. Now the stunt dogs are very loud, (but Roberts was all) ‘I wanna hold ’em, I wanna run with ’em,’ and he was running and jumping off the ramps, and I was like, ‘Who is this man?’ The dogs were kissing him and he passed all the tests.”
Roberts’ physicality and love of getting down and dirty with the doggies (including group swims) means that the new season promises a new level of stunts. “There’s a lot more action in this season and a lot more partnership work doing action, which is really endearing,” Davis said.
Davis gave me a taste of the process. She taught me the commands and hand signals to tell Dillon to lie down, give a paw and sit up; he nailed it and I proffered the “payment,” which he happily accepted.
Legs are also used to give commands; the left leg signals go, while the right leg signals stop. (Davis said trained dogs generally walk on the left due to tradition; in ancient times, this left the right hand free for weaponry.)
I asked Davis for a photo with Dillon and as he hopped up on the mat, he gave me a small, snuffly kiss. Davis nodded approvingly, saying “See, you worked him and now he likes you.”
Even after meeting hundreds of celebrities in my career, this just might be the highlight.
Next, it was the stunt dogs’ turn. Davis had warned me: “they are loud.” And after a warm-up to keep their muscles and joints safe and loose, Davis issued the announcement: “Time to work.” The pups promptly lost it, barking at full raucous volume in ecstasy at the prospect of toil.
It was time to try a takedown. They were so excited for the stunt that one handler had to hold the baying dogs back to ensure they didn’t leap for the target before the command came. First, they practised jumping for a stuffed alligator toy (chosen for the easily spotted bright yellow stomach), then for a target on a handler. Then I stepped onto the mat.
Thanks to a little dog-training magic, the stunt dog was elated to make the majestic leap directly toward me as I crashed to the ground, creating the illusion of getting knocked over by Rex himself. Many claps and cheers were dispensed, along with high-value lean-meat treats and, while they love a good payment, it’s clear the true reward for them is the work itself.
To some, it might look a little scary watching these massive beasts straining at their collars, gnashing their teeth and howling to get after it. But for me? I felt privileged, witnessing these professionals at work, sheer primal joy in their eyes, knowing soon they would sail through the air. Free.
