Aside from the occasional trip to the dog park, Goliath the Rottweiler spent most of his time lying around with his gingerbread man-shaped chew toy. Even so, his "cool" and "mellowness" convinced owner Rachel Armstrong he belonged in music videos -- and so she happily paid nearly $2,000 to Hollywood Paws LLC to get him ready for stardom.
But she said all she got to show for it was a snub from "The Tyra Banks Show."
Now Armstrong, along with the owners of Milo, a basenji; Poopsie, a Lhasa apso; Rusty, a pit bull; and a dozen other pet owners have filed a lawsuit alleging Hollywood Paws collected tens of thousands of dollars but failed to deliver auditions, Hollywood connections and prints of doggie head shots.
"I lost a lot of money," Armstrong said.
Behind the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month, are the broken dreams of people who thought their pets were on the verge of life-changing stardom only to find their savings depleted and their pooches no closer to getting off the casting couch.
Since Hollywood studios first set up shop, parents have gone to extreme lengths to get their kids into pictures.
Cynthia Mulvihill, the pet owners' lawyer, said most of her clients don't have children or their children have grown, and the animals are family.
"Who wouldn't want to be told, 'Hey your member of the family is beautiful and should be in the movies'?" she said.
Hollywood Paws owner Larry Lionetti, a Bay Area resident, said he is dealing with "pet owners similar to a stage parent."
His school promises dog training, and it delivers, he said. And while animals from Hollywood Paws have won spots in several productions, including "Beauty and the Geek," "Air Buddies" and commercials for Toyota and H&R Block, he makes no promises that every pet will become a star.
"Everybody knows down in your town that there are actors and actresses waiting on tables until a part comes along," he said. "Who in L.A. doesn't know this?"
Lionetti founded Hollywood Paws in downtown Los Angeles two years ago with his wife and daughter. The company's website describes Hollywood Paws as "the first and largest talent agency in the world to focus exclusively on representing and promoting animal actors and studio trainers to the entertainment industry."
"Ever seen a dog in a movie and wondered if your pooch could become a pet star?" the site asks. "Well, you won't know if you're living with an actor dog until you consult the experts."
