Dane meets film makers in park

Princeton at the lake in the park where we met the film crew

My Great Dane Princeton jumped in shock when we went on our usual walk to the park and discovered it was overrun by a film crew, complete with dune buggies racing around carrying camera equipment. I got him back on leash and we checked it out. I counted 40 people! Usually it’s absolutely empty.

I sat on a bench and Princeton was mobbed with fans from the crew. Then the director came over and asked us to move because “you’re in my shot.”

“Do you need a dog as an extra?” I asked, half in jest.

“I already have two dogs,” he answered, deadly serious. Yes, I could see the actor dogs on good behavior across the park.

The director sent us to a different bench, where another crew member came to pet Princeton.

“Are you background, or are you here to walk your dog?” he asked.

Background, ha! “I’m really here to walk my dog. We come here every day,” I explained.

Princeton kept squirming and pulling. He wanted to run free in the park, not talk Hollywood. So we headed out.

Another woman from the movie came running after us, calling, “Can I pet your dog?” We stopped so one more Hollywood type could pet and admire Princeton.

Usually I think of regular people like me envying folks in Hollywood, but as Princeton and I headed for the hills, I felt that the reverse was also true. The filmmakers long for our reality as much as we long for their fantasy. They’d love to leave the movie set and take a real walk a real dog in a real park.