LAMBEAU’S HOLLYWOOD DEBUT

Local dog cast in locally filmed movie

By Penny Lex

Hollywood boasts a magnificent list of greats like Harpo, Garbo, and now, Lambeau. Yes, Lambeau…as in Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin—home of the Green Bay Packers. Having recently made his mark (no pun intended) in the movie industry, you won’t find this local, 70-pound Basset Hound clamoring for the bright lights and fame. He is perfectly content at his Scottsdale home napping, eating, and soliciting for endless bouts of belly rubs.

The canine star of the new movie Daddy Daughter Trip, Lambeau was born in West Bend, Wisconsin. In September of 2019, when he was five and a half years old and living in Northern California, his owner unfortunately passed away. Lambeau was then re-homed to Scottsdale to be with his new owner, also a Wisconsin native and now momager, Kim Bruck. Fond of the Basset breed and past president of Arizona Basset Hound Rescue, Kim was thrilled to welcome him to her pack.

A star is born

About a year ago, a friend of Kim’s tagged her about seeing a post on Facebook from an associate producer that was looking for a Basset Hound to be cast in a movie scheduled for filming locally in Arizona. Kim responded by sending photos of Lambeau and when producer and director Rob Schneider saw them, Lambeau was “the one.”

Having a handler

Since Lambeau had been owned only by women his entire life, it took him awhile to warm up to men and then, it was on his terms. He’d had six weeks of basic obedience training but, that didn’t necessarily meet the movie-making demands required for the up and coming four-legged thespian.

So, while fellow cast members were granted glam squads and stylists, Lambeau was rewarded with an on-set handler— animal trainer Dr. Grey Stafford. “Lambeau took to Dr. Stafford right away and was in amazing hands for the three days on the set while in Mesa,” said Bruck.

“Dr. Stafford called me before meeting Lambeau at our home to talk about his method of training and how he would be working with Lambeau on the set. That really impressed me.”

In the evenings, when it got cooler and Lambeau wasn’t filming, he would nap in the back seat of a truck until his scene came up. Dr. Stafford always stayed in the truck right with him. I felt truly blessed to have such a great person caring and training my dog on the set.”

Camaraderie with castmates

So how did Lambeau get along with the rest of the cast?

“Lambeau was a hit,” said Bruck. “The crew and cast relieved their stress of being on the set for long hours at a time by spending time with Lambeau and giving him belly rubs.” And of course, no movie is complete without some romance. Bruck went on to share that Lambeau “fell in love” with Mandy, the daughter of Rob Schneider and Patricia Maya Schneider who plays the daughter in the movie.

It's a wrap

It’s very easy, and somewhat common, for stardom to go to one’s head. And canines may not necessarily be any different in that regard. “In the past, Lambeau had a habit of always looking up to my neighbor’s balcony. However, the week after filming ended, he stopped doing that,” said Bruck. “My neighbor teased him that the movie went to his head. I really don’t think it did. He’s a very sweet and loving boy.” As of today, it’s a wrap for Lambeau’s filmmaking career. Momager Bruck said that while there are no movies in Lambeau’s future at this time, they are open to opportunities.

In the meantime, “My Wisconsin born beau and this Wisconsin born woman were meant to be together. He’s been a blessing, makes me smile every day, and I am so grateful for him. I’m the proud momma of my movie star.”

WAG’S WORD SCRAMBLE

Unscramble each word. Then arrange them in the blanks to reveal a popular phrase about our cherished canine friends.

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