I saw the movie "Doctor Dolittle" the other day for the first time. When I got my first look at the yellow Labrador named JIP, it was like looking at my female ! I know this movie was made a long time ago, and movies use several dogs that look the same, I was just wondering if anyone knew the pedigree of the dogs used. I know that my female and JIP just have to have some ancestors in common. Thank you in advance for your replies.

I forgot to mention this was the original Dr Dolittle movie starring Rex Harrison.

You do realize that movie is from 1967, right? The credits might have some information about where the animals came from.

Yes, I do realize that the original movie was made a long time ago. I researched as much as I could on line before I asked this forum. The credits at the end of the movie weren't much help. This forum was the best resource I could think of, due to the many knowledgeable people that read and reply on it. I was just hoping someone would remember.

I'm sorry if I sounded short or nasty. I certainly didn't mean to. You got my curiousity up, so I did some searching. But, alas, like you, I didn't have any luck either.

The movie was filmed in
Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England, UK

so it would be my guess that local dogs were used in the film. It is a long time ago and it would be nearly impossible to find out who was who.

Sue, you weren't nasty at all. You're always kind & helpful. No one else had replied so you attempted to. Please don't put guilt on yourself for something you didn't do wrong. That's difficult information. I Googled it too with no results.

Sirius found more than any of us.

I got this from the movie's Wikipedia page - excerpts from a lengthy section:

"The village scenes were filmed in the village of Castle Combe in Wiltshire. Unfortunately, the producers did not anticipate that the necessary trained animals for the production would all have to quarantined upon entering the UK, forcing them all to be replaced with other animals at considerable and redundant expense to meet regulations. Furthermore, the producers chose to ignore climate reports of the area's frequently rainy summers and were frustrated with the resulting weather continually interfering with shooting, while also caused health problems with the animals. Eventually, the producers decided to rebuild relevant sets back in California for costly reshoots.

The film was also shot in Marigot Bay, Saint Lucia; this location was equally difficult, with considerable problems with insects and frequent tropical storms halting production."

I don't remember which types of scenes Jip was in, so it may have been British dogs or not. And like most movies I've heard of, I'm betting many different yellow dogs were used for different scenes, depending on what trained behaviour was needed for a particular scene.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. I truly appreciate all the information. Sue, you didn't sound nasty to me at all, just very helpful. I had no idea that the movie was filmed in so many different places. I ordered a cd of the movie, just so my husband and I could watch it again as the resemblance to our dog is amazing. The only reason I watched it in the first place was my granddaughter wanted to see it. I am grateful to all that responded.