PETA calls for boycott of 'A Dog's Purpose'

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is taking a stand against the upcoming Universal movie, "A Dog's Purpose," by calling for its boycott after video taken during the shooting of a scene shows a terrified German Shepherd being forced into raging waters.

In the video released by TMZ, the dog goes underwater as a crew rushes over to save it. It's unclear if the dog going under was scripted, but someone immediately yelled, "Cut it!" and handlers rushed to the animal.

The scene was shot in a pool outside Winnipeg, Canada in November 2015, 

"Please, pledge to avoid contributing to this cruel practice by not buying tickets to A Dog’s Purpose or any other movies that use live animals," a message reads on PETA's website.

It is unclear if director Lasse Hallström was present during the shooting of the scene. He has reportedly told media outlets that he was not.

TMZ reports that Amblin Partners and Universal Pictures have seen the video and issued this response:

"Fostering a safe environment and ensuring the ethical treatment of our animal actors was of the utmost importance to those involved in making this film and we will look into the circumstances surrounding this video."