Ron Perlman Films 'Bittersweet' Video With Rescue Dog Before Her Death

Ron Perlman is calling on people to rescue rather than shop for dogs as part of a new campaign for the animal rights organization PETA.

The video features the actor, his wife, Allison Dunbar, and their two rescue dogs, Harrington and Sassypants. Perlman poses for pictures alongside their "deliciously weird and delectably fun" adopted Labrador retriever, Harrington.

However, it's the actor's interactions with their senior German shepherd, Sassypants, during the shoot that have taken on a new level of poignancy in the weeks since.

Rescued and adopted by Perlman and his wife at the age of nine, Sassypants was nearing the end of her life when the video was filmed. Two weeks after the shoot, she sadly passed away, and the PETA campaign is dedicated to her memory.

PETA Director Moira Colley told Newsweek: "We're big fans of Ron's, and when we reached out to him and his wonderful wife Allison about doing an adoption campaign, they agreed immediately and enthusiastically.

"The timing was bittersweet as their sweet dog Sassypants, who had been rescued off the streets of LA, was clearly coming to the end of her life, but they really wanted people to know that there are so many older dogs in shelters who are just waiting for a loving home.

"We shot it in the couple's backyard so that she'd be comfortable in her own environment and sadly she died a few weeks after our shoot. It meant the world to these two kind people that Sassy spent some of her last days helping other dogs in her previous situation."

Sassypants was an example of why adopting a senior dog is such a rewarding and life-enriching experience, although it's usually far harder for older dogs to find new homes.

A 2015 study conducted by Priceonomics examined the number of dogs adopted via the website Petfinder. It found that while 95 percent of puppies ended up finding new homes, that proportion dropped to 68 percent among senior dogs.

Perlman always knew he wanted to own a dog. "I grew up in New York City and ... the minute I got out of the house, I got my first dog. I've never been without one since," he explains on the PETA video.

He also had no qualms about adopting a rescue dog like Harrington, or a senior pooch like Sassypants. "If you can rescue a senior animal, do it. Because what you are going to give them is the best years of their lives and it doesn't get better than that," he said on the video

"Sassy is very quiet, very beautiful and somebody who needs to be reminded there is a place on this Earth where she is safe."

"She accepts me," he adds. "It's one of the great accomplishments of my life."

Known for playing tough guys on shows like Sons of Anarchy and the titular superhero in Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy movies, Perlman turns to mush when it comes to his four-legged friends.

"Serotonin just courses through me when I'm cuddling with my dogs because it's pure love," he said. "The level of gratitude and heartwarmingness that has been infused into my life is irreplaceable. And so, don't buy dogs. There's no reason to. Adopt. Don't shop."

Unfortunately, not every dog finds such a loving home. According to PETA, around 70 million dogs and cats are homeless in the U.S. at any given time. Many animal shelters—under pressure to avoid euthanasia at all costs—are turning dogs away when they inevitably reach capacity and refusing to accept cats altogether, leaving the most vulnerable animals with nowhere to go. Many end up abandoned on the streets, where they may be hit by cars, infected with diseases, or hurt by cruel people—and leaving them to reproduce, making the homeless-animal crisis worse.

That's why PETA is urging shelters to accept all animals in need, it advises guardians to have their animal companions spayed or neutered, and asks everyone to adopt instead of buying from breeders or pet stores.

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