DVD's: Doggie Disclaimers

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By Newsweek Editors

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Like any good actress, Koda Bear knows how to charm an audience. Her role in 2002's "Snow Dogs" not only made her famous (she later landed a lead in Disney's "Eight Below"), it also led many fans to purchase a Koda Bear look-alike of their own. But for some, the love affair didn't last. "A lot of people got huskies without doing any research," says Bob Baker, a spokesman for a Siberian husky rescue group in Colmar, Pa. "A year later, they wound up with a dog they didn't want."

Disney and the American Kennel Club have taken notice. Last month Disney placed inserts in the DVDs of "Eight Below" telling viewers to research before purchasing a husky. Those inside DVDs of "The Shaggy Dog," released last week, warn viewers that a bearded collie, the breed of the movie's star, "is an active and intelligent dog, but not right for everyone." Similar inserts will be placed in the packaging of "Air Buddies," starring a family of golden retrievers, when it's released on DVD in December.

Most animal-rights supporters applaud Disney, especially after a reported 25 percent jump in dumped Dalmatians a year after 1996's "101 Dalmatians." "Here's an opportunity to teach proper decision making," says the American Humane Association's Bill Torgerson. Rent "The Shaggy Dog"--don't buy him.

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