by Nikki Attree
Emily speaks to the director, and they agree that they may as well get the best use of Elizabeth’s time and contacts while she’s with them. They give her her own desk, and task her with processing adoptions, as well as working on marketing and PR.
Once Elizabeth has regained their respect, and gets her teeth into a project, there’s no stopping her. She’s like a dog with a bone, and as dogged as a Rottweiler with his teeth sunk in somebody’s backside. She goes through her address book, identifying possibly sympathetic celebrities, and she and Emily swap ideas on how to jump-start the refuge’s social networking profile.
By the end of her third week she’s already managed to improve their adoption rate by twenty-five percent. Not only does she now have their newly acquired respect, but as an online spokesperson for the refuge she wins back a lot of her lost credibility in the virtual canine community.
Even Gizmo’s Twitter amigos grudgingly admit that she’s making up for past misdemeanors with her good work at LDR. They discuss whether they should call off the boycott and allow her back in their good books. Eventually they decide to postpone a decision until the film is finished. There’s not much point in boycotting a film that hasn’t even been released, after all.
Elizabeth’s role in charge of processing adoptions is, rather surprisingly, even more fulfilling than organising celebrity visits. There’s an unexpected thrill in bringing together a family eager to find a furry friend, and a pooch languishing dejectedly in a cage; then seeing the process through to their mutual joy, as he trots out the front door and back to a loving new home. She experiences a moment of elation every time she can remove a dog from the database of mugshots waiting to be rescued.
Sometimes she hits the jackpot, by combining a V.I.P. visit with an adoption. When she manages to persuade a celebrity to take a cute dog home with them it’s like winning the lottery in PR terms, and this gives her an audacious idea. An idea that would combine all her skills with her newly acquired experience of doing some good in the world. The more she thinks about The Idea, the more she likes it.
She speaks first to Emily, who of course loves The Idea. They present it to the stern director. She has her doubts: it could prove a distraction from their core work; be a strain on their overstretched recourses; maybe bring unwanted attention to individual LDR staff. They’ve managed OK so far, without the exposure, the glare of the limelight ...
But Emily begs to differ. They’re not really managing. Barely surviving from one day to the next, in fact. They need this. It could be their big break. They need to raise public awareness. ‘A Dog is for Life - which means for keeps!’ should be a slogan lodged in the brain of anyone considering buying a dog, perhaps from a puppy farm.
But they need to go further. They have to address the problem from both ends. Not only do they need to reduce the numbers of abandoned dogs, they desperately need to increase the adoption rate. So the potential new dog owner should not only be warned that a dog is for keeps, but they also need to be persuaded that rather than making an impulse purchase, they should adopt a rescue dog.
Elizabeth stands in the director’s office listening to her colleague’s passionate speech, and she’s impressed. When Emily gets to the slogan: ‘A Dog is for Life ...’ the producer has another eureka moment. That’s it! She has a title for her proposal.
* * *
Later that afternoon she returns to her office at Cutting Edge Films, dashes off an initial treatment, and pitches The Idea to her boss. Not only would it be a big boost for the refuge, it would actually be a first for Cutting Edge. The production company has so far been limited to film projects. Not for lack of trying, but for lack of ideas. They’ve simply failed to find a viable concept, and sell it to a network. Well, here it is: The Idea that gets them a foothold on TV’s slippery slope.
Elizabeth’s boss listens to her pitch, reads her treatment carefully, and scratches his head thoughtfully. “It might just have legs” he thinks, “and she’s right: we do need to crack mainstream terrestrial, sooner rather than later ...”
“Well, I can see that you have been busy, doing your community service” he says to her. “Cleaning all those kennels has obviously been very stimulating, creatively.” Elizabeth is quite used to her boss’ sarcasm, and she smiles. It usually means that he’s interested. She waits for his decision.
“It’s funny how ever since you got that Doodle dog, you don’t seem so desperate to work with Hugh Grunt. What happened to all those rom-coms you wanted us to make?” he asks.
Elizabeth shrugs. “Yes, well Hugh might be cute, but he’s not as cute as a cute puppy. He’s just someone who’s quite good at pretending to someone else, isn’t he? Whereas, this is going to get us so much positive PR, as well as being massively popular. Haven’t you noticed how dogs are all over everything on TV these days?”
Her boss scratches his head. She’s winning him round, or just wearing him down, with her enthusiasm. “You seem to be turning Cutting Edge into cute dog specialists” he says, smiling, “but that’s OK. We do need to win back the female market after all those blockbuster action pics. And if you’re not going to give them Hugh Grunt rom-coms, you might as well give them cute dogs. It should tie in nicely with Nobody’s Poodle as well. So, OK, if you think you can manage both projects at the same time, then you’ve got my tentative approval to take this into preproduction as the executive producer.”
Elizabeth feels like embracing him, but her boss doesn’t really do hugs. “You won’t regret it” she says, warmly. “You know me - when I get my teeth into a project, I’m like a dog with a bone.” She turns to walk out of his office.
“Oh, there’s just one more thing before you go” he says. “There’s the small matter of the ten grand that you gave the dognappers for their ‘specialist promotional services’ ...”
Elizabeth halts in her tracks. She’d completely forgotten about the money. A look of panic arcs across her features like a bolt of lightening. Her boss smiles at her thunderstruck expression. “Well, it’s OK. Our lawyer managed to get the money back from the police.”
Thunder is replaced by sunny relief, but it’s short-lived. “The thing is ...” he continues, “I saw the press release you sent out when you started your community sentence ...” He rummages around the papers on his desk. “Ah yes, here it is. My compliments - it’s a classic bit of spin, actually.”
She smiles coyly, and again assumes that with the compliment the meeting is over. She’s wrong. “Anyway, I noticed that you promised to donate some of our money to the dog charity. How did you put it ...” he glances at the printout, “ah yes, apparently we’re ‘proud to announce’ that we’ll be making a ‘significant donation to LDR’, as our way of ‘putting something back into the dog refuge community.’ Yes, that’s definitely classic spin.”
Elizabeth isn’t so sure where this is going now. That’s the problem with sarcasm, you never know when the tongue will be removed from the cheek. “So, anyway, I was wondering whether, since you’ve been so kind as to promise our money to the charity, you won’t mind matching it with some of your own?”
Elizabeth shrugs (obviously).
“I’ll take that as an affirmative then” he says, dryly. “So what we’ll do is give them half of the ten grand that you took from the film’s publicity budget, and the other five grand will come from your salary. How does that sound?”
Elizabeth shr... (well you know what she does, by now).
“Shouldn’t be a problem” he continues. “When Nobody’s Poodle is released, and it’s a mega hit as you’ve always said it would be, then your bonus is going to more than cover it.”
Elizabeth does her sort-of pouting thing that she uses when she’s run out of shrugs.
“So, that’s that then” he announces, with an air of finality. “I’ll let you get on. You’ll be a bit busy now, finishing the film and getting the TV series off the ground, not to mention a few more hours left at the dog place. Anyway, I look forward to the next p
ress release.”
He turns to his computer screen, and she heads back to her office.
Half an hour later she has The Idea ready to release to the waiting world. The heading this time is: ‘A Dog is for Life!’
‘Cutting Edge Films is proud to announce their arrival in mainstream television, with a new docu-reality show, currently in development: “A Dog is for Life!”
The TV series is a spin-off from the hands-on research project undertaken by executive producer: Elizabeth Parker-Smyth, at the London Dog Refuge (LDR).
While working closely with the staff at LDR she gained valuable firsthand experience of the plight of abandoned dogs, helping to publicise the issue, and improving the rehoming rate by 50%.
She has been privileged to facilitate many adoptions personally, and the joy of witnessing these abandoned dogs find a loving new home inspired her to create this exciting new spin-off project.
The series will feature well known celebrities, from all walks of life, visiting the refuge, interacting with some of the cutest canine inmates, and hoping to persuade viewers to adopt them.’
She tags the copy: ‘for immediate circulation, worldwide’ and e-mails it her PA. Then she turns her attention to the film. An obstacle has been stubbornly blocking any further progress. She needs to placate Gizmo’s owner before they can go any further. She picks up the phone and calls Nikki.
“Hi Nikki, it’s been a while, so I just thought that I’d update you on how the film is progressing.”
The reply from Tenerife is frosty (even though it’s a balmy twenty-five degrees there): “oh, it’s you.” Nothing more, just crackles on the line, but Elizabeth is expecting that kind of response.
“So, how’s Gizmo?”
This unsettles Nikki slightly. She’s not used to the producer being genuinely friendly. She hesitates, then answers tersely: “well, he’s OK ... now. No thanks to you, of course.”
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it, because he’s going to be busy again soon ...”
Nikki interrupts: “look, I told you, after all that’s happened there’s no way that I’d let him out of my sight to ‘work’ with you again.”
“Yes, I quite understand” Elizabeth says, reassuringly. “But don’t worry - this time he won’t be out of your sight. You’ll be right there with him in fact, because we’re coming to Tenerife to film the location scenes, and we’d like to offer you a role as a local consultant, plus obviously taking charge of the dog handling. We can even give you a small part in the movie, if you like? But anyway, you’ll be there with Gizmo for every one of his scenes, and you’ll be well paid for your time. How does that sound to you?”
Nikki is flattered, but still wary: “well, I’m not sure. I’ll have to think about it.”
“OK. That’s great. Please do that. By the way, I’ve been spending a bit of time helping at a dog refuge, and I’ve been on Twitter and Facebook a bit ...”
“Yes, I had noticed”
“So, I have to say how impressed I am with all the work you do on-line to help the refuges in Tenerife.”
Nikki is again flattered, and perhaps a little less wary now: “umm, thanks. I think.”
“So, I‘ve been following Gizmo’s tweets, along with his furry amigos, and I think it’s great that they’ve decided to call off the boycott. It would be such a shame if your wonderful book never reached the wider audience that it deserves, don’t you think?”
The flattery is working now, but there are still some grains of wariness: “yes, maybe, but Gizmo’s furry amigos have only postponed the boycott, you know. They’ve reserved the right to reimpose it if there are any more stunts like that dognapping.”
“Yes, I quite understand” Elizabeth says again, even more reassuringly. “But that’s in the past, and I’m so glad to have the chance, finally, to say how truly sorry I am ...”
There’s a pause. Elizabeth has a lump in her throat, and Nikki is tempted to think that she even sounds a bit genuine. “Is that a sniffle?” she thinks to herself.
It is indeed. Elizabeth continues, with a slight sniffle in her voice now: “look, Nikki, I can quite understand that it’s difficult to believe anything I say ...” Nikki nods to herself, “... but I want you to know that I’ve changed. Radically. I’m a totally different person now. Since I started working at the refuge. And of course Gizmo is a rescue dog himself ...”
She’s beginning to win Nikki over now, and she plays her trump card: “so, while I was working at the refuge, trying to get dogs adopted, I had the idea for a TV show. It’s going to be called: ‘A Dog is for Life!’ and I’d love you to be one of the celebrities to come on and talk about rehoming a rescue dog. We can tie it in with the release of Nobody’s Poodle to maximise the publicity, because once the film is released you’re definitely going to be in demand, as the author of the book.”
Flattery is one thing. Combined with genuine remorse, and, it seems, Elizabeth’s newly discovered conscience, it does the trick. Nikki is finally persuaded to play ball: “OK. You win. Let me know when you’re planning to come over here to film with Gizmo, and I’ll try and make sure that his diary is kept free.”
Elizabeth laughs. A laugh of relief, as the tension in Nikki’s voice is finally released: “oh, and I’ll let you know about the TV thing. Send me some info. It better not be anything like ‘Big Brother’ or ‘I’m a Rescue Dog - Get Me Out of Here!’”
Elizabeth laughs again. Genuinely, big-heartedly, this time. “That’s a great title” she’s thinking, “wish I’d thought of it first.”
She puts the phone down. “Phew. Glad that’s sorted” she thinks. “Now we can get on with finishing this movie.” She turns to her computer, and pens her second press release of the day.
The heading for this one is: ‘Nobody’s Poodle - On Location’
‘Senior producer: Elizabeth Parker-Smyth announced today that she has nearly completed her hands-on research project at the London Dog Refuge (LDR), and is busy organising the final location shoot for ‘Nobody’s Poodle’ in Tenerife.
The book’s author: Nikki Attree will be a key consultant, as she has lived on the island for many years, and Nobody’s Poodle (the story of a loveable ex-pat pooch) is set there.
Post production is expected to follow immediately, with the release of the film anticipated in about nine months time.’
“Not bad” she thinks, “but perhaps a bit too dry. Maybe it needs sexing-up a bit? There again, why? Tell it like it is, for a change.” She presses ‘send’, turns off the computer, grabs her coat, and heads home to her daughter and dog in Hampstead.
As she exits the office she has a final thought-for-the-day: “now all we need to do is find a cutting-edge presenter for ‘A Dog is for Life!’
18 TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
While Elizabeth has been working her community sentence at the dog refuge Jack has been serving his time in Pentonville ("The Ville"). They have both benefitted from a period of enforced self-reflection. We’ve seen Elizabeth have her Road to Damascus moment, and Jack is similarly reformed. He vows that when he gets out he’ll look after his mum properly, by earning an honest living. The question is: doing what exactly?
He realises that he’s not exactly highly qualified, but everyone has to start somewhere. The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step and it’s often the most difficult, but at least Jack knows which direction he should be taking. The last six months have made that clear to him. His Road to Damascus is all about caring for animals, as it was for Elizabeth. He has an empathy with them, a talent for looking after them, and quite simply, he loves them. Almost as much as he loves Annie, in fact.
He’s been trying to forget about her, but it’s difficult. After all, she was a catalyst in encouraging him to explore his caring side, but of course he had to go and balls it all up. He allows himself a wry smile at the thought of Annie being a cat-alyst. That was one of the two issues21 between them: her being catty while he was dogged, but opposit
es attract as they say, and there’s no reason why cats and dogs can’t live together in harmony - if only he hadn’t ballsed it all up.
He has plenty of time on his hands in The Ville, and partly to block out the self loathing and recriminations he begins a furiously enthusiastic, wide ranging study of animal welfare. He quickly narrows it down to his second love: dogs, studying anything and everything canine that he can get his hands on: grooming, training, diet. He’s not sure yet where the journey will end, but he’s made that all-important first step.
Annie has also been trying her best to put their ill-fated affair out her mind and move on with her life. She’s not short of advice. Her brother, Robert, has been encouraging her to forget all about Jack and get on with building her business, while perhaps looking for a more suitable boyfriend - preferably someone without a criminal record. Perhaps she should try internet dating? Annie replies that she’ll look into it, but she knows that she won’t. She’s only saying it to shut him up. Her heart isn’t in it.
Miranda has the opposite opinion. She still hasn’t forgiven Jack for stealing Doodle and for hurting Annie, but she’s a romantic and she can see what they mean to each other. As she told Annie during their confessional sessions in her kitchen: allow some time for the emotional scars to heal, and then ask yourself if you can forgive him. If the answer is yes, then go for it.
In Miranda’s opinion they are soul-mates, and nothing will change that. It’s fate, ‘written in the stars’ etcetera. “Ah yes, the ‘Star Crossed Lovers’ theory” thinks Annie, “maybe there’s something in that ...” but she doesn’t mention it to her brother.
