real dog – Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo: Origins will feature an actual dog as Scooby-Doo for the first time in the franchise’s 57-year history, but the casting has quickly collided with animal-ethics arguments—especially around training practices and cosmetic ear-cr
A chocolate brown Great Dane puppy is set to become Scooby-Doo.
Netflix’s upcoming live-action series Scooby-Doo: Origins—premiering in 2027—will portray the iconic mystery-solving dog with a real animal rather than animation for the first time in the franchise’s 57-year history. On Monday, June 8, Netflix released a teaser offering a first look at the unnamed dog taking on the Scooby-Doo mantle.
The decision comes with a lot of familiar faces, too. The show’s human cast includes Mckenna Grace as Daphne, Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma, Maxwell Jenkins as Fred, and Tanner Hagen as Shaggy, with the series set to show them meeting and forming their legendary detective crew.
Scooby-Doo has rarely left the animated world. Across the franchise’s 14 animated television series and 43 animated movies. the characters—Daphne. Fred. Velma. and Shaggy alongside Scooby—have most often been brought to life through animation. Even in earlier live-action adaptations. including 2002’s Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Scooby himself remained an animated figure surrounded by human actors.
Now, that boundary is moving.
The shift has already turned into a ruff response online. Some fans said they’ll miss the specific kind of whimsy animation allows—Scooby disguising himself as a human. for example. One user wrote: “Using a real dog robs the character of so much fun. whimsy. and camp.” Another added: “I’m sorry but part of Scooby’s charm is that he’s not really bound by reality.”.
Others argued that a real dog won’t be visually distinct enough to feel like Scooby. “The truly incredible minds behind this project have dared to ask what if Scooby-Doo just looked like a normal ass dog,” one user quipped.
A more grounded disagreement followed over the puppy’s ears. In the cartoon version, Scooby-Doo’s ears are usually animated as pointy. With a real animal in the role. some fans questioned whether the dog even is a Great Dane. pointing to floppy ears instead. Those concerns were met by pushback from other viewers, who noted that Great Danes naturally have floppy ears. They also pointed to cropping—cutting a dog’s ears for cosmetic reasons—as the reason pointy ears are often seen in popular imagery.
One user framed it as a possible turning point: “The fact that they’re introducing Scooby as a puppy with natural ears means that hopefully, as he grows up through [the show], people will get more used to seeing him that way and future adaptations will no longer have an inhumane Scooby-Doo.”
For animal rights groups, the debate shifts from aesthetics to ethics.
PETA opposes using animals for entertainment, citing concerns about potential behind-the-scenes cruelty. The organization encourages productions to use motion capture and CGI to portray animals on screen or to cast their own pets when possible. In a statement to Fast Company. Lauren Thomasson. PETA’s director of Animals in Film and Television. said the group is “hopeful the production took PETA’s advice” and used a cast or crew member’s real-life companion. She pointed to PETA investigations. claiming they have “unmasked the real villains behind the scenes—the Hollywood animal trainers who’ve kept dogs in barren cages. withheld food from them during training. and denied animals veterinary care when injured or sick.”.
Thomasson added: “Netflix has a chance to do right by dogs and everyone who loves Scooby-Doo by sharing messaging that promotes responsible guardianship—celebrating the pup’s natural ears instead of cruel cropping and reminding viewers that loveable mutts and purebred dogs. including Great Danes. are easily found waiting for homes in shelters across the country.”.
Another major voice is the American Humane Society, known for its No Animals Were Harmed program. Through the program, film and television productions working with animals can become certified as cruelty-free. Recent Netflix productions including Remarkably Bright Creatures and season two of Beef have received that distinction.
The ASPCA takes a more conditional stance. The group “is not categorically opposed” to animals appearing in entertainment. as long as they are “in every way handled humanely. with facilities and care appropriate to each species.” While an ASPCA representative did not provide Fast Company a comment on the Scooby-Doo casting. the group did point to its official position on elective cosmetic surgeries for pets. including ear-cropping. “The ASPCA does not believe that companion animals should be subjected to cosmetic or other surgical procedures that are unrelated to their health or well-being. ” the statement reads. adding that such surgeries should be removed from breed standards at dog shows.
Netflix and the American Humane Society have not responded to Fast Company’s requests for comment.
The closest thing to an answer so far sits inside the question fans can’t stop arguing—what does it mean to “bring Scooby to life” when the character’s most recognizable traits, from ears to whimsy, now depend on a real animal’s body and a real production’s choices?
Netflix Scooby-Doo: Origins Scooby-Doo live-action series real dog casting Great Dane PETA Lauren Thomasson American Humane Society No Animals Were Harmed ASPCA ear cropping animal rights