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Martin Clunes has sadly revealed that Dodger, the loyal pooch who played his dog Buddy in Doc Martin, has died.
The 63-year-old actor paid tribute to his furry friend who appeared in the comedy drama series, which ran from 2007 until 2022.
In the show, Dodger played Martin Ellingham’s dog from 2009 until 2019, when he retired.
During an episode of The One Show, Martin was asked by Roman Kemp about his former co-star.
‘Your character was always irritated by his dog, but you had quite a good way of getting around that,’ said Roman.
Martin responded: ‘Oh Dodger, oh yeah! He was fantastic, that boy. Sadly, no longer with us.’
He then revealed that he found it hilarious that despite his character hating dogs, they all love him.
‘That was the joke, I thought “Who hates dogs?” that someone who hates dogs, but they all love him, and they just hang out with him.
Symptoms of dementia in dogs
Per Vets4Pets, Vets use the following behaviour checklist, which is given the acronym DISHAAL:
D – Spatial or temporal Disorientation.
I – Social Interactions, becoming more aggressive or distant.
S – Sleep-wake cycle changes.
H – House-soiling.
A – Alterations in activity levels and pacing or being less enthusiastic.
A – Anxiety.
L – Learning and memory, becoming more forgetful.
He added that he never shouted directly at Dodger.
‘So I had to yell at him, throw him around, do all sorts of things, but I never shouted really at him. I just waved my lips around and added in the shouting later.’
Martin explained that while his character might not have loved Buddy, he certainly got along with Dodger.
‘Me and Sonia Turner, his trainer, and Dodger, we just had such fun on that, you know? Pushing the limits of what we could do with him, and he was fabulous.’
The actor has spoken about this technique as being ‘key’ to maintaining his loving off-screen relationship with Dodger.
‘It looks like I’m yelling at [Dodger] all day, but obviously because the dog is in [the series] so much, we’d worry about what it would do to him,’ he told the Express.
‘With the on-set dog trainer, we evolved a way of working where I don’t actually shout – I mouth the words instead and then tape them later in the day.
‘This way, Dodger and I get to keep our lovely working relationship. We adore each other and play after the cameras stop rolling.’
Dodger, who was a Rough Jack Russell Terrier, was diagnosed with dementia in 2019 and didn’t appear in the final tenth series of the beloved show.
In an interview with Yours about the final season of the show, which aired in 2022, Martin said: ‘ The Doc and Louisa have a new baby daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who’s named after the first spaniel Philippa and I ever owned. There’s a new dog, too, Taffy!
‘But don’t panic! Dodger who played Buddy is still with us and he’s happy. It’s just that his trainer Sonia decided to retire him because he has doggy dementia. We couldn’t have Doc Martin and no dog. It just wouldn’t have been the same!’
Announcing Dodger’s death in 2023, Sonia revealed to fans: ‘A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to remember Dodger and send their condolences.
‘Tom and I are truly touched and amazed that our little chap had been taken to heart by so many people, both here and abroad. Bless you Dodger.’
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