A quick word with The Dog from Footrot Flats

20.11.05
By Graham Reid


The beloved Kiwi hit 80s animated movie, Footrot Flats, is finally out on DVD. But Graham Reid found The Dog took some tracking down: calls to his agent requesting an interview went unreturned; Footrot Flats creator Murray Ball was "unavailable for comment" and a casting agency known to have worked with The Dog sent a statement which was blunt and to the point, "The Dog was yesterday, and yesterday's gone".

Then one day the phone rang, it was The Dog and he was ready to talk.

We met at his flat in Onehunga. He was overweight, unshaven and clearly the worse for a long night on the town - although he said he didn't get out much and preferred to do his socialising at home. He was drunk, but lucid.

Looking back at it, Footrot Flats should have been your big break - but it didn't work out like that. (click on title to read more)