Southeastern Guide Dogs: Bo is a Star in 'Blind Pass!'

In the Winter of 2011, we were approached by Midnight Pass Productions to help out with their latest film, Blind Pass. 

In the film, the main character is going blind and decided she needed a guide dog. The producers came to us not only to see if we could provide a dog for the film, but also to make sure their portrayal was accurate. 

After seeing an episode of ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars in which the guide dog handler used both her white cane and dog at the same time and her dog barked and growled at someone, we were thrilled that Midnight Pass wanted to get things right.

First, a production assistant came for a tour of campus and talked with us about what would be the dog’s role in the film. Next the producers, Steve Tatone (also writer & director) and Danielle White (who also stars in the movie) came for a tour and to map out a filming schedule and practice sessions with the dog.

The next step involved introducing Danielle to Bo, a guide dog-in-training who was at a stage in his training that would work for the film and not interfere with his training.  Danielle spent time with the trainers, learning the skills a person would have when working with a guide dog and also took some time to bond with Bo, so he would appear on film to be bonded to her, like a typical guide dog team would be.

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On a cool morning, the crew showed up on campus for the first of two shoots.  Bo was allowed to meet the crew and their equipment – he was especially interested in the boom mic.  The scene was to show part of the on-campus training our students go through when learning to work with their dog, so Danielle and Bo were shadowed by one of our trainers, Kayla Cook.  Being movie buffs, it was exciting for us to see the behind-the-scenes action involved in making a film.

A few days later we had our final shoot.  It would involve Bo and Danielle on the beach. Since Bo hadn’t been on the beach with his trainer, we weren’t quite sure how he would react, so we brought his brother, Luke, along as a stand-in, just in case. Bo was a superstar and the shot on the beach was beautiful.

Then the hard part, we had to wait for the rest of the film to be shot, edited, scored, and released. Blind Pass debuted at the Gasparilla Film Festival on Friday, March 22, 2013. Several of the people who knew Bo as a puppy, along with Bo and his handler, Katie, all got to walk the red carpet at the premiere and enjoy the film.

After initial disappointment that the film wasn’t selected for the Sarasota Film Festival, the producers came back to us with exciting news: the film would have two screenings in Sarasota and one would be a benefit for Southeastern Guide Dogs! Those screenings will be Thursday, April 18th at the Lakewood Ranch Cinemas to benefit the Humane Society and the Sarasota Film Society and on Saturday, April 20th at Burns Court Cinemas to benefit us.

We are so excited to have been part of the film and look forward to a terrific screening on the 20th.  Bo and his handler will be in attendance along with everyone else who was a part of the process and hopefully many of our supporters from the community.

Advance tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased online.

For those fans of psychological thrillers, Blind Pass looks to be right up their alley with an impressive ensemble cast including Armand Assante, Chris McKenna, and Ed Lauter, just to name a few, oh, and we can’t forget a very talented guide dog named Bo!