Rescue Dog Stars in ‘Poldark’

The second season of the hit series Poldark is about to begin, and while romantics are getting ready to enjoy the continuing love story of Ross and Demelza, dog lovers will be tuning in to cheer for the acting chops of a tail-wagging thespian who has won the love of TV viewers.

Barley, a three-year-old Lurcher mix, has made the leap from the relative anonymity of life at a rescue charity to worldwide recognition thanks in part to his role as Demelza’s devoted dog Garrick in the BBC adaptation of author Winston Graham’s beloved novels. Once one of the 8,000 homeless companion animals who find themselves at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home each year, the Daily Mail reports that Barley’s winning combination of cuteness and cleverness helped him to be cast in the real life role of a dog star when he was adopted at eight months of age by the proprietor of Stunt Dogs, famed animal trainer Gill Radding.

The celebrity Spot has also starred in various commercials, the British TV series Undercover, and upcoming appearances in J.K. Rowling’s much-anticipated tale Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and a retelling of “a tale as old as time,” Beauty and the Beast. However, the role which might tug the most at the heart of Barley’s fans is his 2015 turn in front of a camera to promote the option of pet adoption.

Filmed outside of the Westfield Stratford City shopping center in London, the #LookingForYou campaign combines Barley’s acting talent with technology and the classic Queen tune “Somebody to Love” to raise the public’s awareness of the many companion animals at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home— the charitable organization that give Barley a new lease on life–who dream of being cast as a furry family member to a forever pet parent.

Photo Credit: Official Poldark/Facebook