What is it about Rex, star of the police procedural Hudson & Rex (Shaftesbury and Pope Productions), that’s set the hearts of so many viewers aflutter? It could be those soulful brown eyes, or that knowing tilt of his head. It could be Rex’s keen intelligence, which the actor who plays him seems to share. Or the fact that he also does (almost) all of his own stunts—so brave!

Rex is a German Shepherd, of course, and it’s not hard to see why the actor who plays him, Diesel vom Burgimwald, is a bona fide star: he’s got charm in spades. His co-stars love him. His public adores him.

Unbelievably, however, when his owner Sherri Davis (also the dog master and an executive producer on the show) adopted him, Diesel was considered “vicious, uncontrollable, unmanageable, untrainable.” He’d been bought from a breeder, then returned. But Davis, who has been training animals for film and television for 30 years, decided to take a chance on him.

Smart move. Diesel has played Rex from day one on Hudson & Rex, the Citytv staple (recently renewed for a seventh season) that follows the crime-fighting escapades of a police task force in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The clever canine is such an integral part of his show that it’s hard to imagine any other dog as Rex.

You’ve got to learn the animal—what they respond to, what makes them tick. That’s the main relationship. You show the animal respect, and you’ll have the best animal in the world.”

Sherri Davis

So is Diesel just a natural-born star? According to Davis, it’s all in the training, and that goes for dogs as well as horses, cats, skunks, raccoons, birds of prey—all of which she’s worked with. “It’s not any specific breed, it’s not any specific temperament. It’s the training and the time you put into the animal,” says Davis. “You’ve got to learn the animal—what they respond to, what makes them tick. That’s the main relationship. You show the animal respect, and you’ll have the best animal in the world.”

For Diesel and Davis, acting is a round-the-clock job. When Hudson & Rex is filming, they’re on set from Monday to Friday. And while Diesel spends a fair bit of on-set time in his air-conditioned trailer, getting pampered and eating doggie treats prepared by his chef, Davis is busy blocking scenes—choreographing Diesel’s movements and working with the director to get the best shot. Then she brings him on set, shows him the routine, and shooting begins. And, as every actor knows, it’s not as breezy as it looks.

“Say there’s a scene with Rex jumping out of a car and running to a house,” says Davis. “They might shoot that scene 12 times. And it’s like that with every scene. When people see the show, they don’t realize that those 42 minutes took seven whole days to shoot.”

And weekends aren’t all R&R, either. On his off days, Diesel is gearing up for the next episode, doing stunt rehearsals and other prep work, like getting accustomed to other animals he’ll be appearing alongside. (Once, when Diesel had to work with sheep for an episode, Davis accelerated the getting-to-know-you stage by moving the sheep into her home.)

“When we’re filming, it’s very intense,” says Davis. “It’s seven days a week.”

“ On set, if they yell ‘back to ones,’ Diesel just turns and goes back to his starting position. It’s no use me even being there. I’m just the driver!”

Sherri Davis

While Diesel relies on his owner’s training and commands, he’s a smart pup who can certainly hold his own on set. “On set, if they yell ‘back to ones,’ Diesel just turns and goes back to his starting position. It’s no use me even being there,” Davis laughs. “I’m just the driver!”

Diesel has also been able to soak up some of the glitz and glamour that comes from being in show biz. In 2023, he walked the pink carpet at Canneseries, the annual TV series festival held in Cannes, France. He also stole the show at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards, taking to the stage to present the Audience Choice Award with his co-star Mayko Nguyen.

“That was the highlight of my career: to be at the CSAs and have professional actors, the best in the industry, recognize Diesel as an actor,” says Davis. “The highlight of my career and probably my life.”

Diesel is not just a very good boy, but a very good actor—and, according to Davis, the choice to act is his to make.

“He’s eight now, and he will work until the day he tells me he’s not going to work. The day I open that car door, and he doesn’t jump out to go greet everybody and isn’t wagging his tail and moaning and groaning and carrying on, is the day he will retire,” she explains. “He’s the one in charge of his destiny, not me.”

Five Questions with Rex

How did you get started in show biz?

I’d been living with my owner Sherri for less than 24 hours when a producer at Shaftesbury came to meet with her. He took one look at me and said, “That’s Rex!” Sherri wasn’t sure—my last owner had labelled me vicious and untrainable—but the producer said, “You’ve trained all these other dogs, right? Train this one and I’ll be back next week with a camera.” And with that, a star was born.

What’s your favourite part of being on set?

I want to say my weekly spa treatments, which help keep my fur and paws looking sharp for my close-ups. I go into a kind of dreamworld when they start working on me, but I’m told I regularly fall asleep in the bath (oops!). When the blow dryers start, I feel like a king! The treatments really are the best—almost.

The actual best part is when I pull up to set every morning and see my co-stars and the crew. I jump out of the car, run up to everyone, and get all the head scratches and belly rubs I can handle. I have the best job in the world.

What do you get up to when you’re not filming the show?

Well, since I’m an athlete, I still have to keep training at least four times a week. Otherwise, I’m running around—the leash-free area at my house is one acre, and there’s another 10 acres we go ATVing on. I get muddy and dirty and stinky, the exact opposite of what I need to be on set!

Do you perform all of your own stunts?

Most of them! I have two nephews, Ishe and Iko, who take over when Rex needs to jump from a height any higher than 36 inches. I’m no scaredy-cat, but I am the star of the show, and those heights are just considered too risky for me to attempt.

What’s the coolest experience you’ve had?
I loved attending the CSAs and presenting the Audience Choice Award to Son of a Critch, another great Newfoundland show. But the coolest experience was probably being the first dog to be invited to the Prince of Monaco’s house. What, you haven’t been?

There have been plenty of noble beasts on screen throughout Canadian television history—

Here are some notable ones:

Danger Bay

Sea pups and dolphins and whales, oh my! This ’80s adventure series with an ecological bent centered on marine veterinarian Grant “Doc” Roberts, his two children, and the entire menagerie of the Vancouver Aquarium. The aquarium and its marine inhabitants featured in practically every 30-minute episode over the show’s six-year run.

Heartland


Among the cast of horses in this long-running ranch drama is the recently retired Stormy, a black Quarter Horse who portrayed Amy Fleming-Borden’s main horse Spartan from season one to 16. As Stormy aged, other horses began to step in for Spartan’s more athletic scenes, but a 16-season stint is quite the impressive run (or, should we say, gallop!).

The Littlest Hobo


“Maybe tomorrow I’ll wanna settle down…” This beloved series about an ownerless dog who helps people in need starred London, a German Shepherd belonging to retired baseball player Chuck Eisenmann.

Long after its mid-’60s run, the series was revived for a second run from 1979 to 1985, but still credited its canine star as London.

Due South


The spiritual forefather of Hudson & Rex, this ’90s crime comedy-drama featured two Siberian Huskies as Diefenbaker, Constable Benton Fraser’s deaf half-wolf. The second, Draco, was featured for the second half of the show’s four-season run, and became so popular that his fan mail eclipsed any of the other cast members’. (We’re sure Paul Gross took it in stride.)

Mittens and Pants


Just reading the synopsis of this live-action preschool show—baby animals doing regular things like getting hiccups and finding out what they’re good at in a town called Kibble Corners—can trigger a chorus of “awww”s. Kitten-and-puppy duo Mittens and Pants are played by eight-week-olds, and they and all of their co-stars get adopted after each season.