Who We Are
Our History
Actions Animals was first established as Northern Animal Exchange by Gerry Therrien when he came to Canada from Los Angelas in 1987. Where he trained under the legendary Monty Cox, as his protégé for 10 years.
In the last 37 years, Action Animals he’s been a part of everything from major film and television productions, commercials, music videos, and even live and educational shows.
The role of head trainer of Action Animals has been passed down to Gerry’s youngest son, Dartagnan, who now acts as head trainer and company lead on and off set. With Gerry still using his 40 plus years of knowledge and experience to help guide the animals care and training.
Action Animals is located in the Fraser Valley of beautiful British Columbia. We have had the privilege of working everywhere from Vancouver, to Prince Edward Island. Alaska to Texas, and everywhere in between.
Training
We prioritize the time spent with our animals with positive reinforcement 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A good trainer is not somebody who tells their animals what to do. A good trainer is somebody who asks their animals what to do and watches them do it, because they really enjoy doing it as much as we enjoy watching them. We learn to understand through mutual respect and patience. We use a method of training our animals to do what we want pioneered by Gerry himself. We learn what they do naturally, and
we teach them to recognize when we want them to do those things that they would naturally do anyway.
This positive reinforcement method stimulates their brain, and mental exercises so they remain happy and fulfilled with their work. The processes that the animals, and we go through during the process of training is tiring, and rewarding. We believe this is one of the reasons all of our animals frequently live over 5 years longer than expected with animals in captivity. Our black bear, Broud, lived to the ripe old age of 29, and lived his final years in retirement with the family he grew up with since he was a rescued cub.
Cages, Kennels & Misconceptions
The cages that we use are not a prison for our animals to be locked in. But rather a safe quiet space to turn the brain off after a long day and process everything that they have learned. Different types of cages and kennels are important for the different types of training that our animals do after a long day of mental and physical exercise, so they can unwind and relax.
Often times we will find our animals putting themselves away after a long day. That’s usually when we know we have both had enough for the day.
Often a child that has had a very confusing day can become frustrated. Animals are no different. They may require a smaller cage. You might ask why a smaller cage would be better over a larger cage with more space. It makes sense. But troubled animals can have a fragile mind. Think of a small enclosed cage, like being under the covers of your bed. Opposed to being in a playground. Sometimes you just want to be in your room alone with your thoughts, until you’re ready to come out.
Rescue, Rehab & Release
We often take in orphaned and injured animals.
Victims of trauma and "problem" animals. And we take pride in helping their recovery and their new training. We are only able to do this through mutual respect, love, and understanding of how they think.
While we make every effort to release every rescue we take in. In some cases, like when the animal was very young, or severely injured, it’s not always possible. Because they’ve spent so much time with people, even if they’re released they will often seek people out for food or protection. Which in the wild can create new problems that can put animal and human lives in danger. Some species of animals cannot be released into the wild once they have been raised in captivity. As they may not be accepted by others in the wild, or they may not have the necessary skills or ability to survive on their own.
Black bears for instance, always return back to where they were in captivity. They will never survive out in the wild. Everything in the wild recognizes that they are different immediately. Black bears can become very gentle animals in captivity compared to ones in the wild, and all the truly wild animals will take advantage of that. You can drop a captivity born black bear off into its natural habitat a thousand miles away from you, and it will eventually show up back at home, if they survive long enough.
It takes a very special minded animal to be great at working in the film industry. Some take to it immediately, and some grow into it through training and consistency. Many animals in this category have become some of the best animals we have had. Some animals unfortunately never take to it. Rather than force them to do what we ask it’s always a better fit to keep them healthy, comfortable and happy until we can find an appropriate location for that particular animal.
Many troubled or injured animals that nobody thinks can make a recovery, learn to trust or enjoy part of what we do. The animal may have had a hard time trusting people for one of many reasons, either it came from a bad home or lived through a traumatic event. Often these “troubled” animals become the greatest animals we have ever had the pleasure of meeting, let alone working with. It is both an unfortunate, and a beautiful thing. We call this process “trauma bonding”. A trauma bond is something only the countless hours of work we do with them, day in and day out, can create.
If animals we have rescued become trauma bonded, this changes how they look to you as a safety blanket. The animals and us will do so much work mentally and physically, that in the process a special bond grows that helps the animal overcome trauma and replace it with a happier mindset of life through its work and time with you. It is a sad reality, but a beautiful thing to be a part of.
Because of all of this, if we are not able to release or care for the animal permanently, we will try to re-home rescued animals at sanctuary’s or larger zoos and facilities across Canada.
We will always do what we feel is in the best interest of the animals care and mental well being.