Was it his irresistible good looks, impeccable sense of timing or screen presence that landed Zak his starring role on the Binge series Colin from Accounts?
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Kirstin Feddersen who has been training animals for the screen for 33 years knows the answer because Zak, a border terrier, was originally her dog.
Then came COVID.
Her sister Mel had just moved to Mystery Bay on the Far South Coast with her partner Tim and their son Oskar.
Mystery Bay was quite different from where they had lived in Sydney with plenty of kids nearby and Oskar desperately wanted a dog.
"I always had a feeling Zak wanted a boy owner so we put him on a trial.
"I said if Zak likes living with you better than living with me he can stay," Ms Feddersen said.
They hit it off immediately.
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How Zak was trained
When Ms Feddersen's animals are very young she uses baby steps to teach them behaviours she knows they will need on the film set.
"They get used to being in all new places, even in a shopping trolley in Coles.
"That is so valuable as you never know what you will need on a set," she said.
Zak was absolutely brilliant. I could not have chosen a better dog for the job
- Kirstin Feddersen of Kirsko Film Animals
All the training paid off as Zak only needed two weeks to prepare for his role as the wheelchair-bound irresistible dog who brings together two unlikely characters.
Because of his central role and the long hours, Zak had a double called Buster.
Buster required five weeks training for the show.
Zak's face 'not out there'
Part of the deal between Ms Feddersen and her nephew was that she could continue to use Zak in her work given she had put in so much training.
"Zak hadn't had a lot of work when he lived with me so his face wasn't out there but he was always very good," she said.
The role required a dog with the patience to spend much of its time on set in a wheelchair.
As usual, Ms Feddersen sent the program's producers ten dogs for consideration.
"Luckily, they all fell in love with Zak.
"He and his double Buster had an interview with the lead characters and the producer and everyone just loved them instantly," she said.
The lead actors were lovely people, particularly Patrick Brammall who truly loves dogs.
"They felt so comfortable with him straight away picking them up in the wheelchair.
"It was one of the best moments in the film," Ms Feddersen said.
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