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Local Dog Finds 'Marley & Me' Fame

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By LYNN CARSON

lcarson@wfla.com

Published: January 7, 2009

TEMPLE TERRACE - A star from the Tampa Bay area has hit the big screen.

One of the Labrador retrievers in the movie "Marley & Me" is a local.

The dog, Rudy, ended up at the Hillsborough County Animal Services shelter as a stray eight years ago. The agency contacted Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida, and Susan Wooley of Temple Terrace adopted him.

When the producers of "Marley & Me" were looking for dogs to play the title role, they e-mailed the rescue center.

In all, 22 dogs were involved in the movie, with Rudy among the older canine cast members.

In Tinseltown, where even canines get star treatment, Rudy was no exception.

He spent a week in Hollywood with a special trainer and co-star Jennifer Aniston. He even had his own swimming pool.

Now Rudy is back home. He greeted moviegoers outside of the Muvico Starlight 20 multiplex in Tampa Palms last week.

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer dog," Wooley said of her pet's Hollywood adventure, "but Rudy is happy to be home."

Reporter Lynn Carson can be reached at (813) 225-2719.

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