Netflix’s A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is carried by one character above all: Winstead, the wise old basset hound at the heart of the Goss family.

https://www.netflix.com/title/82090597

The role of Winstead was shared by two remarkable basset hounds, Candy and Jenkins, with little Rufus playing him as a puppy. Thanks to animal coordinator Bonnie Judd and trainers Tiffany Carson and Ryan Judd, their performances feel completely real. Thomas Haden Church gives Winstead his voice, but the performance on screen belongs to the dogs.

Reviewers agree the dogs are the reason to watch. Winstead holds a fractured family together through its hardest Christmas, and he does it with nothing but droopy ears, soulful eyes, and impeccable comic timing.

The film also carries a message worth celebrating. In the story, both Winstead and Ruby are rescues, and Winstead comes from a basset hound rescue. The dog waiting in a shelter today might be tomorrow’s leading man.

Animal performers have been snubbed before. In 2012, Uggie from The Artist charmed the world and walked away with nothing from the Academy. We think it’s time that changed.

We’re asking the Academy to:

Recognize Candy and Jenkins for their performance as Winstead in A Dog’s Perfect Christmas.
Consider creating an honorary category for outstanding animal performances, so the dogs, and the trainers who spend months preparing them, finally get their due.
Sign if you cried, laughed, or immediately went looking for a basset hound to adopt.