Canadian police procedural Hudson & Rex features a dog as one of its titular stars — but the show's creators have now revealed that the dog who played Rex died six months ago, and that the new season mostly features replacement dogs.
Rex was played by a German shepherd named Diesel. Partway through filming the show's seventh season, which began airing in January, he suffered a burst spleen. A report from the Toronto Star reveals that Diesel had surgery and required around-the-clock care for the next month, before his health became worse and he was compassionately put down. Diesel was eight.
Diesel's final episode was "A Room with a Clue," which aired on January 21 and was entirely focused on the dog. Diesel's nephews Dillon and Dante took over the role, with Dillon as the primary replacement and a dog named Dreamer as a stunt dog.
Diesel's trainer, Sherri Davis, opted not to reveal the news while Season 7 was still shooting. "I had to stay concentrated on the task at hand, which was getting Diesel's nephews up to par to take over the role of Rex," she told the Star. "I am a very private person and I did not want people approaching me on set about the news. This would make me emotional and that would project to Dillon that I was upset with his performance."