Pipit, the dog from Jaws
We all love the black labrador retriever dog in Jaws, the one with the stick on the beach.
Her name, Pipit, although people often hear it as Pipin or - in the case of the closed captions on the Jaws DVD - as Tippet.
So why is it that everyone loves the four-legged stick chaser so much, and why is Pipit such an important character?
In a matter of minutes the shark kills both a dog and a child, usually a no no in films, meaning that all cinematic death bets are off. Literally anyone could be the next victim in Jaws.
It is also part of a classic almost Hitchcockian scene of rising suspense as Spielberg skilfully tightens our anxiety and uses a devilish mix of humour as we, along with Chief Brody, await the inevitable return of the shark.
This is also the first point in Jaws where we have the colour yellow signifying the presence of the shark, with Pipit's owner's top, Mrs Kintner's and even Alex Kintner's inflatable.
Although like many of the great Jaws supporting characters, the dog may have limited screen time, but to Jaws fans, Pipit is just as iconic as your Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Toto, Beethoven, K9 or Hooch.
Pipit was born in 1969 and was raised by Edo and Robert Potter of Chappaquiddick Island, not far from the Amity Island filming location of Martha's Vineyard.
In the summer of 1974 Eddo got a call from her niece, who worked at a local kennel, saying that the Jaws producers were looking for an enthusiastic dog for a key beach scene.
And it wasn't just Pipit from the family who ended up being immortalised, Pipit's owner in the yellow t-shirt is played by the Potter's teenage son, Stephen.
The Jaws casting director, Sherri Rhodes, was already familiar with Stephen as he had already auditioned for the small role of Cassidy, the fleeting love interest of Chrissie Watkins at the opening of the film and who is on the beach with Chief Brody when Hendricks discovers the body the next day.
Sherri agreed that Stephen would be perfect for playing Pipit's owner. Although, that didn't always help during the shooting of the scene where Stephen had to shout the missing Pipit's name.
Pipit had performed perfectly take after take when it came to fetching the stick, but during the shouting of her name scene she kept on barking off camera each time she was called, as any good dog would do.
In the end Lee Fierro (Mrs Kintner) and Jeffrey Kramer (Deputy Hendricks) took the dog into the dunes and gently covered its ears.
Recounting the story for the book Memories of Martha's Vineyard, Stephen said: "It was just hysterical...I was looking out at the water, trying to look concerned about my missing dog, and every time I'd call Pipit's name, she'd respond by barking just a few yards behind the camera."
Stephen and Pipit were 500 dollars for their moment that would make them part of Jaws history, with Pipit's half of her well-earned salary going to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Like many of the locals that appeared in Jaws, it was Pipit's only foray into film. Sadly, Pipit carried her stick across the Rainbow Bridge in 1978, aged nine, just three years after the release of the film - the same year as Quint actor Robert Shaw also passed away.
Our love for her and her legacy remains up there on the screen to endure and enjoy, and who didn't thrill at seeing Pipit writ large on IMAX or popping out of the screen in Real D 3D?
Seeing that dog was just as satisfying as seeing the Orca or the shark pop out on screen. Jaws fan's love for Pipit never dies, and neither will her memory.
And there will always be that small part of us that would like to think that Pipit survived the shark on that beach, but as the below video reveals, perhaps she did…
Words by Dean Newman
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