Trained. Trusted. On Set.

Who We Are

Founded and led by Gill Raddings, Stuntdogs and Animals brings over 40 years of experience in animal training, handling and on-set work. We are known for our high standards of professionalism, reliability and animal welfare – and are trusted by production teams working in demanding filming environments.

Our Animals

A complete, end-to-end service.

from pre-production through to final shoot

The team offers a complete, end-to-end service, supporting productions from early pre-production through to final shoot. This includes planning and creative consultation, risk assessment, ethical sourcing of animals where required, and bespoke training tailored to specialist script and performance requirements. All trainers are licensed, professionally qualified and fully insured.

dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, goats, cows, rats, bugs, snakes, birds & more

Dogs and cats remain a familiar part of the work, but Stuntdogs and Animals trains and supplies a wide range of domestic, farm and specialist animal species – including chickens, pigs, goats, cows, rats, bugs, snakes, birds and more. All animals are prepared using ethical, welfare-led training methods by a team of licensed, fully insured professional trainers, many with competitive backgrounds in recognised disciplines such as Kennel Club Agility, Working Trials, Obedience and IGP. 

Exotic animals are supplied and handled by senior, degree-qualified former zoo professionals with decades of experience, including leadership roles and industry training, alongside extensive film and television work.

We are also proud to be able to support international productions, with selected animals holding valid travel documentation and passports and are experienced in overseas filming. The team manages animal travel and compliance, allowing productions to work efficiently with familiar, highly trained animals abroad.

MEET OUR
TRAINERS

meet our animals

Gill Raddings

Director
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Sonia Turner

Trainer
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Andy Baker

Trainer
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Ségolène Veyre

Trainer
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Grace Dickinson

Trainer
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Gill Raddings

Director

Animal Activities Licence: PERF0001 – Cherwell District Council

Founder and Director, Gill grew up surrounded by animals, including dogs, horses and cats, and has worked with animals throughout her life. She began her professional career with horses before specialising in dog training, developing extensive expertise across competitive and working disciplines.

She passed the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers examination with Honours and went on to become Head Trainer at the Buckingham Dog Training Club, where she oversaw competitive Obedience, Working Trials and Agility. Gill has competed successfully across all three disciplines, reaching Championship level in both Working Trials and Agility.

Gill has also represented Great Britain internationally, competing as part of the British team at the Belgian Shepherd Agility World Championships on several occasions, including as a member of the winning team in 2005.

With decades of hands-on experience and a lifelong commitment to training excellence, Gill is widely trusted within the industry for her knowledge, experience, and leadership on set. She considers herself extremely fortunate to have built a career around her lifelong love of animals and animal training!

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Sonia Turner

Trainer

Dogs have been a constant part of Sonia’s life from an early age. As a child, the family dog was frequently enlisted in imaginative training sessions – from sitting patiently in a doll’s pram to racing around the garden and jumping handmade fences.

 

Her formal training began at local obedience classes, where she met Sue Darley, then Head Trainer. After several years training her own dogs and gaining competition experience, Sonia and Sue went on to run the local obedience classes together for many years.

Sonia was introduced to Gill Raddings and Stuntdogs and Animals in 2003. She began as an extra pair of hands on a lead and quickly progressed, learning a new and specialised set of training techniques alongside the practical realities of working within film and television environments.

 

Today, Sonia helps run the company and is a key part of the Stuntdogs and Animals team. She is also the owner and trainer of one of the top dogs in the current Stuntdogs and Animals line-up, bringing experience, consistency and a deep understanding of on-set work to every production.



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Andy Baker

Trainer

Andy has a lifelong passion for dogs, with a professional background rooted in policing and animal training. After an initial ten years of police service, he joined the mounted section, where he served for a further twenty years. During this time, Andy became an experienced horse trainer and an accredited riding instructor with the Association of Chief Police Officers. He also spent ten years as an events display rider and undertook a period as a police dog handler.

Alongside his police career, Andy began competing in the Kennel Club discipline of Working Trials in 1989. He holds four Working Trials Champion titles, two Kennel Club Championship wins, over 110 Tracking Dog Excellent qualifications, and a total of twenty-five Challenge Certificate wins.

Andy holds a PETALS City & Guilds Award in Education and Training and is a member of the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers (BIPDT). He also holds certificates in Animal Health and Welfare and Animal First Aid, and is the holder of a current Animal Activities Licence.

Andy joined Gill Raddings and the Stuntdogs and Animals team in 2023. Under her guidance, he has continued to develop the specialist skills required to work safely and effectively with animals in film and television. His work has already included several career highlights, from performing as a stunt double for a lead actor during a complex attack sequence with one of the stunt dogs, to expanding his skills working with trained farm animals – an area he particularly enjoys.

Andy lives with his wife Emma, a wildlife illustrator and dog trainer, and their dogs Bryn and Puzzle, who are also part of the Stuntdogs and Animals team.

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Ségolène Veyre

Trainer

From a very young age, Ségolène has been passionate about both cinema and animals. Growing up, the family home was rarely inhabited by humans alone, welcoming dogs, cats, hamsters and even some unexpected residents, including dormice in the attic.

After travelling and working within the film industry in her native France, Ségolène met the Stuntdogs and Animals team, giving her the opportunity to bring her two passions together. Joining the team allowed her to learn from experienced trainers and develop her skills working with animals in filming environments.

Ségolène is now the proud owner and trainer of Java, a blue merle Border Collie. A true French soul at heart, Java’s greatest passions are cheese and saucisson.

For Ségolène, there is no greater feeling than being on set, doing what she loves alongside one of the animals she works with, and helping to lift the energy and atmosphere of a production.

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Grace Dickinson

Trainer - Exotic & Specialist Animals

For exotic and less-traditional animal requirements, Grace is on call for Stuntdogs and Animals as a one-stop specialist, supporting productions with everything from insects and reptiles to fish, owls, small mammals and more. All animals are tame, trained, licensed and insured, and are handled by Grace and her team of carefully selected, degree-qualified and set-savvy specialist handlers, helping to set the scene and bring productions to life.

With a zoo-keeping background, Grace has kept reptiles since 2005 and has worked in film and television since 2002. She holds an ND in Animal Care and a BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour, alongside a LANTRA Falconry Certificate, City & Guilds Award in Education and Training, Level 2 Diploma in Animal Assisted Therapy, Level 3 Diplomas in Understanding Autism and Mental Health First Aid and Advocacy in the Workplace, an Exotic Animal Emergency First Aid Certificate, and an Advanced Palaeontology Diploma.

Grace is the founder of the Association of Media Animal Professionals and a member of Responsible Reptile Keeping, the British Herpetological Society, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, and the Association of British Wild Animal Keepers.

When not on set, Grace teaches and presents animal encounters for schools, groups, events, team-building and SEN settings. These activities help ensure that the animals – many of whom come from rehoming and rescue backgrounds – remain well socialised, confident travellers and ideally suited to life on set.

Grace’s greatest passion is sharing her animals and knowledge with others, troubleshooting complex filming requirements, and bringing people and animals together while maintaining the very highest standards of animal welfare at all times.



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