Hotel for Dogs (film) their personality." Freudenthal said that he deliberately chose both very small and very large dogs to create a contrast similar to the characters of Lenny and George in the John Steinbeck novella "Of Mice And Men". The majority of the dogs cast were rescues. The lead dog, who plays Friday, was rescued about six months before shooting began. Crew members also helped to find adoptive homes for the abandoned dogs and several adopted dogs themselves. A Hollywood animal trainer, Mark Forbes, was hired to prepare the dogs before shooting began. Forbes and his team began working with the dogs about
Thomas Steinbeck Simon & Schuster published his first novel, "In the Shadow of the Cypress". His second novel, "The Silver Lotus", was released in November 2011 by Counterpoint Press. Steinbeck contributed to the "My California Project", a collection of short stories written by 27 California authors. Sales from the book were used to help save the struggling California Arts Council. This book went into three printings, and the project helped the Arts Council to reach its goal of financial solvency. In addition to his writing and producing, Steinbeck was an active public speaker and teacher, who often lectured on American literature, creative