The breeder of pair of dogs accused of biting an actor on the set of hit TV show Outlander has told how she has been “to hell and back” by the allegations.
However Fran Barnbrook’s Irish wolfhounds, Tink and Jack, were not even on set at the time the incident took place.
Tim McInnerny, who plays fire and brimstone preacher Father Bain in the Starz series, was injured while filming at Doune Castle in Perthshire in 2014.
It’s understood that a handler released a dog too early during the filming of a chase sequence.
While Tink appeared in several scenes set in the castle, neither she nor Jack were on site at the time. However reports mistakenly identified them as the culprits.
More than a year on, a letter from producers – in which Tink was mistakenly called Pink – has cleared both dogs of any wrongdoing.
Fran, who runs her kennel, Bribiba, from Limerigg, near Falkirk, was once so involved with the show that she named a litter of puppies born to Tink after characters in the novel.
She said the accusation had damaged relations within the Irish wolfhound community.
“I can’t explain how devastating it was for us,” she said. “It was really upsetting. We’ve been to hell and back.
“The cast all loved Tink. They know she was gentle.
“We stopped showing our dogs after this incident. We have shown for many years but this finished us.
“Our dogs weren’t there because the guy who runs the (animal actor) agency had ducks and chickens there and didn’t want any other dogs there.
“It damaged our reputation it split the Irish wolfhound community in half up and down the country because the whole breed got a bad name (as a result). An Irish wolfhound attacking anybody is just unheard of.
“It’s been awful, horrendous, and just to be fobbed off with a letter is quite upsetting. Plus we’ve never been asked back to Outlander since it happened.
“To a certain degree it’s a relief because at the end of the day that letter is enough to prove to everybody (the dogs are innocent).”
Starz did not respond to a request for comment.
Based on the best-selling novels of US author Diana Gabaldon, the series has been dubbed Scotland’s Game of Thrones.