Animal trainer Sherri Davis has a saying she鈥檚 fond of repeating. 鈥淭he day my kids don鈥檛 want to go to work, they retire.鈥
Davis鈥檚 kids are not human: a pack of German shepherds make up her brood. One of them, Diesel vom Burgimwald, ascended to global fame and adoration as the star of popular Canadian police-dog procedural 鈥淗udson & Rex,鈥 now airing its seventh season on Citytv and in dozens of other territories around the world.
Then one day, it happened. It was a Sunday morning and Davis had just emerged from the shower. 鈥淥K, buddy, ready to go to work?鈥 she asked. Diesel jumped off the bed, but Davis felt something was off.
鈥淎s I looked into his eyes, I could see they just weren’t as bright. There was a void and I knew that something was not right,鈥 she remembered. Diesel鈥檚 nephews, Dillon and Dante, had been training to one day take over as Rex, so they headed to set to fill in for their ailing uncle; thankfully, it was a day that didn鈥檛 require any complex performances.
Davis rushed Diesel to an emergency clinic, where an ultrasound revealed that his spleen had burst, filling his abdomen with blood; he headed right in for emergency surgery. After 48 hours in the hospital, he returned home to around-the-clock medical care.
鈥淗is recovery was absolutely phenomenal and, despite being full of stitches, he was back in the pack wanting to play and go to work,鈥 Davis said. 鈥淓very day I came home from a set he would greet me at the door wagging his tail giving me kisses. I feel that the other Rex dogs knew that he was sick and were giving 150 per cent to make him proud of them.鈥
Four weeks later, Diesel鈥檚 health took a turn and Davis opted to provide compassionate euthanasia for him. Diesel vom Burgimwald died at age eight, surrounded by Davis and furry family members.
But what would 鈥淗udson & Rex鈥 do now?
Trainer Sherri Davis with Dante, Dreamer and Dillon. Dillon is the main fill-in for the late Diesel, along with Dante, while Dreamer is a stunt dog.
Derm CarberryTheir titular star had just died, yet they were only a few episodes into shooting the new season. Davis and the producers faced a choice: reveal Diesel鈥檚 demise right away or hold off until the season was finished.
In the end, the crew decided to keep the news under wraps, shooting the remainder of the season with his nephews. In a touching twist, Diesel鈥檚 final episode would be 鈥淩oom With a Clue,鈥 a 鈥淗ome Alone鈥-esque episode entirely focused on Rex that finds him solving a crime on his own while stuck at home.
It was not an easy decision for Davis. 鈥淏ut it was imperative to go this route for me to continue to finish shooting Season 7,” she said. “I had to stay concentrated on the task at hand, which was getting Diesel鈥檚 nephews up to par to take over the role of Rex.
鈥淚 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.鈥
Besides Dillon and Dante, another set of Diesel nephews, Is-he and Iko, perform stunts in the show, as does distant relative Dreamer. Davis wanted to maintain the order and stability of the pack, so there was no real time to mourn.
鈥淚t truly was 鈥榯he show must go on鈥 and let鈥檚 keep training to keep the show going,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 could not break down and cry in front of (the dogs) because that would impact the pack and Dillon, who was giving his all to make his uncle proud.鈥
Christina Jennings, president of production company Shaftesbury, remembers being on set when Dillon was performing in his first episode.
Dillon, a nephew of Diesel vom Burgimwald, has taken over the role of Rex in “Hudson & Rex” since Diesel’s death.聽
Vaida Nairn鈥淚鈥檇 look over and be like, 鈥楧id Diesel just come on set?鈥 He鈥檚 so similar to his uncle, it鈥檚 hard to tell them apart,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o we decided we鈥檇 just wait. We鈥檇 let the season go out and, if the fans started to notice, we鈥檇 be ready and we鈥檇 be public about it.鈥
Come January, the season started airing. As Jennings predicted, some of Rex鈥檚 more eagle-eyed fans noticed something was different.
鈥淥ur fans are superfans, they can spot all sorts of things. When you鈥檙e watching a police show, you鈥檙e sitting there as an armchair detective already,鈥 Jennings said, 鈥渟o, sure enough, within two weeks, come Episode 3 and Dillon鈥檚 entr茅e into stardom, there were comments.鈥
Fans started commenting and comparing pictures on social media. 鈥淚 honestly don’t think it was the dog’s performance as much as it was his ears, believe it or not!鈥 Davis said.
The late Diesel vom Burgimwald with the cast of “Hudson & Rex”: clockwise from left, John Reardon, Kevin Hanchard, Justin Kelly and Mayko Nguyen.聽
Derm CarberryRetiree Bonnie Lee is a long-time fan of the show and its star. 鈥淒iesel had that special quality that is rare in a TV star. You fell in love with him after the first head tilt or that little cry he makes, or when he climbs up on the sofa between Charlie and Sarah,鈥 she said.
鈥淚 looked forward to the show every week. I’ve had some terrible losses in my life and watching the show always put a smile on my face and somehow managed to make me feel better.鈥
Lee felt something was wrong after the second episode. 鈥淭he other dogs all look like him, but there was a distinct difference.”
She started tweeting about it and many fellow viewers responded that they, too, were worried about Diesel.
Davis has mixed feelings about the online sleuthing. 鈥淪ocial media can be a great thing, but it can also be a devastating thing,鈥 Davis said. 鈥淢y one main wish is for those commenting on social media to look a little deeper and think before they comment about the dogs and their work. I needed time to grieve and to train, and the process was difficult and heartbreaking.鈥
As challenging as it was, Davis knew it was finally time for her to go public with the news. The production revealed to the world that Diesel had died via a People Magazine exclusive.
Jennings has no regrets about holding off on the announcement for six months. 鈥淚t was all about grief: Sherri could not grieve at that time and keep working her job, she just couldn鈥檛 do it,鈥 she said.
The announcement unleashed a huge number of tributes to Diesel and grief at his passing.
“Hudson & Rex” fan Bonnie Lee at a meet and greet with Diesel.聽
Courtesy of Bonnie Lee鈥淭he outpouring of support at this time has been heartwarming, especially seeing posts of fans recounting their experiences of meeting him,鈥 Davis said. 鈥淗e absolutely adored his fans! One of his favourite pastimes was the various fan meet and greets. Fans who thought he was a serious police dog were taken by his quirkiness in person.鈥
Lee herself attended a Diesel meet-and-greet in 2023 and was shocked at how sweet the dog was, taking photo after photo with hundreds of attendees. She was 鈥渃rushed鈥 when she found out about Diesel鈥檚 death. 鈥淚 felt like I had lost a family member,鈥 she said.
The show has yet to be picked up for an eighth season but, if it is indeed renewed, Dillon will continue in his uncle鈥檚 footsteps, with Dante providing backup. 鈥淒illon has massive paw prints to fill,鈥 Davis said. 鈥淢y No. 1 priority is not to have either of them be overwhelmed and to just enjoy the working experience.鈥
For Davis, grieving a heart dog has been tough and grieving a heart dog in full view of the world has been even tougher.
鈥淭his has been an enormous emotional roller-coaster and reliving it now is not easy,鈥 she said. But if the show is renewed, Davis is ready to soldier on with her remaining kids. 鈥淚 have to stay strong for the other Rex dogs!鈥 she said. 鈥淚 must carry on Diesel鈥檚 legacy in his honour.鈥
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