Doggy star Buster of John Lewis Christmas ad was trained in Stewkley - and his name's not Buster!

Birds & Animals UK, of Silkwell Stud, in Dunton Road are the talented team behind ‘Buster’, who is played by loveable pet Biff. He was scouted for the advert by the training club, whilst the production team were looking for a very handsome dog to play the part in the commercial.
He was trained for agility and obedience, and despite having never worked in the film indutry before, was loved straight away. 
Julie Tottman, Birds & Animals UK head trainer, said: “Biff is an absolute superstar! He’s a natural born actor and was extremely professional considering this was his first job. He’s a really friendly boy and was a pleasure to work with throughout. 
“Biff would do anything for attention and a ball, and definitely enjoyed being the star of the show. He got on famously well with the other cast members and was completely spoilt during his time on set! His new party trick is to bob his head as if watching Bridget bounce, which we initially taught him by bobbing a ball on stick.”
Biff, aged five, is a red and white Boxer.  He lives in Bedfordshire in the family home of Jan Patten with two other Boxers, Betty and Darcy. He has lived with there since he was eight weeks old. The location in the county is not being revealed to protect the family’s privacy.
The first terrestrial TV airing was yesterday evening at around 9.15pm on ITV. 
Set to a cover version of the song ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’, recorded by the British band Vaults, the two-minute advert tells a magical, make-believe story of Buster the Boxer dog and his family at Christmas – with a trampoline central to the plot! 
Julie said: “Everyone that meets Biff agrees that he’s a complete gent, and we’re sure that his new found fame won’t go to his head!”