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Independent Film Company, the studio behind the horror film Good Boy, has issued a letter from the film’s lead actor, who was recently told he couldn’t win an Oscar, Variety reported on Monday. Indy, the movie’s canine protagonist, said the news felt as if “someone has yanked my leash short, as apparently, I am not a good enough boy for you”.

Indy asked how many performances from canine actors had to go unrecognised “before the academy throws us a bone”. He said he had wanted to act since he was was a young pup, inspired not by human actors, but by Jed the wolf-dog in the 1991 thriller White Fang.

He didn’t just speak for his own species though — Indy wanted justice for all his friends too. He lambasted the academy for failing to recognise animal actors who “have carried emotional arcs and in some cases, entire franchises”. As examples, he mentioned the films Free Willy, which stars Keiko the orca, Babe, which has a full cast of furry and feathered stars, War Horse, which stars Finder in its titular role, and The Birds, which stars a fittingly large amount of birds.

Saying animal actors remain absent from accolades, Indy asked the academy to “stop lifting your leg on the contribution of myself and the many great animal actors whose work continues to go unrecognised”. He signed the letter off with his paw print.

Indy’s breakout film, Good Boy, stars him as a brave little pup who must protect his owner against the supernatural, after the pair move into a new rural home. The film released in US theatres on October 3 and Indy’s acting has been lauded by critics and fans alike.

While it’s unclear whether the academy will act to paw-sitively address Indy’s concerns, we think they raise very important questions on the inequity between human actors and actors of other species. We also have a question for Indy, “Why’d you skip cats in your letter, buddy?”

Cover photo: Emma Brawley via Independent Film Company/Instagram