NEIGHBORS

Goodyear 12-year-old takes the lead in feature-film debut

Rylie Pennington makes the leap from theater to the big screen in ‘Not My Dog,’ working alongside veteran Hollywood actors — and one unpredictable canine co-star

In a scene from the new movie “Not My Dog,” Rylie Pennington, as Bridget, walks alongside Nudge, a black German shepherd, named Inkosi in real life. The movie is scheduled for digital release Sept. 11.

(Courtesy of Trash Panda Pictures)

Jeremy London and Rylie Pennington work a scene in “Not My Dog,” which was filmed in 2025 in the Rockville section of Vernon, Connecticut.

(Courtesy of Trash Panda Pictures)

Rylie Pennington talks about the making of “Not My Dog” while at her Goodyear home in Estrella Mountain Ranch on Aug. 14, 2026.

(Independent Newsmedia/Steve Stockmar)

At 12 years old, Rylie Pennington already knows one of the peculiarities of making movies: Your co-star doesn’t always follow the script.

Especially when your co-star is a dog.

“The dog was very unpredictable, but in, like, the best way,” the Goodyear eighth-grader said. “I would train him to do something for the filming, and he would go completely off script. But it just made it all the more natural.”

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