Found

J. Tyler Jones who played Charlie in the film is the real life owner of the dog who played Stella. He named the dog Indiana. According to the director, Daniel Michael Tomcik, it was important to cast an actor who already owned a dog. It would've made the dog feel more comfortable on set and also because this was a no-budget film he couldn't afford a trained dog or a dog trainer. Due to scheduling conflicts and other unforeseeable circumstances, it took almost a year and a half to find the right actor.