Zac Efron was in a tiny Speedo and these two SC dogs could not have cared less

If you saw “Baywatch” right when it opened this May at the Cinemark movie theater in Bluffton, you already know this.

Mainly because Beaufort resident Rebecca Bass couldn’t contain herself.

And I certainly can’t blame her. I would’ve done the same thing.

Bass and her husband, Frank Vandegrift, thought the secret they had kept for more than a year would end up on the cutting room floor, but there it was: Their two Doberman pinschers, Princess Chloe of Carolina and Mousse au Chocolat, right there on the big screen, sitting proudly and primly next to actor Zac Efron, who you might remember from that little old movie called only in your dreams.

When Bass saw Mousse and Chloe, she let everyone around her know that she was the dog mom — sorry, the stage dog mom — of these two stars.

“Those are my girls!” she told people. “No really! Those were my dogs!”

If there is a prouder dog owner out there ... well, it’s me (even though my dog hasn’t done a single thing to earn that) and probably it’s also you (because I know how dog owners roll).

But actually, let’s face it, right now it’s Bass and deservedly so.

Seeing the cameo last month was a very happy moment for her for two reasons: Not only did she get to relive that day, she got to see Chloe, who sadly died on New Year’s Eve at age 11.

“She made me smile one more time,” Bass said.

Also now that the movie was out, she could finally tell everyone about the day her dogs, Chloe and Mousse, had the opportunity to meet Zac Efron and could not have cared less about it and totally squandered their one opportunity to be the next Mrs. Zachary David Alexander Efron.

“They were completely nonplussed,” Bass said. “None of this went to their heads.”

OK. I know you have questions. Or question. Something like “How can I get MY amazing animal a role in a movie?” right?

Well, I’ll tell you. Bass is the broker-in-charge of SeaBass Properties Real Estate but also a dog trainer, and she and her dogs have volunteered many hours over the years, serving as therapy animals at places such as Parris Island, schools and assisted-living facilities.

Early last year she received a phone call from an animal talent agent (yup) who was given her name as someone who has well-trained dogs.

So, to review, the secret to your dog meeting a Speedo-wearing Efron: Have polite dogs who listen to your commands. Then be known for that.

Or just watch “only in your dreams” a few more times because that’s what I plan to do.

When Bass and her husband drove to Tybee Island, where the movie was filmed in March 2016, they had no idea what to expect, but needless to say they were excited.

“I was smiling the whole way down,” Bass said.

Efron, she said, was quite the professional. He came on set, did some pushups to make his muscles look bigger in the photo, took off his swim trunks off at the last second to reveal that tiny Speedo and then posed with Chloe and Mousse.

“I wasn’t allowed to take any photos,” Bass said. “You can imagine how much I wanted to whip out my phone.”

And then it was over.

Chloe and Mousse and Zac had hit all their marks like real professionals.

“They’re not just a pretty face,” Bass said of her dogs, laughing. “And, I’ll tell you, they were in just as good a shape as Zac Efron.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Zac Efron was in a tiny Speedo and these two SC dogs could not have cared less."