A professional trainer is being flown in from Hollywood to coach the latest in a long line of Welsh stars to hit the silver screen.

Catherine Zeta Jones may have been grabbing the headlines recently but not for much longer as a litter of Dalmatian puppies are poised to make a huge impression starring alongside another home-grown name Ioan Gruffydd.

Home for the stars of the latest Hollywood blockbuster 102 Dalmatians is a far cry from the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills.

But the humble 18th Century cottage at Temple Bar near Lampeter in west Wales, is proving to be a ideal place for the five pups to rest in between rehearsals.

They are following in the pawprints of their brothers and sisters who starred in the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians.

One rare virtually spotless pup is set for a lead role in the film and it for him that the professional trainer, hired by Disney, is shortly to arrive.

"The pups are trained with pieces of Frankfurt sausage," owner Greg Stevenson explains.

"Every time they do something right, they're given a piece of sausage and the pups just love it."

After that, the Dalmatians head for Shepperton Studios where they will be filming for ten days where they will, of course, be receiving star treatment.

"They've got a special hotel down them for them which is painted in bright pink I believe," says Mr Stevenson.

"There's pictures of bones on the wall and they have a nurse 24 hours a day, they get chauffeur-driven everywhere around the set. They treat them like stars, they really do."

The stars should be appearing on the big screen by Christmas. The only challenge remaining... to single them out from the 97 other four-legged co-stars.