Upcoming Episodes of  The Outsiders (classic)
Friday, Sep 26, 10 pm ET/PT
Featuring Wiggles, Jolene, Mr. Bones and Zoeyann
Road to Recovery (new)
Friday, Oct 3, 10 pm ET/PT
Featuring Vivian, Tooy and Tashi
New Lives (new)
Friday, Oct 10, 10 pm ET/PT
Featuring Wycheck, Knightly and Karina
To read more about the dogs and people featured on National Geographic Channel’s “DogTown,” see the Best Friends “DogTown” web page.
To read more about the “DogTown” series, visit National Geographic Channel’s website. ‘DogTown’ series features dog rescued from puppy mill |
Rave reviews are piling up in advance of tonight’s premiere of National Geographic Channel’s “DogTown,” a documentary series about the phenomenal work Best Friends does to rescue, rehabilitate and adopt out dogs. And as the reviews spread, so does the Best Friends message of hope and kindness toward all animals, especially those who need a second chance at life.
Here’s a selection of the most notable reviews:
The Los Angeles Times
The first paragraph of this effusive review by Times writer Mary McNamara says it all (and we couldn’t have put it any better ourselves):
“It has been a summer of awe-inspiring, thought-provoking spectacle on television. First the Summer Olympics, then the Democratic and Republican national conventions and now the return of ‘Dogtown.’ If that sounds sarcastic or snarky, it isn’t meant to. The two-hour season premiere of the popular National Geographic Channel show is titled ‘Saving the Michael Vick Dogs,’ and if there were such a thing as an Olympics for animal rescue and rehabilitation, this would be it.”
Click here to read more.
TV Guide
This week’s newsstand edition of the iconic TV Guide includes a story entitled “Lucky Dogs,” singing the praises of Best Friends for giving the Vick dogs a second chance (while mentioning that PETA and the Humane Society of the United States had recommended they be euthanized).
“National Geographic’s Dogtown: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs—a two-hour special edition of the Dogtown series—looks at the miraculous techniques used by the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah to rehabilitate pit bulls rescued from the NFL superstar’s compound. The program is sure to bring tears—mostly happy ones.”
The review is reprinted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, available here.
New York Post
TV critic Linda Stasi gives “DogTown” four out of four stars in her story “Ruff House,” describing the premier as “heart wrenching and heartwarming.”
“ ‘The angels at Dogtown took six months of daily care and training to teach the [Vick] dogs to trust humans,’ Stasi concludes, ‘and you’ll see it work before your eyes. The folks at Dogtown almost – almost – make you forget filth like Vick.’ ”
Read the story here.
ABC News
This feature story, which includes an interview with Dogtown manager Michelle Besmehn, discusses Best Friends’ successful rehabilitation of the Vick dogs and the changing attitude toward fight dogs.
Read the story here.
New York Times
This venerable national daily, which has already printed two flattering stories about Best Friends, continues its praise.
“As the aggressive Meryl playfully jumps through tires and runs happily through agility course tunnels, the terrified Cherry plays with another dog for the first time, and the fighter Georgia cuddles with a giant stuffed animal, the point of view appears justified. And the capacity for healing, from even the most devastating damage, takes a bow.”
Read more here.
Star-Ledger
In “Mom’s TV Log,” a guide to children’s television in this New Jersey daily, Jacqueline Cutler writes: “[Pit bulls] were a symbol of bravery and intelligence until people started breeding them to become snarling, ambulatory weapons. It’s estimated there are now 3 million pit bulls in the United States, and dozens of towns have banned them.
“Yet watching these [Vick] dogs shed their killer ways and become playful pups is an absolute wonder. The series gives hope to anyone who worried about these dogs.”
Read the story here.
St. Louis Dispatch
Writer Gail Pannington calls “DogTown” inspiring, noting: “When I come back from a TV confab in Los Angeles, people always ask, what stars did you meet? This summer, my favorite star may have been Georgia, a rehabbed pit bull who paid a visit for the National Geographic Channel and its series ‘Dogtown.’”
Read the review here.
Darynkagan.com
Former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan spreads the good news of DogTown in her blog: “Whatever you think about pit bulls, if you’re simply a dog lover who thinks nothing of getting up in the middle of the night to clean up the remnants of your dog’s upset tummy, you’ll appreciate the lengths these incredible folks at Best Friends are going to help and love some dogs that definitely drew the short straw in their first go ‘round with humans.”
Read the full blog here.
Morning Sentinel
In its preview of “DogTown,” this Maine daily interviews series producer Darcy Dennet.
“ ‘It’s a show about second chances and about finding hope where there would otherwise be no hope,’ Dennet says. ‘I think it could have a big impact on the way people perceive animals and animal welfare. Puppy mills, hoarding, dog fighting, they’re definitely worthwhile topics. [The people at Best Friends] work with dogs that might seem unadoptable by most standards, and show you what happens if you get to know that dog, and the potential behind it. Which is a very positive message to send.’ ”
Click here to read the story.
Washington Post
This national daily quotes Dogtown manager Michelle Besmehn and trainer John Garcia in its preview of the upcoming “DogTown” premier.
“ ‘I want people to realize that just because they’ve had a bad history doesn’t mean they’re bad dogs,’ Besmehn says. ‘They were chained or taken out for fighting, and now we’re teaching them basic life skills.’ ”
Click here to read the story.
Daily Press
About the Vick dogs (Georgia, Denzel, Meryl and Cherry) featured in tonight’s “DogTown” episode, writer Tamara Dietrich declares, “These four dogs had me at ‘arf.’”
Read the story here.
And the list of stories keeps growing….
Houston Chronicle
Chicago Sun-Times
Columbus Dispatch
TV with MeeVee
TCPalm
Story by Ted Brewer
Photos of Cherry by Gary Kalpakoff
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For more about the dogs and staff featured in the premiere, check out the new Dogtown web page.
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