First Five New Episodes of “DogTown"
The Survivors
March 20, 10 p.m. ET/PT
Featuring Aristotle, Electra and Waylon Against The Odds March 27, 10 p.m. ET/PT
Featuring Mei Mei, Gertie and Charro Starting Over
April 3, 10 p.m. ET/PT
Featuring Haley, Hana, Hugo and Ava New Hope
April 10, 10 p.m. ET/PT
Featuring Rush, Jasmine and Scruffy A Fighting Chance
April 17, 10 p.m. ET/PT
Featuring Gunnar, Theresa and Little Girl | |
Some people might have given up on Waylon, an aggressive chow mix who lashes out unpredictably. They might have thought there was no hope for Rush, a withdrawn and frightened shepherd mix rescued from a war-torn country in the Middle East. They might have believed that Theresa, an abandoned pit bull with a mysterious mass in her belly, was just too far gone to be saved.
But Best Friends doesn’t give up on dogs, and that’s what the new season of the National Geographic Channel’s popular series, “DogTown,” premiering March 20, is all about.
The wisdom viewers will take with them from each new episode is that one should never give up hope, and that with time, and plenty of patience and love, dogs can overcome their challenges and have a chance at finding forever homes.
The new season shows, above all, “that dogs are individuals” and “that every life deserves a second chance,” says Elissa Jones, managing producer of special projects for Best Friends.
“Our trainers and caregivers and veterinarians are amazing people doing groundbreaking work,” Jones says. “These shows aren’t just good, entertaining television, but important, educational stories about the work we do here at Best Friends – work that can be continued by anyone out there in the world.”
The National Geographic Channel has released information on the first five episodes of the new season. A later episode will include an update on the Vicktory dogs (rescued from the estate of former football star Michael Vick).
Here’s a little more about the other special dogs viewers will get to know, and love, in the new season of “DogTown.”
The Survivors
The season premier, airing March 20, will introduce viewers to Aristotle, a terrier mix that Best Friends rescued from a hoarding situation. Aristotle comes to Best Friends Dogtown with a terrible skin condition, but with the help of Dr. Mike Dix and some special medication and care, the shy puppy transforms into a “bouncing, not-itching monkey” with a bright future.
The show also features Electra, one of eight beagles that Best Friends’ resident animal behavior specialist Sherry Woodard saved from euthanasia. Electra has a potentially fatal illness caused by parasites.
And Best Friends trainer Pat Whitacre works with Waylon, a frightened chow mix who lashes out unpredictably.
Against the Odds
This episode, airing March 27, follows Dogtown co-manager Michelle Besmehn to Los Angeles, where she helps rescue several older dogs from a crowded puppy mill. Mei Mei has spent her life in a cage and needs Besmehn’s help to become house-trained. Gertie, a bulgy-eyed shih tzu, requires just the right home to meet her special needs.
Viewers will also meet Charro, a Lab mix with a persistent cough who was rescued from a neglectful home by an animal welfare group. Dr. Dix performs a risky lung surgery on Charro that he’s never done before.
Starting Over
Airing April 3, this episode introduces viewers to Haley and Hanna, two homeless dogs rescued from an underground pit in Ethiopia where it’s believed they were dumped two months before. Can Woodard help these street dogs overcome their fears and improve their social skills to give them a better chance of finding a forever home?
This episode also features Hugo, a 100-pound bloodhound who is returned to Dogtown after biting a family member. Watch Whitacre work his special magic with Hugo and show him a safer way to interact.
Viewers will also meet Ava, a golden retriever whose paw has been ripped apart by a coyote trap. Best Friends veterinarian Patti Iampietro takes a chance and removes just two of Ava’s toes in an attempt to save her leg. Will this playful dog get back her full and active life?
New Hope
This episode, airing April 10, features Rush, a shepherd mix suffering from a canine version of post-traumatic stress after being airlifted from a war zone in the Middle East. After being bitten by the dog, Best Friends Dogtown co-manager and trainer John Garcia patiently works with Rush to help him learn to trust people again.
“It just takes a lot of patience, a lot of TLC … and a pocket full of chicken,” Garcia says about working with challenging dogs like Rush.
Meanwhile, Best Friends adoption coordinator Kristi Littrell works with a rejected beagle named Jasmine who stumbles when she walks and can’t control her bladder. Will doggie diapers be the solution?
Viewers will also fall in love with Scruffy, a terrier mix who managed to survive Hurricane Katrina, but is still petrified of walking through doorways and getting into cars.
A Fighting Chance
In this episode, airing April 17, singer and musician Emmylou Harris, who runs a small rescue called Bonaparte’s Retreat, calls for help with a shepherd mix named Gunnar. Woodard comes up with a plan to help Gunnar overcome his fear-based aggression.
The episode also features an abandoned pit bull named Theresa, who has a mysterious mass in her belly. Theresa has a history of skin cancer, so Dr. Iampietro must do exploratory surgery to see if the cancer has spread internally.
And the unlikely combination of the outgoing Garcia and a painfully shy Catahoula mix named Little Girl proves rewarding for both. Watch as Garcia teaches Little Girl to trust the world – one person at a time.
Written by Sandy Miller
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 the National Geographic Channel’s Web site.
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
