Greatest American Dog

Most of the reality shows about humans have not been on my top ten hit parade, so you can only imagine my reluctance to become involved in a series featuring a group of strangers living together in a house along with their dogs. They are assigned a variety of different tasks upon which the dog and their owner are judged.

Nevertheless, after viewing the second show the other day, I totally regret missing the premier airing of the new canine/human reality show, "Greatest American Dog." Now I am going to have to wait for the re-runs to learn what I missed in the first episode. I am completely enchanted.

What prompted me to view the show was how loudly one of my avid dog loving friends raved about the show. She urged me to watch, so I quickly programmed my DVR recorder, adding it to my list of priority shows, so I would not forget it again. Upon viewing it, I found it to be a totally accessible and delightful program, which captured my interest within the first three minutes, one of my criteria to continue watching.

Ranging from a Manhattan doctor with a Parson Russell Terrier named Elvis, to a Giant Schnauzer, Kenji and her owner from Texas who aspires to open a dog salon, to a Brittany Spaniel, Star, owned by a building maintenance man from Flint, Michigan, the human competitors come from all walks of life. The canine competitors, most of which are pedigreed pooches, even include a mutt. The show was created and produced by the Emmy-winning documentary specialist R. J. Cutler, ("American High").

Competition is based upon which dog can best follow instructions and silent cues. Judges watch carefully for how the owners handle their dogs how they relate with them, and I also secretly suspect how the humans interact with one another.

I was moved to tears when Star, the Brittany spaniel was mysteriously injured while on a romp outside the house, with a suspected snakebite. He was rushed to a nearby veterinary emergency hospital, his distraught owner, inconsolably upset. Happily, it was not a life threatening injury, but more than likely the result of a defensive cat lurking in a shrub, nipping him on the ear.

While watching the Giant Schnauzer who was being handled very roughly by her owner, giving impatient, confusing snappy commands, I was overjoyed by their elimination at the conclusion of the second episode. The Texan was visibly not thrilled with the Judges' decision but I sincerely hope that she will take their advice to heart and change her training methods.

I am looking forward to the next episode and can hardly wait to see it. I highly recommend this series to all dog lovers as it is informative, dramatic and highly enjoyable.

If you have watched the show, what are your feelings about it? Are you enjoying it as much as I am? Please leave a comment and share your views.

You can watch full episodes of the show here: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/greatest_american_dog/