ABC’s ‘The American Rescue Dog Show’ aims to encourage pet adoption – Desert Sun
The Westminster Canine show highlights the best and brightest of the upper echelon of dogs, but how many people actually have a show dog at home? What about all the rescue dogs — when do they get to shine?
Fear not, “The American Rescue Dog Show” is back in order to highlight our furry friends associated with all lineage.
Michael Levitt Productions — helmed by Palm Springs resident Jordan Levitt — brings the TV special “The United states Rescue Dog Show” to ABC on Wednesday. The particular special, which first aired in 2018, is a riff on “The Westminster Dog Show, ” yet all the competing dogs are rescues.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, over 3. 1 million dogs enter shelters each year. Of these, more than 390, 000 are euthanized. While that number is devastating, it is down from over 2. 6 mil in 2011, so progress will be being made. This decline can be partially explained by an increase in the particular percentage of animals adopted and an increase in the number associated with stray animals successfully returned to their owners.
The good news, however, is that over 2 million canines find their forever homes every year.
“The American Save Dog Show” is a two-hour joyous celebration of these four-legged friends. Recovery pups will compete with regard to such honors as “Best in Belly Rubs, ” “Best in Snoring, inch and “Best in Underbite, ” in order to name just a few. The winners from each category will certainly then compete to be crowned “Best in Rescue” of 2022.
A $10, 000 donation to a local animal welfare organization may be made in honor from the winning canine in every category, and each category winner will have the chance to become named “Best In Rescue” and earn an additional $100, 000 monetary gift. Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore host the special with ESPN’s Monica McNutt serving as sideline correspondent. Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”), Leslie Jordan (“Will & Grace”) and Paula Abdul (no explanation needed) are this year’s celebrity judges.
Levitt, a good Emmy award nominee who lives in the particular Coachella Valley and specializes in non-scripted and live content shows, created the show along with fellow producers Jill Goularte and Jennifer Schulz.
It came regarding due to a tragic event within Levitt’s life.
“In 2011, when my sister was dying of cancer, I knew We needed the dog in my life, ” Levitt told The Wilderness Sun. “My partner Marc and I rescued a pit bull named Trooper. He rocked our world and am learned firsthand that adage associated with ‘Who Rescued Who? ‘”
Trooper came into Levitt’s life exactly when he need him. The dog helped Levitt through his grieving process, and because the particular experience of adopting him was therefore impactful, Levitt decided to take a year-long hiatus through his other TV work to focus on projects that save dogs.
“I started creating rescue-themed programming that could possess an impact on a national level, inch Levitt said. “To date, I’ve produced six primetime rescue-themed specials…. The exposure we get from spotlighting rescue dogs on ABC and Hulu is massive and truly a dream come true regarding me. ”
Along with Trooper, Levitt and their partner have got adopted two more rescue dogs, Nelson and Archie. All three are senior pit bulls, a breed that has a bad reputation born from people breeding them to end up being aggressive fight dogs.
“They are smart, gentle, funny and they are wonderful ambassadors for the breed. I am so proud to be their dad, ” this individual said.
Like Westminster, the rescue canines on this particular program show their stuff in a fancy arena, surrounded by celeb judges all dressed intended for the occasion. The difference is that on “The American Rescue Dog Display, ” these people are not judged upon their bloodlines or conformation, they are usually celebrated for their “perfect imperfections, ” Levitt said.
Along with the aforementioned awards, these dogs contend for titles in much more relatable categories such as “Best in Snoring, ” “Best within Underbite, ” “Best in Talking” plus “Best within Couch Potato. ”
Levitt’s hope is usually that seeing these dogs on their own screen can encourage viewers to consider rescuing a pooch of their own.
“The cuteness overload on this show is off the charts, ” he or she said. “From puppies in order to seniors, special needs canines, purebreds, mutts and pit bulls… what all associated with them have in common is they will are affectionate, loving and so eager to please. ”
Levitt urges individuals to adopt from shelters particularly because most dogs up to get adoption don’t have issues, “people failed all of them. ”
“These canines deserve a second chance, inch he stated. “And when people rescue, it makes the experience of being a dog parent all the more rewarding because these dogs know you’ve saved their particular life and they let you know it every single day. ”
Beyond sharing the beauty of pet ownership, Levitt hopes the display reminds individuals how important it is to spay and neuter their canines and cats.
“Shelters are overflowing because people are irresponsible and don’t fix their animals, ” he mentioned. “There’s so many misconceptions about spay and neutering. The bottom line is, responsible people fix their creatures because these people understand there’s an overpopulation of pets with no place to go. ”
Whatever you choose to do to help make a rescue’s life better, keep in mind that will local animal shelters always need support. Whether you want to walk, feed, or even read to animals, Levitt noted there are various volunteer opportunities within the Coachella Area.
And if you don’t have time to offer, Levitt added that people can always drop off newspapers, blankets plus other supplies at pet shelters, or simply share their own posts on social media.
“All it takes is one share… one of your followers might just be that person that will ends up adopting that dog. That’s pretty powerful! ”
“The American Save Dog Show” will air at 9 p. m. PST upon Wednesday on ABC, and will also be available to stream on Hulu.
How in order to help
If “The United states Rescue Canine Show” inspires you, here are some Coachella Valley shelters: