Dogs with Jobs

Dogs with Jobs
Genre	Documentary
Developed by	Merrily Weisbord, Kim Kachanoff
Written by	Sara Gilbert, Maura Kealey, Shelley Tepperman, Jon Kalina, others
Directed by	Serge Marcil, Susan Mawhood, Eli Gorn, Ole Gjerstad, Ramelle Mair, others
Narrated by	Jon Kalina, John Ralston, others
Theme music composer	Lance Neveu, Mathieu Vanasse
Country of origin	Canada
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	65
Production
Executive producer(s)	Glen Salzman, David York, Katherine Buck, Andre Barro, others
Producer(s)	Maura Kealey, Robert DeLeskie, others
Editor(s)	Barbara Brown, George T. Clarke, others
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Cineflix, National Geographic Channel, Slice
Distributor	CBC, National Geographic Channel, PBS, Slice
Release
Original release	2000 – 2004
Chronology
Related shows	Animals at Work
External links
Website

Dogs with Jobs is a Canadian documentary television series about working dogs and show dogs.^[1][2] Each half-hour episode consists of two to three segments on individual dogs from around the world.^[1] The family-friendly series has featured service dogs, search and rescue dogs, police dogs, herding dogs, and others. Segments show footage of dogs on the job, and also include stories of their rescue, training, and relationships with their owners and handlers.

Production and broadcast

Title card from Dogs with Jobs

The idea for the series came from Canadian writer Merrily Weisbord and her daughter, veterinarian Kim Kachanoff. They made use of a "doggie-cam", giving viewers a glimpse into the dog's perspective.^[3]

Weisbord and Kachanoff sold the show to Cineflix producer Glen Salzman, who presented it in a "market simulation" at the 1998 Banff International Television Festival.^[3][4] The series premiered on Canada's Life Network (now Slice), where it received positive ratings and reviews, before premiering in the US a year later in the form of a 90-minute compilation during a PBS pledge drive.^[3]

The series is produced by Cineflix, in association with Slice in Canada and the National Geographic Channel internationally. The series' initial run lasted five seasons, from 2000 to 2004, including 65 episodes, and airing in 57 countries.^[1][5] As of November 2014, the first three seasons were available on Netflix instant streaming.^[6][7] As of February 2016, the first two seasons were available to stream on Netflix instant streaming.^[6]

Reception

In his The New York Times review, film critic Matthew Hays wrote that "the gently narrated, heartwarming stories of Dogs With Jobs are certainly the antithesis of other reality-based animal programming like Fox's When Animals Attack", and called the show "as simple and as slightly absurd as its name".^[3]

The series earned a cult following and achieved strong international sales. Said executive producer Glen Salzman, "This show really does work like magic with audiences." The series was featured on a segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2000.^[3][4]

Common Sense Media awarded the show four out of five stars for quality, and three out of five points for inclusion of positive messages. They deemed it appropriate for children aged five and older, calling it "a good TV choice for the family" and "a great way to introduce kids to the idea of a 'working dog' so that they can recognize and respect those they might meet in everyday life."^[8]

Animals at Work dispute

In 2012, Merrily Weisbord, who developed the show, sued Cineflix and producer Glen Salzman in Quebec Superior Court for $400,000 over their program Animals at Work, also called Frisky Business. Weisbord alleged that the program was a knockoff or sequel of Dogs with Jobs, having the same structure, and even featuring at least fifteen of the same dogs.^[5]

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"Maggie & A.J."	January 8, 2000
Maggie is a chocolate lab who works as a service dog for an autistic 7-year-old boy in Alberta, Canada; A.J. is a bloodhound who searches for missing pets in California.
2	2	"Bruno & Honey"	2000
Bruno is a German Shepherd police dog who has saved his partner's life and Honey is a Cocker Spaniel companion dog trained by an inmate at a women's prison.
3	3	"Sarcelle & Sweep"	2000
Sarcelle is a Bernese Mountain Dog who is a service-assistance and seeing-eye dog in Quebec. Sweep is an English Border Collie who herds sheep and is a field trial champion.
4	4	"Landris & Wolf"	2000
Landris is a Belgian Shepherd who works with a counter-terrorism unit in Austria. Wolf is a Russian Wolfhound who tries for a world record high-jump in Canada.
5	5	"Nipper & Bellow"	2000
Nipper is an abandoned dog in upstate New York who becomes a star representing RCA. Bellow is an Anatolian Shepherd who protects a flock of goats from cheetahs in Namibia.
6	6	"Endal & Dee"	2000
Endal is a Labrador Retriever who assists a disabled Gulf War veteran in England. Dee is a Greyhound who retired from the race track to become a family pet.
7	7	"Petro & Mel"	2000
Petro is a German Shepherd who lives in Florida and travels the world as a search and rescue dog. Mel is a Standard Poodle entered in Canada's most prestigious dog show.
8	8	"Willy & Rope"	2000
Willy is a Golden Retriever who helps a woman with epilepsy in Michigan. Rope is a Border Collie who herds cattle in Alberta, Canada.
9	9	"Corky & Malcolm"	2000
Corky is a Labrador Retriever who works as a seeing-eye dog in New York City. Malcolm is a Labrador Retriever who flunked out of guide-dog school. He now works as an arson investigation dog for the Montreal police.
10	10	"Clipper & Bam-Bam"	2000
Clipper was a German Shepard who worked as a patrol dog for the U.S. Army in Vietnam. Bam-Bam is a Labrador Retriever who works as a bomb-sniffing dog in New York City.
11	11	"Kavic & Mas"	2000
Kavik is a Malamute-timber wolf mix who stars in the TV series, "Call of the Wild". Mas is a Newfoundland who works as a water rescue dog for the Italian Coast Guard.
12	12	"Dani & King"	2000
Dani is a Beagle who survived cancer and works as a therapy-dog for children at a hospital in Los Angeles. King sniffs out land mines left over from the war in Bosnia.
13	13	"Sled Dog"	2000
Dolphin is an Alaskan Husky (a mixed-breed from Siberian Huskies, Malamutes and other breeds) who is the lead dog on a dog-sled racing team. Dolphin and the team compete in a 3 day, 300 mile dog-sled race in Minnesota.
14	1	"Gracie, Tiger, & Klondike"	January 15, 2001
Gracie is a Greyhound who is the mascot for Greyhound Bus in Canada. Tiger is a Great Pyrenees who protects a flock of sheep from predators in British Columbia. Klondike is an Old English Sheepdog who learns how to herd sheep in Virginia.
15	2	"Popsicle: Drug-bust Dog/Popsicle, Harvey, and Tattie"	2001
Popsicle is an American Staffordshire Terrier mix who sniffs out drugs in Texas. Harvey, a West Highland Terrier, is a companion dog at a nursing home in Kentucky. Tattie is a Border Collie who keeps a golf course in Ohio free of geese.
16	3	"Tilly: Arson Dog/Tilly, Murphy, and Madison"	2001
Tilly is a Border Collie who investigates fires in Pretoria, South Africa. Murphy is a Golden Retriever who works as a therapy dog in Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is a lab mix who "works" at a bakery for dogs in Toronto.
17	4	"Tokkolos: Big Cat Parent/Tokkolos, Barkley, and Rookie"	2001
Tokkolos is a male Jack Russell Terrier who has the job of being "Mom" to orphaned lion and cheetah cubs at a remote African animal sanctuary. Barkley, a lovable Golden Retriever takes risks as he trains for search and rescue missions. Rookie the Beagle works at Mirabel Airport sniffing for contraband food - from a forgotten apple to a smuggled sausage from the homeland.
18	5	"Ginny: The Dog Who Rescues Cats/Ginny, Basil, and Freddie"	2001
Ginny is a Schnauzer-Siberian Husky mix who rescues feral cats on Long Island, New York. Basil is an Australian Kelpie who herds sheep in New South Wales. Freddie is a Great Dane who works as a walking billboard in Toronto.
19	6	"Rowdy: TV Star/Rowdy, Wizard, and Rio"	2001
Rowdy is a mixed breed who stars in the television series, "100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd". Wizard is a Golden Retriever who works as a maître d' at a restaurant in Cape Town. Rio is a Portuguese Water Dog who retrieves baseballs from San Francisco Bay.
20	7	"Tombre: Special Companion/Tombre, Rosa, and Gabe"	2001
Tombre is a Labrador Retriever who works as a companion dog in Portland, Oregon. Rosa is a Japanese Labrador Retriever who competes in canine Frisbee contests in Saitama, Japan. Gabe is a Golden Retriever who is a camp counselor in Fraser Canyon, British Columbia.
21	8	"MacKenzie: Guide Dog/MacKenzie, Bear, Tess, and Blue"	2001
MacKenzie, a Labrador Retriever, is a guide dog in Oakville, Ontario. Bear, a Newfoundland, helps train teen lifeguards in the Cotswolds, England. Tess and Blue, Border Collies, herd elk in Banff, Alberta.
22	9	"Fay Wray: Artist's Muse/Fay Wray, Jake, and Toby"	2001
Fay Wray, a Weimaraner in New York City, was artist, William Wegman's, most famous model. Jake, a German Shepherd, protects the environment in Saint John, New Brunswick. Toby, a Labrador Retriever, sniffs out drugs in West Hills, California.
23	10	"Marty and the Madcap Mutts/Marty, Tasha, and Nana"	2001
Marty and the Madcap Mutts, ex-shelter dogs, perform fundraisers for animal shelters in New Jersey and Connecticut. Tasha, a German Shepherd, was trained to be a service dog at a prison in Washington. Nana, an Akita, learns agility skills in Tokyo, Japan.
24	11	"Kiyoshi: Double Duty Dog/Kiyoshi, Brix, Ellie"	2001
Brix, a German Shepherd, is a police dog in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Kiyoshi, an Akita, is a therapy dog in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ellie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, adopts orphaned bunnies in Sussex, England.
25	12	"Yukon: Search and Rescue Dog/Yukon, Biggles, and Kodak"	2001
Yukon, an American-Canadian White Shepherd, is an avalanche rescue dog in Davos, Switzerland. Biggles, a Bloodhound, is the lead dog in a drag hunt in Kent, England. Kodak, a German Shepherd, is a daredevil in the Wisconsin Dells.
26	13	"Johnny and the Sled Dogs/Johnny, Bozo, and Flip-Flop"	2001
Johnny, a Husky-mix, is the lead sled-dog for a 15 year-old, blind musher. in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Bozo, a Labrador-Bouvier Bernois mix, assists a woman in a wheelchair in Montreal, Quebec. Flip-Flop, a mix-breed, surfs with his owner in England.
27	1	"Tuffy, Lulu, and Wiley"	January 12, 2002
A dog tracks bears who come too close to people in Russia and Finland. A Golden Retriever helps out at a preschool. The Coast Guard employs a patrol canine.
28	2	"Kaze, Haci, and Paugan"	2002
Kaze is an Alaskan Malamute that works as a rescue dog in California. Meet a Traditional Hungarian herding dog and Paugan, employed by the National Speech and Language Association.
29	3	"Stan, Fudge, and Rocky"	2002
Stanley, a German Shepherd, does one-on-one rehabilitation training. Fudge becomes a guide dog for an 11-year-old girl. Rocky does singing spots on TV for the SPCA.
30	4	"Kenny: A Hearing Dog/Kenny, Daisy, and Duncan"	2002
A Golden Retriever, Kenny, hears what the owner cannot. Daisy is a Boston Terrier who co-hosts a television show. A paralyzed Collie, Duncan, turns to Canine Musical Freestyle.
31	5	"Eagle, Vasala, Tillamook Cheddar"	2002
Eagle is a certified forensic Doberman-Pointer mix. Vasala is a German Shepherd star of film, commercials, and print ads. Tillamook Cheddar is a Jack Russell Terrier that paints and has solo art shows in New York City.
32	6	"Lucy, Harvey, and Chokydar"	2002
Lucy is employed as a bear ranger and Harvey is trained to alert his owner of oncoming epileptic seizures. Chokydar is a Russian estate dog who performs at the Stratford Festival.
33	7	"Cheko, Ben, Sam"	2002
Cheko is a police dog in Washington, D.C. Ben is a top search-and-rescue Border Collie. Sam is a product tester and CEO of a kennel cafe.
34	8	"Birba, Uga VI, & Maggie"	October 22, 2002
A Standard Poodle sniffs out truffles. The University of Georgia bulldog has a mascot job. A Labrador Retriever herds and nets trout.
35	9	"Speedy and Friends: London Police Dogs/Speedy, Bruce Wayne, and Mr. Gomez"	2002
Meet two police dogs in London that patrol the Square Mile Bank District and Bruce Wayne who can locate bat colonies. Mr. Gomez is the lead dog of the Muttville Comix in New York.
36	10	"Elite, Valen, and Tracker"	2002
Meet a Spanish Water Dog who overcomes an abusive past and competes in agility contests. Valen is a Golden Retriever who helps children with disabilities. Tracker is a Beagle who sniffs out termites.
37	11	"Peek, Canaan, Willi"	2002
Peek is a dog that performs chores for its wheelchair-bound owner. Canaan is a canine caretaker of birds at an emu farm. Willi is a dog on subway patrol in Barcelona, Spain.
38	12	"Beau, Dar, and Jumpin' Jack"	2002
Beau the Dalmatian is in training to become a therapy dog. Dar, a German Shepherd, works with the Texas Department of Insurance. Jack performs in halftime shows.
39	13	"Turbeaux, Killu, and Ruby"	October 25, 2002
A champion dog climbs walls and jumps hurdles. A dog stops sheep from falling off mountainsides. A dog scooters.
40	1	"Annie, Casey, and Sailor"	January 11, 2003
Meet a Basset Hound that competes in agility trials, a Pug that visits hospital patients, and a Border Collie that supervises its offspring's training as a stable hand.
41	2	"Zelda, Azili, Amy"	2003
A photogenic Bulldog models for greeting cards. A dog guards the chickens. A seeing-eye dog works for other dogs.
42	3	"Moby, Morgan, Barney"	2003
A dog acts as a boat crew member. A dog is a helper of a narcoleptic. A dog that is a drug detection dog.
43	4	"Part-Ex, Bingo, Morgan"	March 28, 2003
Part-Ex, a Jack Russell Terrier, is an extreme-sports champion. Bingo is a Golden Retriever training to be a service dog. Morgan is a hired hotel companion.
44	5	"Teabag, Harris, Barack, and China"	2003
Teabag, a rescued Greyhound-Whippet cross, joins the Rockwood Animals Dog Display team. Hearing dogs, Harris and Barack, undergo a certification test, and a Great Pyrenees pup learns to guard a flock of alpacas.
45	6	"Bonita, Lily, Wheely Willy"	2003
Bonita herds cattle in Colorado. Lily detects dangerous mold in homes, hospitals, and schools. Willy visits disabled children.
46	7	"Ben, Jonah, Koby"	August 4, 2003
Sheep herder, Ben, has won three major sheep trials. Jonah, a German Shepherd, and his handler are members of Seattle's K-9 unit. Koby has a job in Hawaii.
47	8	"Nikki, Kelsey, and Aron"	2003
Nikki, a Portuguese Water Dog competes at herding fish, retrieving tackle, and delivering messages to other ships. Kelsey, an Australian Shepherd, entertains at rodeos, and Aron, a Belgian Malinois is a skilled scent detector.
48	9	"Kaiser, Tikva, Macho"	2003
Kaiser trains to be a Royal Canadian Mounted Police dog. Tikva is a member of the Hope Crisis Response Team.
49	10	"Vernon, Bodhi, Baron"	2003
Featured: Vernon, a guide dog for the blind; Bodhi, a show dog in-training; and Baron, a Boxer learning to be a service dog.
50	11	"Eddie, Velino, Sir Lancelot"	2003
Eddie, a Terrier mix, works as a therapy dog in Asia. Velino, a Maremma, protects a flock of sheep. Sir Lancelot donates blood.
51	12	"Vera, Joe Cowboy, and Thirty"	October 7, 2003
Vera works with the Humanitarian Demining Program. Joe Cowboy uses his uncanny scenting ability to find missing persons. Thirty is a fire dog.
52	13	"Beauty, Cinder, and Blaze"	2003
A chemical alert dog, Beauty, protects her owner from chemicals that may cause lung failure. Cinder herds sheep.
53	1	"Nyack, Cinder, Clancy"	January 10, 2004
Nyack is the star of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Cinder is a police dog. Clancy goes to schools to help them get rid of mercury.
54	2	"Cooper, Wasabi, Frito"	2004
Cooper sniffs out a murder case. Wasabi is a psychiatric assistance dog. Frito prepares to make a comeback at the Incredible Challenge finals.
55	3	"Zoro, Suzy Q, and Sven"	2004
A dog is a wildlife conservationist. A dog helps with autism. A dog is a rock star.
56	4	"Dakota, Orca, and Target"	2004
Dakota is one of the best search-and-rescue dogs in North America. Golden Retriever, Orca, saves her owner's life. Target helps conserve bird populations.
57	5	"Cass, Buddy, and Mercedes"	2004
Cass, a Border Collie, trains to be a sheep-trial champion. Buddy volunteers at a reading center. Mercedes works at the African Lion Safari as a cheetah nanny.
58	6	"Peewee, Zeke, Ozzy"	2004
A nineteen month old cowpoke Border Collie competes in a cattle dog trial. Zeke is a guide dog to Sozan, a priest who is nearly blind. Ozzy works at the organization Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.
59	7	"Cindy, Chipper, Hope"	2004
A Greyhound tries to win the National High Jumping title. An Italian Greyhound is a self-taught seizure alert dog. A Border Collie uses sheep herding to teach self-confidence.
60	8	"Piripiri, Pugsly, Joshi"	2004
A Labrador Retriever tracks down the endangered Kiwi bird; largest dog ever trained by the Canine Companions for Independence as a service dog.
61	9	"Ana, Bill, and Hairless"	2004
In this episode meet Ana, a search-and-rescue dog deployed in disasters, Bill, a competing racing Whippet, and Hairless, a Chinese Crested Dog that signs in a busking act.
62	10	"Pay, Fergus, Blossom"	February 23, 2004
A sled dog competes in the sport of bikejoring. A service dog assists a fibromyalgia patient. A Shar-Pei goes on a photoshoot.
63	11	"Huntaway Steam, Heavenly Angel, Mike"	March 1, 2004
A Dutch Shepherd helps the United States Secret Service weed out counterfeit currency. A dog named Huntaway Steam herds over one thousand deer per day in New Zealand.
64	12	"Jassel, Ingrid, Hogan"	2004
A New Zealand Heading Dog guides her owner who is hard of hearing and is losing her sight. A Cardigan Welsh Corgi competes in an all-breed herding competition. A Labrador Retriever competes at an indoor dock-jumping competition.
65	13	"Keno, Mentor, Prince"	2004
A Labrador Retriever works at the Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia as an avalanche rescue dog. A Standard Poodle helps an amputee. A Beagle sniffs out forbidden fruit at the Auckland International Airport.

^[9]

See also

• K-9 to 5, an American television series about working dogs

References

1. "Dogs with Jobs". Cineflix Productions. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
2. Dogs with Jobs at the Internet Movie Database
3. Hays, Matthew (December 3, 2000). "Wanted: Dogs With Jobs And Heartwarming Tales". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
4. McLeod, Tyler (November 26, 2004). "A nose for hard work". Canoe.com. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
5. Swaby, Nickeesha (August 23, 2012). "$400,000 Demand for Dog Show Sequel". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
6. "Dogs with Jobs". Netflix. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
7. "Dogs with Jobs is now available on Netflix Instant". Twitter. November 15, 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
8. "Dogs With Jobs". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
9. http://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=season&seriesid=306428&seasonid=653433&lid=7