''Dogs with Jobs'' is a Canadian

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

television series about

working dog A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs. Definitions vary on what a working dog is, they are sometimes described as any dog trained for and employed in meaningful work; other times as any ...

s and show dogs. Each half-hour episode consists of two to three segments on individual dogs from around the world. The

family-friendly A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...

series has featured

service dog An assistance dog is a dog that receives specialized training to aid an individual with a disability in navigating everyday life. Assistance dogs can be trained by an organization, or by their handler. Terminology 'Assistance dog' is the inte ...

search and rescue dog A search-and-rescue (SAR) dog is a dog trained to respond to crime scenes, accidents, missing persons events, as well as Natural disaster, natural or Disaster, man-made disasters. These dogs detect human scent, which is a distinct odor of skin f ...

police dog A police dog, also known as a K-9 (phonemic abbreviation of canine), is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, findin ...

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a Dog type, type of dog that either has been trained in herding livestock or belongs to one of the dog breed, breeds that were developed for herding. A dog specifically trained to he ...

s, and others. Segments show footage of dogs on the job, and also include stories of their

rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, removal from danger, liberation from restraint, or the urgent treatment of injury, injuries after an incident. It may be facilitated by a range of tools and equipm ...

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

, and relationships with their owners and handlers.

Production and broadcast

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. Weisbord and Kachanoff sold the show to

Cineflix Cineflix Media is a Canadian global media production and distribution company. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it has branches in Toronto, New York City, London, and Dublin. Subsidiaries include United Kingdom-based Cineflix Rights, ...

producer Glen Salzman, who presented it in a "market simulation" at the September 7, 1998 Banff International Television Festival. The series premiered on Canada's

Life Network Slice is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts programming targeting young adult women, including comedy, reality, lifestyle, and true crime programming. It was launched on J ...

(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 The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

pledge drive A pledge drive is an extended period of fundraising activities, generally used by public broadcasting stations to increase contributions. The term " pledge" originates from the promise that a contributor makes to send in funding at regular interva ...

. The series is produced by Cineflix, in association with Slice in Canada and the

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...

internationally. The series' initial run lasted five seasons, from January 8, 2000 to September 7, 2004, including 65 episodes, and airing in 57 countries. As of November 2014, the first three seasons were available on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

instant streaming. As of February 2016, the first two seasons were available to stream on Netflix instant streaming.

Reception

In his ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' review, film critic

Matthew Hays Matthew Hays is a Canadian film critic, writer, film festival programmer and academic. He won a Lambda Literary Award for his 2007 book '' The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers''. Hays teaches film studies, journalism ...

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". The series earned a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

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 ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'' on September 4, 2000.

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

awarded the show four out of five

stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...

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."

''Animals at Work'' dispute

On September 3, 2012, Merrily Weisbord, who developed the show, sued Cineflix and producer Glen Salzman in

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec () is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Jurisdictio ...

for $400,000 over their program '' Animals at Work'', also called ''Frisky Business''. Weisbord alleged that the program was a knockoff or

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

of ''Dogs with Jobs'', having the same structure, and even featuring at least fifteen of the same dogs.

Episodes

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite web, title=Dogs with Jobs, url=http://www.cineflixproductions.com/shows/19-Dogs-with-Jobs-, publisher=Cineflix Productions, accessdate=8 May 2015 {{cite web, title=Dogs With Jobs, date=2 October 2009, url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/dogs-with-jobs, publisher=Common Sense Media, accessdate=8 May 2015 {{cite news, last1=Hays, first1=Matthew, title=Wanted: Dogs With Jobs And Heartwarming Tales, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/arts/television-radio-wanted-dogs-with-jobs-and-heartwarming-tales.html, accessdate=8 May 2015, work=The New York Times, date=December 3, 2000 {{IMDb title, tt0976066 {{cite news, last1=McLeod, first1=Tyler, title=A nose for hard work, url=http://jam.canoe.com/Television/TV_Shows/D/Dogs_With_Jobs/2000/06/16/734558.html, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102149/http://jam.canoe.com/Television/TV_Shows/D/Dogs_With_Jobs/2000/06/16/734558.html, url-status=dead, archive-date=May 18, 2015, accessdate=8 May 2015, work=Canoe.com, date=November 26, 2004 {{cite web, title=Dogs with Jobs, url=http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/80020999?trkid=202653, publisher=Netflix, accessdate=8 May 2015 {{cite web, title=Dogs with Jobs is now available on Netflix Instant, url=https://twitter.com/netflix_bot/status/533733416580423680, website=Twitter, accessdate=8 May 2015, date=November 15, 2014 {{cite news, last1=Swaby, first1=Nickeesha, title=$400,000 Demand for Dog Show Sequel, url=http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/08/23/49559.htm, accessdate=8 May 2015, publisher=Courthouse News Service, date=August 23, 2012 {{cite web , title=Dogs with Jobs , url=https://thetvdb.com/series/dogs-with-jobs , website=TVDB , access-date=30 August 2022 Television shows about dogs 2000s Canadian documentary television series 2000 Canadian television series debuts 2004 Canadian television series endings Television series by Cineflix Slice (TV channel) original programming National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming

Production and broadcast

Reception

''Animals at Work'' dispute

Episodes

See also

References