Holly and Herbie were renegade youths. Troubled and defiant, they were shuttled from home to home throughout their young lives; no family could manage their unruly conduct. But finally, each found someone who saw that beneath their mischievous veneers were two highly intelligent and gifted animals.

Holly, an 85-pound bloodhound, chewed everything in sight and by the time she was 10 months old, had been removed from six different homes. She was languishing in a shelter, with her days numbered, until professional dog trainer Larry Allen intervened. Having trained countless bloodhounds for law enforcement agencies across the United States, Allen sets out to help Holly harness her natural abilities as a tracker in the hope that one day she would become a competent police dog.

Herbie, a two-year-old bearded collie, couldn’t rein in his impish personality or his penchant for attacking livestock. His errant ways had put him at risk of being shot by a local farmer. Fortunately, sheepdog trainer Barbara Sykes sensed Herbie was more than just a marauder. In her gentle yet firm manner, she coaches him hoping to hone his skills to herd rather than bite sheep on her working farm in England.

Beginning with the initial meeting between dog and trainer, viewers follow Sykes and Allen as they apply their professional skills to transform these misfit mutts into the noble working dogs they were bred to be. As their stories unfold, we witness the powerful bond that develops between trainer and pupil.

Celebrate the beauty of a second chance with these remarkable and resilient Underdogs.

To order a copy of Underdogs, visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Underdogs was originally posted January 2006.

Perhaps it’s because our furry friends have long provided us with comfort, camaraderie, and unconditional love. Cats and dogs are our unending source of kisses, cuddles, slobber, claws, and laughs. Watch as NATURE shares the stories of pet owners and their beloved animals. From a very special dog named Jerry, to a cat that saved a man’s life, Why We Love Cats and Dogs presents a portrait of some of the most powerful and remarkable connections we experience as humans—the unbreakable bonds with our pets.

Four-time Emmy Award winner, filmmaker and director Ellen Goosenberg Kent kept the 10-month production of NATURE’s Why We Love Cats and Dogs on the right track. Ellen brings a strong visual sense to the art of storytelling and was able to illuminate the dynamic human-pet relationship, revealing how dogs and cats share our emotions in many significant ways.

Update February 19, 2009: Professional dog trainer and behaviorist Sarah Wilson answers Five Good Questions on PBS Engage.

Online content for Why We Love Cats and Dogs was originally posted February 2009.

Photo by Joe Sinnot © EBC

NATURE’s two-part special Dogs That Changed the World tells the epic story of the wolf’s evolution, how “man’s best friend” changed human society and how we in turn have radically transformed dogs.

From the tiniest Chihuahua to the powerful and massive English Mastiff, modern domesticated dogs come in a bewildering array of shapes and sizes, with an equally diverse range of temperaments and behaviors. And yet, according to genetics, all dogs evolved from the savage and wild wolf — in a transformation that occurred just 15,000 years ago.

In Part One, “The Rise of the Dog,” you’ll learn about how the domestication of dogs might have taken place, including the theory of biologist Raymond Coppinger that it was the animals themselves — and human trash — that inspired the transformation. The genetic analysis of Peter Savolainen of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden has placed the origins of domesticated dogs — and those of the first dog — in East Asia. You’ll also discover 14 dog breeds that controversial genetic studies show are the most ancient — and the best living representatives of the ancestors to all living dogs.

Preview Part Two: Dogs by Design

Over 400 breeds of dog are recognized around the world, each unique for its personality, habits, and form. Most of these breeds exploded onto the scene over the past 150 years, spurred by the Victorian-era passion for the “dog fancy” — the selective breeding of dogs to enhance particular characteristics. By tinkering with its genetics, humans made the dog the most varied animal species on the planet — and also created a host of hereditary health problems.

Despite the plethora of new shapes and sizes, dogs have retained the instincts bred into their ancestors by thousands of years of work: the urge to herd or hunt, to dig and to guard. In Part Two, “Dogs by Design,” you’ll discover how these hard-wired behaviors help different types of dogs, from hounds to herders, excel at different tasks (and why it can sometimes be so difficult to train them to do otherwise). You’ll also learn how dogs’ finely tuned senses are serving humans and saving lives.

To order a copy of Dogs That Changed the World, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Dogs That Changed the World was originally posted April 2007.

Experts are calling it the largest animal rescue operation in history. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Louisiana, the city’s human residents weren’t the only ones trying to cope with flooded and devastated homes. More than 250,000 pets — from cats and dogs to parrots and fish — were left stranded by the storm’s destruction. Owners, expecting to return a few days later, left food and water for their pets. But days turned into weeks, and pets had to struggle to survive without supplies or the love and care of their owners.

NATURE’s Katrina’s Animal Rescue tells the remarkable and heart-wrenching story of those who came to the aid of these abandoned animals. Rescue workers venture into polluted floodwaters and break into abandoned homes to rescue dehydrated, starving dogs. Vets work nonstop to provide medical treatment to rescued animals. At shelters, volunteers help families comb through thousands of cages. Will there be a happy reunion?

Follow volunteers on NATURE’s Katrina’s Animal Rescue as they rescue animal survivors and reunite them with their families.

To order a copy of Katrina’s Animal Rescue, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Web content originally posted on November 20th, 2005.

NATURE investigates the sometimes exasperating efforts of people and wild animals to adapt to each other when their worlds collide in Animals Behaving Badly.

The escalating battle for space on this planet between people and wild animals has grown increasingly one-sided, as humanity asserts its domination. But a few intrepid species are successfully challenging, harassing, and even exploiting us on our own turf.

How people are dealing with these incursions — and what we can learn from them to the benefit of both wildlife and humans — is the amusing and enlightening focus of Animals Behaving Badly. The filmmakers traveled to various parts of the United States and Canada, and as far away as New Zealand and Australia, to show us examples of animals behaving “badly,” and of the varying human reactions.

To order a copy of Animals Behaving Badly, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Animals Behaving Badly was originally posted May 2003.

Choosing a puppy isn’t child’s play, as NATURE illustrates in Dogs: The Early Years.
Puppies of any breed enchant and beguile us. But choosing one as a pet solely on the basis of its visual appeal can lead to a mismatch with unfortunate consequences for both owner and dog. Dogs: The Early Years presents an incisive look at the breeding, behavior, and training of humankind’s best friend, including useful pointers on how to avoid mistakes when selecting a puppy.

To choose a compatible puppy for a relationship that will last the dog’s lifetime, it’s important to understand the history of the breeds the prospective owner is considering. Viewers are shown, for example, that dogs bred for the outdoor work of hunting, tracking, herding, or retrieving are not wise choices for people seeking a quiet companion or a gentle playmate for their children. Besides helping viewers make informed choices about puppies, the program illustrates the importance of proper training — also key to a satisfying relationship.

To order a copy of Dogs: The Early Years, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Dogs: The Early Years was originally posted September 2004.

Who can resist the magnetic allure of a baby? The presence of little ones of any species invariably generates instant attention and concern from onlookers. In fact, it seems that both humans and animals are hard-wired to find youngsters adorable. The practical and essential reasons why the very young have an ability to play on our heart strings are explored in Baby Tales.

Baby Tales demonstrates how young animals learn and develop, and examines the role of “cuteness” in helping to forge and solidify bonds between mother and offspring. Many newborns in the animal kingdom are entirely dependent upon their mothers — and sometimes their fathers, as well — for survival. And, especially in the wild, nurturing and protecting the young can require enormous effort, courage, and self-sacrifice. The cuteness of offspring creates a strong visual bond that helps evoke a caring response in parents, which must spend months, if not years, feeding, protecting, and teaching their young to survive on their own.

To order a copy of Baby Tales, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Baby Tales was originally posted March 2001.

Ironically, the powerful, dedicated canines profiled in NATURE’s SLED DOGS: AN ALASKAN EPIC are little more than mutts. “The dog we call the Alaskan husky isn’t a formal breed,” explains onetime musher Joe Runyan, who won Alaska’s Iditarod sled dog race in 1989. Rather, huskies are mixed-breed dogs that are selected “for performance, not looks,” he says.

In particular, husky breeders are looking for dogs with an instinctive desire to pull long and hard through the toughest conditions. “You’ve got to have dogs that really want to see what is around that next corner,” Runyan says. “They want to be always on the go.”

Still, careful breeding over decades has produced dogs with telltale physiques. For one thing, the best sled-pulling dogs have quick, efficient gaits and remarkable strength for their size. “You rarely see a really good sled dog over about 55 pounds,” says Runyan, speculating that larger dogs are at a physiological disadvantage when it comes to delivering oxygen and blood to the heart, lungs, and muscles. But even small dogs can pull impressive loads. “My daughter had a 43-pound dog that pulled over 800 pounds,” Runyan recalls. With such power, a 16-dog sled team “is like a small pony with 64 legs,” he notes. Bigger teams, including one that included more than 200 dogs, have been known to pull buses and even help move houses. “Their strength can be unbelievable,” Runyan says.

Getting dog teams to pull together, however, takes months of training. In the off-season, for instance, some mushers rope their teams to wheeled carts or four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles, and let the dogs pull the chariots along snowless dirt roads. The dogs are so strong and possess such an inherent drive to pull, that according to Runyan, even brakes have difficulty holding them back.

Dogs running the Iditarod have special abilities — and special requirements, like food. Along with their power comes a huge appetite. While a normal mutt might get by on 1,500 calories a day, sled dogs can easily consume up to 10,000 calories per day. And while they’re tough, huskies can have sensitive feet. To safeguard them, mushers tie on polar-fleece booties that keep paws warm and protected. In the Iditarod, a single musher will use about 2,000 booties. Each usually lasts several hours and up to 100 miles.

Once trained, sled dogs can remain in top form for years. It’s not unusual to see 10-year-old dogs in races. Top dogs are highly sought after by breeders to help sire champion lines. And the prospect of owning one is not to be taken lightly. “They take a lot of love and care,” Runyan points out.

To order a copy of Sled Dogs: An Alaskan Epic, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Sled Dogs: An Alaskan Epic was originally posted November 1999.

NATURE takes a close look at a familiar friend with an amazing capacity for love and learning in Extraordinary Dogs.

Dogs are anything but common animals. They develop lifelong bonds with the people that take care of them. Sometimes, they instinctively know when a human or animal companion is in trouble and in need of help. Whether it’s assisting the disabled or finding a person trapped underneath snow, dogs can be counted on to get the job done.

Loveable and dependable, canines have been assisting their human pals for hundreds of years — from pulling dogsleds to helping the blind get through the day safely. Dogs’ desire to please and willingness to follow commands make them good working partners as well as loving companions.

Through heartwarming and intimate personal stories about individual dogs and their owners, NATURE explores the world of dogs that go beyond “man’s best friend”.

To order a copy of Extraordinary Dogs, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Extraordinary Dogs was originally posted March 1997.