Posts tagged "john ohurley"

Watching the National Dog Show presented by Purina every Thanksgiving on NBC has become a holiday tradition for many. This year, what's new about the show is that TV won't be the only way to experience it.

More to Do on the Web
The show's official site at NBC Sports will be "super enhanced" with extensive video extras. All 160-plus Best of Breed winners will be featured, along with expert commentary from veteran announcer Wayne Ferguson, President of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, which hosts the NDS. (Scroll down on the main NDS page to find the group or dog you'd like to watch.)

You can get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes at the NDS with this great gallery or check out pictures of all the dogs in the ring as they strut their stuff. You can even enter your pup in the Petcentric Dog Show, which has fun categories like Best Troublemaker or Best John O'Hurley Look-alike.

Watch Video of the Show
Hulu will offer free streaming of the entire NBC broadcast beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day. (NBC will broadcast the dog show, as it always does, immediately following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, beginning at noon in all time zones.)

As officials across the nation enact breed bans in a misdirected attempt to crack down on bad owners, countless gentle, loving, and well-behaved dogs lose their privileges, and sometimes their ability to help others.

One such case involves the most decorated show dog in bull-terrier history and veteran therapy dog, Rufus, who was honored at this year's National Dog Show presented by Purina (which took place last weekend but will air on NBC Thanksgiving Day). Five years after winning the triple crown of U.S. dog shows -- The National Dog Show, the Westminster Dog Show and the Morris & Essex Kennel Club Show -- Rufus is back in the ring to be honored and raise awareness about misguided breed bans.

Honoring past champions has become a mainstay of the Thanksgiving Day event, explains co-host John O'Hurley. "I'll equate it to 'Dancing with the Stars,'" Hurley tells Paw Nation. "It's a big happy family of former champs. It's been interesting to see the champions and what they've gone on to do."

O'Hurley, who's hosted the NDS alongside renowned dog expert David Frei since its inception in 2002, has worked with Rufus on a number of occasions. "He's the gentlest dog, pound for pound -- and he's stuffed with about as much muscle as his frame can hold -- that I've ever met," O'Hurley tells Paw Nation.

John O'Hurley has probably had as many different jobs as the National Dog Show has different breeds. This devoted dog lover is a co-host of the NDS, strut his stuff on Dancing with the Stars, authored the bestselling books "Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It" and "It's Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump," and is perhaps best known for playing the bombastic J. Peterman on "Seinfeld. Like Peterman, O'Hurley lives life to the fullest, and -- as we discovered when we caught him for a chat in Philadelphia -- that's a lesson he learned from the dogs.

What's your dog situation at home?
We have a Cavalier King Charles and a little Havanese. They're both puppies. And then I have a 19-and-a-half-year-old Maltese who was actually the inspiration for my second book. He's the little old man in the group. At 19-and-a-half, he still has the spirit of a drill sergeant.

What do you love about hosting the National Dog Show?
Because my wife and I share such a common love for dogs and they're such a part of our life, it's just a wonderful event. It's actually one of our favorite days of the year, because we get to wander up and down the aisles, talk to the breeders and owners, and celebrate what we really enjoy in life. In addition to our two-and-a-half-year-old son, we enjoy our dogs.