The six-part documentary, which shows the heartwarming relationship dogs and their owners, will air on Netflix from November 16
DOG lovers are set to be rover-come with emotion after watching a new TV series about the amazing bond between people and their beloved four-legged friends.
The six-part, er, dogumentary, called Dogs, will be available on Netflix from November 16 and features a life-saver pup monitoring an epileptic girl in America, an Italian fisherman’s guard dog and Japan’s pampered pets.
Director Amy Berg said: “It embodies what we need most in our world – connection, love and hope.”
Here we look at each episode’s heartwarming doggy tale.
SPORTS-mad Corrine, 11, suffers potentially fatal epileptic seizures.
Her dad Mike said: “It stops her from breathing, so someone always has to be with her.
“Sometimes I see her looking out the window and she’ll see people on a bike ride and she’s left out.”
Every night Corrine’s mum sleeps in her room to keep watch over her.
For a year the family has been waiting for a seizure alert dog, which will bark when Corrine starts to fit.
When the email comes about Rory, a golden labradoodle, to arrange for him to meet his new family, her mum breaks down in tears.
The family, from West Chester, in Ohio, are told that to protect the bond between them, only Corrine must feed her dog treats.
Dog trainer Jeremy said: “Some parents tell me this is their last chance for normalcy. They hope the dog gives them their lives back.”
AYHAM is lucky. Two years ago, aged 20, he fled his home in war-torn Syria for a new life in Berlin, but his best mates are still in Damascus — as well as treasured Siberian husky, Zeus.
Ayham raised him from a pup for two years before fleeing abroad alone.
Now he sees his pet on video calls to his pals, but he is desperate to have him at his side again.
He said: “Zeus came to me at a critical time in my life — my first year in college, alone in Damascus, away from my family. I picked him because he was beaten up by his brothers and sisters. I was really sad to leave him but I had to.”
Ayham’s journey from Syria involved a dangerous boat crossing and there was no way he could have taken Zeus.
But having come across Animals Syria, an organisation which rescues pets from the warzone, Ayham hopes to be reunited with his dog.
ALESSANDRO is one of the few fishermen remaining in San Giovanni, on the shore of Lake Como in Italy.
He followed his father and grandfather into the business and serves his fish in the restaurant he runs with his wife, Rosi.
But the industry is in decline and each year means more work and less reward.
While he is fishing, Alessandro relies on his ten-year-old labrador Ice to keep guard, surveying the docks and surrounding areas, and joining his master on the boat to check their nets in the dead of night.
Not even the coldest winter months can deter the faithful hound from his duty.
In fact, the dog got his name from his love of playing in the snow.
Alessandro said: “Since he was a puppy, Ice has been my partner. He’s my lookout while I do the heavy work, keeping a close eye on anything suspicious.
“I can concentrate because he makes me feel safe. Ice is special. He goes off and patrols the area on his own. He stops by the same spots and checks everything is OK.”
Ice, who Alessandro calls the “heartbeat” of his family and the “mascot” of the village, even helps with the catch — once he spotted a huge zander fish escaping and barked to alert his master.
“IN Japan, people really treat dogs like humans,” says top Japanese canine groomer Mika Takagi.
She’s not wrong. From carrying their pups in special slings, to “walking” them in pushchairs and dressing them in elaborate outfits, the Japanese treat dogs as very much a part of the family.
The point is illustrated by the fact that dogs are often referred to as their owners’ “children."
Fellow groomer Kenichi Nagase, whose Tokyo salon Bubbles is booked up six weeks in advance, agrees that there is a special bond between owner and pet.
He said: “This bond is part of Japanese culture, it’s who we are.”
And in Japan, dog grooming is not just a matter of a wash and trim but more like a trip to a top salon, where fur is snipped and teased with all the precision and skill of a top hair stylist.
Customers will drive three hours to give their mutt the Nagase treatment.
Some have even been known to fly in their pets to visit his salon.
Kenichi practises his art on his 13-year-old toy poodle, Santa, and said: “My signature style is not just cute, but cool.”
This episode follows Kenichi and Mika as they seek to impress the American audience at Groom Expo West in Pasadena, California, the second biggest dog-grooming competition in the world.
THERE are around two million strays in Costa Rica, but at dog shelter Territorio de Zaguates, or Land of the Strays, they are treated with love and kindness.
Founded by Alvaro Saumet and his wife Lya in 2007, the sanctuary lies on a 300-acre family farm and is one of the world’s largest shelters for dogs, housing around 1,200.
Lya said: “The original vision was 200 dogs on a farm. We consider them our dogs until someone good enough wants them.”
There are dogs everywhere, of all sizes and colours, filling the air with barking.
Abandonment became a huge issue in Costa Rica when a law was passed fining owners who kept their animals in poor conditions.
But the shelter has its problems, too.
It relies on donations to fund food, vets’ and staff bills — and with so many dogs, there is never enough money.
THERE are around 400,000 dogs in New York — and thousands of them are rescued animals.
They chase sticks in Central Park, splash about in the Hudson river and ride the Subway in big doggy bags.
This episode follows the Hearts And Bones charity’s mission to collect dogs from a shelter in Dallas, Texas, and find loving foster carers in the Big Apple.
We meet schoolgirl Emily, who is adopting one after losing her old dog, Mickey.
She said: “It’s been sad without a dog, so adopting a new one, I can have that happy feeling again with a dog.”
And we meet “Justin Timberlake” after he has been injured in a car accident and neutered.
No, not the singer, but an equally adorable four-month-old furry version who is looking for a new owner in New York.
