Blue-Collar Dogs Airs Tonight

SOMETIMES THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB IS MAN’S BEST FRIEND

JOIN K-9s ON THE FRONT LINES OF MEDICINE, DISASTER RELIEF AND THE WAR ON TERROR WHEN BLUE-COLLAR DOGS REPORT FOR DUTY ON NAT GEO WILD

Three-Hour Event Premiering Monday, February 21, at 8 PM ET/PT Reveals Dogs’ Extraordinary Work Capabilities in Some of the Most Dangerous and Demanding Environments on Earth

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – JANUARY 24, 2011) Sometimes the best man for the job is really man’s best friend. Nat Geo WILD follows a group of four-legged forces to be reckoned with in today’s workplace. They diagnose bladder cancer by the smell of a patient’s urine. They bust drug smugglers hiding massive quantities of marijuana. They locate people trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. And they apprehend criminals fleeing the scene of the crime. Their work is challenging, stressful and often dangerous, but for the thousands of highly trained working dogs that clock in for duty each morning, it’s all in a day’s work.

Dogs have forged close work partnerships with humans for thousands of years, and new methods of training dogs to complete complex tasks continue to be pioneered. Nat Geo WILD heads to the office with these extraordinary canines and their human partners on jobs that push the limits of their skills when the three-hour special Blue-Collar Dogs premieres on Monday, February 21, at 8 PM ET/PT.

Blue-Collar Dogs joins K-9s on the front lines of three key workplaces. Scientists are using K-9s to explore new frontiers in medical research, including using dogs to diagnose diseases such as cancer through their keen sense of smell. Researchers are working to unlock the mysteries behind their complex sense of smell in the hope of artificially replicating their powerful sensory tool so that early detection becomes the standard of patient care. Dogs also play a crucial role in keeping the nation’s porous borders safe as invaluable members of the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection. K-9 agents are also hard at work sweeping vehicles that enter the U.S. for concealed people and smuggled drugs. Finally, at the heart of the battle against violent crime and terrorism, a unique tactical team of K-9 cops work side by side with New York’s finest. The unit is trained to sniff out explosives, patrol the extensive subway system, run down and immoblize criminals, and assist with emergency rescue operations.

Episode Overview:

Blue-Collar Dogs: Canine MD
Premieres Monday, February 21, at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Many doctors, scientists and therapists are harnessing dogs’ extraordinary work capabilities to enhance and even save human lives. The medical field has expanded use of dogs from assisting the hard of hearing and the phusically challenged to predicting blood sugar crashes, detecting oncoming seizures and sniffing out disease. With olfactory senses generally 100,000 times more powerful than a human’s, dogs are now being trained to detect epilepsy, diabetes and even cancer with a single sniff.

Blue-Collar Dogs: Border Hounds
Premieres Monday, February 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
All across the nations, dogs are hard at work helping U.S. Customs and Border Protection stand guard over land borders, deserts and urban ports of entry. Using their extraordinary noses, these dogs can outperform man or machine in detecting smuggled narcotics or concealed humans, and even locating victims stranded in the desert. Follow a K-9 team from recruitment through graduation to learn about the methods and science behind training a dog team, and how handlers use natural elements in the field, such as the wind, to their advantage.

Blue-Collar Dogs: New York Police
Premieres Monday, February 21, at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The New York Police Department’s K-9 squad is one of the nation’s most exclusive police units. For decades, dogs have been first responders to crime scenes and terrorist attacks, and have even traveled to help in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Go on patrol with NYPD’s K-9 Bomb Squad, Emergency Service Unit and Transit Units and watch as the dogs hunt for bodies through collapsed piles of wood and cement, patrol the bowel of NYC’s subway system, sweep major tourist attractions for bombs and guard the streets of the city’s toughest neighborhoods.

Blue-Collar Dogs is produced by Partisan Pictures for Nat Geo WILD. For Partisan Pictures, executive producer is Peter Schnall. For Nat Geo WILD, executive producer is Ashley Hoppin, and senior vice president is Geoff Daniels.

For more information, visit www.natgeowild.com.