Greatest American Dog, Episode 9: Doggie Swap

Last week on Greatest American Dog, the dogs were tested on their sense of trust with their owners. Each dog faced not only a stampeding elephant, but a high-wire obstacle course, complete with zip lines. Galaxy is injured and limping. In the end, and to the collective sigh of defeat all over America, Bill & Star were sent home.

Before we get started on the recap of this show, however, I have to say that I have been so amazed at the outcry on some message boards about what is being perceived by some as animal cruelty on this show. Believe me, if something was not safe for these dogs, these owners sure wouldn’t be putting their dogs through each event. They get time to work with their dogs to prepare them for some of the challenges. There are vets on the set or nearby at all times. These contestants dearly love their prized pooches. I highly doubt they would sacrifice their friends for something they thought wasn’t safe. Several of them have commented on this and we need to believe it.

I wasn’t alone, however, in thinking that CBS jumped the shark with the challenge that brought a giant elephant close to these dogs. I do think this one was a little over the top and probably shouldn’t have been done considering the nature of animals. The CBS boards have been over the top with this show. If you haven’t seen them, you should consider them, if only for the sheer entertainment of it all.

Moving on. Back at the house after the last challenge, it’s much quieter without Bill’s presence. JD carries the injured Galaxy into the house and lays her on a pillow. It’s a tender moment and shows JD as more humanized than he has in the past.

The next morning, he’s up early and so is Galaxy. She’s up and moving as if nothing happened. It seems as if it may have just been a strained leg after horsing around with JD playing Frisbee. Hey, I just hit 40 and understand when you strain something as you get older. As a precaution, JD still takes the old girl to the vet to get her checked out. Fortunately, nothing shows up on the x-rays and the vet gives her a clean bill of health. Yay! The dynamic duo is back in business.

Later that day it’s time for the Dog Bone Challenge. Jarod tells us that this week, the theme is loyalty and each of the dogs will be tested to see how loyal they are to their owners. The first challenge is very Survivor-esque in that both the dogs and owners have to stay on a stump. The dogs must either be in a sitting or standing position. The winner will outlast the others.

Laurie stands on the end with her arms crossed while Andrew passively looks on, bored already. The rest of the owners are softly issuing commands (which Laurie calls “jibber-jabber”) and praising their dogs. It’s a strange sound to listen to each owner’s cadence in their voices. Apparently the jibber-jabber works because Andrew is the first to lay down on the stump and in just under two minutes, he’s out. Next to fall, surprisingly enough, is JD & Galaxy as she decides to lay down on the stump as well after nearly three minutes.

Finally, we have a showdown between Travis and Teresa. Time passes and the dogs are getting so bored that Presley appears to be nearly falling asleep on the stump. Travis sees this and tries to convince Teresa to share the Leg Up which comes with winning the challenge if they both drop at the same time. You can see her think about it, but she doesn’t let down.

The dogs are getting restless and either could jump off at any time now. Finally, after nearly 18 minutes, Travis lets Presley off the hook and has him jump down. The two play together like old friends. Travis makes a very poignant comment about loyalty: “This is supposed to be about loyalty. They’re being loyal to me so where’s my loyalty to him?” This sounds like a winner’s quote to me.

Teresa & Leroy hop down and the first thing the excited Leroy does is gallop over to her and then to Jarod standing nearby. In a classic moment, Teresa hollers at him, “Not Jarod. Not Jarod. He’s not your friend.” The funny part comes when Jarod almost pleadingly replies, “But I’m his friend.”

Warning: a mini-rant is coming. I’ve seen Jarod on some of the late-night TV shows bringing in animals. He’s a hoot and has a great personality we haven’t been able to see on GAD. Why not let him interact with the contestants more and show his personality instead of feeding him a script? Better yet, replace him on the judging panel with at least Wendy and Victoria. They’re pretty worthless.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Teresa heads back to the Dog Bone suite to find it covered in pictures of Leroy and a giant pile of tennis balls for the boy. Nearby is a laptop sitting open. Part of her winning includes a quick video-chat with her boyfriend, Gerald, while Leroy plays with all his new toys. Leroy reacts to seeing Gerald on the screen and yips at him happily.

That afternoon everyone is out near the pool, enjoying it. The dogs are playing in the water. It always cracks me up watching a dog when he is held over water and the paws start flapping as if he’s swimming. Laurie does this with a waterlogged Andrew and you can’t help but laugh. Leroy is excitedly chasing the water in the pool, barking at it, and splashing around. He’s having a great day, but the rest of the people are annoyed with the constant, high-pitched yap.