I woke up this morning in a contorted position in my bed. My right leg was hanging off the side, my left tucked precariously around a pillow, and my head sort of sideways, facing a blank wall. I tugged on the one corner of comforter I had access to and realized it would not budge. Giving up on trying to get comfortable again, I sat up in bed and surveyed the masters of my discomfort. Piper was on her back, all four paws in the air, snoring like a sailor on leave. Two little humps in the covers prompted me to pull them up, spotting first Jack, who opened his one eye, spotted me and closed it again, and Joy, my latest rescue dog, who barely took the time to open her eyes before stretching and closing them again. Bud, my old man, was up by my pillow, paws gently resting on my leg. My four rescue dogs have the life. But after the start they had, I really would not have it any other way. They deserve it. Just as all the dogs in the new Z Living Series, Finding Fido, hosted by Seth Casteel, do. Premiering Tuesday, January 17 at 9 PM ET, on the Z Living Network, the show follows dogs as they are matched with their forever people. Talk about heartwarming!
Get a Sneak Peek of Finding Fido – watch the first episode before it airs on Go.Zliving.com: They are offering the first episode for free on their online streaming services go.zliving.com.
Matchmaking shows are nothing new. But the idea to pair a dog that needs a home with a people who needs unconditional love is. I often wonder about the journey my dogs took to find me. I know some of the backstory of them all, but if I had a camera crew following from start to finish I wonder what I would see?
Would I see my sweet Piper being taken to the rescue over and over again as her family kept finding excuses as to why they could not keep her? Then, later, changing their mind and pumping her full of anti-anxiety pills so they could handle her better? I, personally, would love to see her car ride to my home, her witnessing me throwing my arms open to welcome her, and her first realization that, here, she gets to be a dog. A very pampered, spoiled dog. But a real dog none the less!
I would love to have the journey of my One Eyed Jack documented. From being found with a badly damaged eye that the previous owner thought would just ‘heal on it’s own’, through his surgery to remove it, and his car ride to our home that, literally, had tears flowing when he got here, realizing he was meant for us. I would be glued to the TV, watching, as he curled up on my lap not minutes after arriving, nestling his soft little body into the crook of my arm, and falling fast asleep!
My old man Bud was not a rescue. He was a 5-week-old puppy dropped on the doorstep of a person I knew on the day of a crawfish boil. When I saw this little guy, too small to fend for himself, clearly not weaned properly from his mother, I had to have him. Twelve years later, he is our protector, snuggle buddy, and cool little dude that we cannot live without. I wonder if the camera would have caught his soulful eyes, pleading to be loved after being dumped so carelessly.
My Joy. My sweet little Joy had the roughest journey of them all. A feral puppy taken to a shelter because her owners ‘did not have time for her’; she sat in a cage for months, virtually unadoptable since no one had shown her love her whole life. The rescue took her in, mange and all, and tried to match her with a patient family. I saw her on their website one day while making a donation, read her story, related to it on so many levels, and told them to bring her to me. I wish to goodness that a camera could have captured this little angel’s journey to me as well as the progress she has made since being here. She is a little heart running around trying to understand what unconditional love is.
Just as my dogs all have a story and all have a unique journey to me, so do the dogs and people that Seth Casteel matches in Finding Fido. If you recognize that name then you have been paying attention. Seth is a photographer and dog lover who has spent the last 9 years working with and photographing dogs. Seth’s photographs of dogs underwater (!) became the New York Times bestselling book, Underwater Dogs. Along the way his work with rescue dogs changed the focus of his work… and his life. Hence this new series on the latest network on TV, Z Living.
Z Living is the leading health entertainment TV network. Z Living is dedicated to telling compelling stories – on-air and online – to motivate you to live happier and healthier…on your own terms. Whether you’re looking for a healthy weeknight recipe for your family, are ready to add a new yoga pose or ab exercise to your fitness routine, want to unwind with an uplifting weight loss story, or are ready to bring more mindfulness into your life and relationships, we’ve got you covered.
I promised to share more details of how you can show off your dog and help shelters and rescues get money and supplies they need as well!
Z Living has teamed up with A Greater Good and Halo, Purely for Pets® to launch the #FindingFido program. Z Living will be giving away a series of cash grants plus pet food to shelters and pet adoption organizations in need across the U.S..
All you have to do is share a photo of you and your pooch on your favorite social channel and tag it with #FindingFido, for every hashtagged post Z Living will give an additional $1.
Have a shelter you think should be considered for a grant? Nominate a shelter you admire by including their social handle in your post. They’ll automatically be entered into the weekly drawing for a $500 grant and $6,000 worth of Halo pet food. If you do not know of a shelter or rescue, consider the one I got Piper, Jack and Joy from: The Houston Beagle and Hound Rescue, Inc.
Winners will be announced weekly on the Z Living site and will also receive an on-air mention the night of the Finding Fido premiere. View the official campaign rules and regulations here.
I love everything about this matchmaking show and cannot wait for the premiere. I am screening the premiere episode today and expect to be impressed. Get your family together and watch as real dogs meet their real people in a heartwarming tale of love!
Have you ever rescued a pet? I would love to hear your story!
I disagree. Your dog, Bud, IS a rescue. He wasn’t dumped at a shelter, pulled by a rescue, and adopted by you. You rescued him directly. The sad truth is that many puppy mill puppies and dogs get dumped. Either the dog is no longer usable for breeding or the puppy just doesn’t sell. Your boy was lucky he was dumped on a porch and not in a box in the woods somewhere. I found a two-week-old feral kitten back in July.. I bottle fed her at first and she’s now a happy, healthy, beautiful six-month-old kitten. By the way, Bud is beautiful. I’m a hound person myself (I had five rescued Treeing Walker Coonhounds, but lost two over the past two years – one was a senior and the other developed an autoimmune disorder – so I'[m down to three but would love to adopt another one). I’ve had Beagles and will again, I’m sure.
I agree! I just use the term rescue to mean I went out and purposefully rescued them from a place. But yes, he was dumped and I did take him home. He is an amazing pup and I adore him!
I LOVE hounds! They are the breed I most relate with. If you do adopt another, please come share on my Facebook page! And, come share the ones you have now! :)
Great article, thanks.