Animal Planet's "Rescue Dog To Super Dog" Gives Assistance And Comfort To People In Need And A Second Chance To Shelter Dogs

'RESCUE DOG TO SUPER DOG" Premiere Saturday, August 12 at 10PM ET/PT

Millions of dogs live in shelters in the U.S. waiting for their forever homes. Tens of millions of people in the U.S. live with physical, psychological or neurological disabilities. In Animal Planet's new series, RESCUE DOG TO SUPER DOG, shelter dogs are given a second chance to become a service dog in training to a person with a disability who needs assistance. RESCUE DOG TO SUPER DOG premieres on Animal Planet on Saturday, August 12th at 10 PM ET/PT.

In RESCUE DOG TO SUPER DOG, dog trainers Nate Schoemer and Laura London meet a person in need and match them with a shelter dogs with the right attitude and aptitude to provide the specific service for the person in need. The work begins as Nate and Laura begin training activities with each dog and human to ready them for their new roles.

"Once our participants meet their potential service dogs in training, we witness a meaningful transformation that proves that not only do people rescue dogs, but dogs also rescue people," said Patrice Andrews, general manager of Animal Planet.

The basic training for the dogs include techniques specifically geared to each person's disability and for the human, the training includes mastering obedience commands. The dog's training ranges from opening and closing doors to turning on lights to applying the necessary pressure during panic attacks to assisting with walking. The process to become a service dog in training takes place over four months as Nate and Laura work hand-in-paw to fine tune the relationship and training of the dogs and person they assist.

RESCUE DOG TO SUPER DOG is produced for Animal Planet by Plimsoll Productions. For Plimsoll Productions, Grant Mansfield, Karen Plumb and Laurie Girion are executive producers. For Animal Planet, Keith Hoffman is executive producer and Sarah Russell is producer.

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About Animal Planet

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the network of hit franchise series and special programming dedicated to animals and the natural world that includes RIVER MONSTERS, DR. JEFF: ROCKY MOUNTAIN VET, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES,TANKED, TREEHOUSE MASTERS, THE VET LIFE and PUPPY BOWL, the largest non-sports TV event on Super Bowl Sunday. Animal Planet is the premiere TV, digital and social community for all things animal, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality content across all Animal Planet platforms including: Animal Planet television network, available in more than 90 million homes in the U.S., that is complimented with a deep Video On Demand offering; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for animal lovers and pet owners; the Animal Planet Go app that allows viewers to catch up on full episodes of their favorite shows anytime anywhere; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access via live cameras around the globe in a variety of animal habitats; Animal Planet Social including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via @AnimalPlanet and on Snapchat as AnimalPlanetTV.