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Laurie Williams, owner of Pup 'N Iron, and her Maltese, Andrew, will be featured tonight on the CBS reality show 'Greatest American Dog.'
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Twelve teams of dogs and owners from across the United States will compete on NBC's 'Greatest American Dog.' |
By PAMELA GOULD
Local dog trainer Laurie Williams has been to Hollywood and brought a bit of the glitz back with her to Stafford County.
Williams, owner of Pup 'N Iron canine fitness and learning center in Stafford, was one of 12 people who, with their pooches, were chosen to compete in a new reality television program on CBS, "Greatest American Dog."
The program, taped earlier this year, begins airing at 8 this evening and runs Thursdays through Sept. 11. To kick it off, Williams is holding what she believes to be a first-of-its-kind event in the region--a red carpet "premiere pawty." The invitation-only gala for 50 guests and their canine companions will be held at her business off U.S. 1.
As excited as Williams is about the program now, that wasn't always the case.
An acquaintance e-mailed her about it roughly a month before the application deadline. But after seeing that it required completing a 20-page questionnaire and being away from home for six weeks, her enthusiasm dimmed.
"I waited until the last day," she said.
And when she filled out the application, it wasn't for her Maltese, Andrew, to compete, but for her Dalmatian, Tucker, a dog who's older and has been through more training.
But by the time someone from the program's casting crew called about two weeks later, Tucker had suffered a ruptured disc in his neck and couldn't participate.
Williams offered Andrew as an alternative, and the casting person quickly agreed after seeing his picture online.
"That told me they were probably more interested in the personality of the people than the dog," Williams said.
But that was of secondary interest to her. Williams' mission in applying was to gain a platform to promote her training approach.
"If it was merely billed as a trick contest, I would not have entered it," she said.
"I wanted to showcase the way I can develop a close relationship with the dog and the way I do the positive training methods," she said.
"I'm trying to show you can do it and the right way to do it and you can do it without your dog being fearful of you."
'UNSCRIPTED DRAMA'
Williams was amazed by the rigorous selection process.
She first went to New York for an in-person interview, then was given a battery of psychological tests and required to pass a physical and to submit a list of people who knew her.
"I thought this must be what it's like to work for the CIA," she said this week.
Next, she was among two dozen people and their dogs sent to California for further screening that whittled the number to 14.
Then this spring, four days before the program started filming, she got the call that she and Andrew had made the final cut.
They moved into a mansion in Agoura Hills, Calif., with their fellow contestants.
For Williams, the biggest challenge was homesickness. She coped by keeping her focus on Andrew, making sure he didn't get stressed.
She said she quickly adjusted to wearing a microphone during all her waking hours and being shadowed by a camera crew.
What was more unnerving was what she called "communal living."
She quickly came to suspect the psychological tests hadn't been to assess sanity but to find a mix of "colorful characters" who would produce what she said was aptly termed "unscripted drama."
"There's no script, but there's definitely a lot of drama," she said.
But she admitted that makes the program interesting.
"How boring would that be if everybody were analytical and diplomatic?"
Williams is a bit anxious about how she'll come across on the small screen, but said Andrew exceeded her expectations in each of the competitions in the "canine academy."
"I just loved how he rose to the occasion," she said.
Williams can't say who won the $250,000 prize, or give details of the competitions, but she can offer her assessment of how it went.
"I think Andrew and I did ourselves proud," she said. "That has nothing to do with placement."
Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com
ANDREW Personal: Purebred Maltese, age 6, 8 pounds Professional: Family pet; has competed in obedience and rally obedience trials and is a therapy dog with the Delta Society Pet Partner Program. Biggest asset: Williams said Andrew was her "secret weapon." People assume small dogs are simply accessories, and she kept him on her lap until competition began to conceal his skills. LAURIE WILLIAMS Personal: Native of Rahenna, Ohio; married 25 years, one son, multiple dogs Professional: Has operated Pup 'N Iron, a 9,000-square-foot facility that offers doggie day care, night care and recreational and therapeutic exercise, since August 2005. Offers group training and individual behavioral consultations.Has owned and trained dogs since age 13, and has been a breeder and groomer. Biggest competition problem: Homesickness |
| In "Greatest American Dog," 12 dog-owner teams compete for a $250,000 prize. A three-judge panel will assess which owner is best at taking his or her dog through each challenge.
"Greatest American Dog" airs on CBS Thursdays at |
