It's A Dog's Life (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Disaster Rescue Dogs & A Dog Mayor - full transcript

Bill meets some dogs who rescue people in disasters. He then meets a dog who is the mayor of her town.

BILL:
Hello. Welcome to It's A Dog's Life.

You already know that dogs
can be our best friends,

but did you know that some dogs
also have jobs?

It's true.

All types of dogs

do all kinds of incredible things

to make our lives better.

There are dogs
that rescue people in need,

dogs that use their sense of smell
in amazing ways,

dogs that entertain us,

and believe it or not,
there are even dogs



that work with cats.

And who am I?

I'm Disney legend Bill Farmer.

As the voice behind
Disney's Goofy and Pluto,

and dozens of other animated characters,

I'm stepping out
from behind the microphone

to learn about my favorite
real-life characters, dogs.

Come with me as I explore how each dog

learns to develop
its special and unique talents

and how the magical relationship
between dog and human

makes life better for both.

So, join me and our canine pals
on It's A Dog's Life.

(DOG BARKS, PANTS)

(EPIC MUSIC PLAYING)



Wow. Will you take a look at this?

Looks like everything fell down.

It looks like maybe this place
had an earthquake,

or a tornado came through.

And you know that really happens
from time to time.

And when it does, people get trapped

and they need to be rescued,

and they need to be rescued by a hero.

And sometimes those heroes have four legs.

Our next adventure brings us
to Santa Paula, California

to meet a pair of highly trained dogs
whose job is to find us,

when we need to be found.

- Hi, Denise.
- DENISE: Hi, there. How are you?

- Oh, I'm good, good.
- It's nice to meet you.

- Who do you have here? Fenton?
- This here is Fenton.

DENISE:
He's one of our search dogs in training

at the National Training Center here
at the Search Dog Foundation.

- BILL: Oh, my gosh.
- We train these shelter dogs

- to be search dogs...
- BILL: Uh-huh.

...to search after disasters.

BILL: Take a city and shake it hard,

what you get is a pile
of toppled concrete

and other rocky rubble.

For people, it can be a tricky maze
to find your way out of.

But for a shelter dog like Fenton,

well, it's a playground, as you'll see.

Now, why do you use shelter dogs?

DENISE: Shelter dogs have
all sorts of wonderful qualities

for Disaster Search work.
Those qualities such as high energy

and lots of toy drive are not necessarily

- great pet qualities though, so...
- Right.

So, they just need a job,
they need to channel that energy

into something, and we are able
to give them that here.

So they're kind of rescued and they get
to rescue people now?

That's exactly right.
We say they go from rescue

- to rescuer every time. (LAUGHS)
- (BILL LAUGHS)

BILL: Now, tell me about this place.
This place looks like my garage.

DENISE: Whether it's a tornado
or an earthquake or hurricane,

we simulate those things here
so that Fenton

and his eventual partner
know what that looks like

and can train on that long before
they ever have to respond in real life

- and help other people.
- I can hardly wait to see their training.

Gonna be a lot of fun.
Maybe we'll get you in a rubble pile.

- Why not? Sounds like a good idea.
- (LAUGHS)

BILL: First stop to see how Fenton
and other shelter dogs become rescuers

is a pretty crazy-looking gym set.

What is this?
We have all sorts of teeter-totters

and... and barrels.
What is this place?

We do.
So, this is where it all begins.

So the dogs learn,
first of all, to bark

when they find live human scent
right here with these barrels.

- Let's get a dog. I wanna see this.
- So, I'm going to introduce you

to Alex Hill here,
one of our canine trainers.

Good to see you.

And he is bringing that all important toy.

It's all about the toy.

For the search dog in training,
the answer is simple,

use your nose, find the person,
and get a toy.

Let's get Alex into the barrel.

- BILL: You can do this.
- (DENISE LAUGHS)

DENISE: He's gonna go ahead and close
that up and you see how our mouse hole...

- BILL: Oh, yeah!
- ...is right there. And if we take

- a step back, then Emily will...
- Okay.

...bring Fenton out
and we'll get to see him

- do a little bit of work.
- Do we have to act nonchalant like...

- (BILL WHISTLING)
- (LAUGHS)

No, we can watch. We're actually
a good a distraction, so you're getting

- to be part of the training.
- Oh!

- So you see him come around right there.
- (BARKING)

Oh, wow!

Wow. That took him like,

- three seconds to do it.
- (DENISE LAUGHS)

DENISE:
That's right. As soon as he smells Alex.

BILL: Good boy, Fenton.

- DENISE: There's that toy. Yup.
- BILL: Oh, look. And he's got his toy.

- DENISE: Good job, Fenton.
- BILL: He got his toy!

DENISE:
He did. And he gets to tug on that toy

and possess that toy
and really have fun with it.

- BILL: Oh, yeah.
- DENISE: And that's what we want.

BILL: For a rookie like Fenton,
his handlers will reinforce

the toy reward over and over again.

- DENISE: Search!
- BILL: Go to that one.

- Oh. Oh, wow. (LAUGHS)
- (DENISE LAUGHS)

- I don't think it worked. (LAUGHS)
- He knew exactly where it is.

But that's not the only challenge
that search dogs must face,

as Fenton's best friend, Waffles,
is about to show us.

The job also requires agility and speed.

Wow, that obstacle looks hard to do
with two feet,

Waffles has four.

Find.

BILL: Searching isn't just about
climbing up and over.

It can mean going under, too.

ALEX: Go through.

- Wow! Good dog.
- Good job.

ALEX:
Okay, that's it. Go through. Go!

BILL: Every time Waffles succeeds,
well, you know what's next.

A toy.

(ALL LAUGHING)

BILL: So far, so good.

But Waffles and his handler, Erik,
want to get real

in the debris field
and stick me somewhere,

in a barrel.

Wonder if I fit.

Okay, we gotta find a good home
for me here.

I think I have
just the spot for you up here.

- All righty.
- How does this one look?

- Nice and comfy... a concrete tube.
- BILL: Oh!

- (DENISE LAUGHS)
- Oh, that's...

This is... This is the home of the world's

- biggest ground squirrel.
- (DENISE LAUGHS)

You can see the whole...
Whoa, looks muddy.

DENISE: And soon to be you.

- We're gonna go ahead and put that on.
- Okay. Okay.

DENISE: Let me go ahead and
help with that. You got that?

- This is my size.
- DENISE: So, if you wanna go ahead...

- Okay.
- ...and crawl in carefully.

BILL: Okay.

DENISE: There you go.
You've done this before.

- (GRUNTS) I have one of these at home.
- (DENISE LAUGHS)

- DENISE: And we are gonna cover you up.
- BILL: And I just pull it up like this.

- DENISE: Yep.
- I've had apartments smaller than this.

- It's not bad in here.
- All right, you good in there?

It makes me sound like a big announcer.
I'm not here.

- (DENISE LAUGHS)
- BILL: There's no one in this pipe.

All right, well when the dog
starts barking,

- we'll know you've been found.
- BILL: Okay.

ALEX: Search!

BILL: Waffles' mission is simple,
find a human scent

and follow it to the hidden person.

Today, I'm the only one here.

Well, this is the first time
I've been in a tube

being hunted by a dog, I think.

(PANTING)

With 40,000 square feet of debris
and hundreds of hiding places,

this is one tough game of Hide and Seek.

I hope Waffles really wants that toy,

or I could be here for hours.

Okay, I think I hear him coming, maybe.
Oh, I have to be quiet now.

(BARKING)

ALEX: Ah, good boy!

Oh! (LAUGHS) Who'd you find?
Who'd you find?

(LAUGHS) You found me.

How was that?
What was that like?

- Uh, that was amazing, yeah.
- Yeah, and you can hear that bark

- as we were talking about.
- Boy, you can hear it in here.

- And he's proud of it, he found you.
- Yeah.

- As we said, so...
- Oh, he's a happy boy.

That's a way to go!

- Good job, buddy.
- BILL: Oh, way to go, Waffles.

- Way to go, Waffles.
- (DENISE LAUGHS)

- BILL: He does have a good strong bark.
- DENISE: Mm-hmm, he does.

Well, Denise, thank you so much.
Erik, it was wonderful.

And Waffles, it was really great
being saved by you.

It's good to know that
there are dogs like Waffles

who can use their sense of smell
to find you

if you're ever caught
underneath some rubble,

and they'll let you know
with their loud barking voice,

they'll let everybody know
exactly where you are.

(BARKING)

My thoughts exactly.

Hey, everyone,
time for some pet-friendly pointers,

told with the help
of a very special friend.

(PLUTO BARKING)

For some dogs,
there's no place like home sweet home.

But for others, being outside
is something they can't resist.

And if your dog figures out
how to escape the house or the yard,

well, that can be a problem.

Many dogs try to escape
simply because they're bored.

Winston! Winston, look at it.

BILL: Dogs love to play,
so have fun with your pet

- every chance you get.
- You got it! There you go.

BILL:
And remember, easily pushed open doors

or a fence that can be jumped over
or dug under

are open invitations to run free.

Secure them,
and your dog will understand

"No exit."

Seeing a small furry animal
like a rabbit

is another temptation to run free.

If your dog just can't resist the chase,

try a game of Find It.

Hide some chew toys
around the yard for your dog.

- WOMAN: Find it, Winston.
- BILL: Kinda like an Easter egg hunt.

- The furry animals will thank you for it.
- Here! (CHUCKLES)

BILL: Sometimes, dogs escape
because they're scared.

- (FIREWORKS SHRIEK)
- BILL: Loud noises like fireworks...

- (THUNDER RUMBLES)
- BILL: ...or thunder

can send them running.

Try to create a safe place
that your dog

can easily retreat to and wait.

Finally, be sure your dog
has a micro-chip

and up-to-date ID
to wear at all times.

After all, for you and your dog,

there's really no place like home.

- You are so good. Oh! (LAUGHS)
- (PLUTO BARKS)

BILL: Our next adventure takes us
to the Midwest,

to a place some call one of the best

- tiny towns in America.
- (DOG PANTS, BARKS)

BILL: I'm on the mighty Ohio River,

on the Rising Star ferry
crossing over into Kentucky

on our way to the tiny, little town
of Rabbit Hash.

Rabbit Hash is a regular small town,

except for one thing.

The mayor has a couple of extra legs.

It might sound crazy,
but the mayor of Rabbit Hash is a dog.

Her name is Brynneth,

and she's been in office
for two years.

Founded in the early 1800's,

Rabbit Hash is an historic little town,

with a population so small,
that if you blinked,

you might completely miss it.

But as I found out, there's a lot
more here than first meets the eye,

including one very special dog.

- Oh, hi! You must be Jordie.
- Hi, Bill.

And is that the mayor of Rabbit Hash?

This is her. Go on.

BILL:
The mayor's handler is Jordie Bamforth,

a veterinary student who grew up
in the area

and feels a strong connection
to Rabbit Hash

and the people who live here.

- BILL: Hi, I'm Bill. Good to see you.
- Yeah, good to see you, too.

- BILL: And this must be Brynneth.
- JORDIE: This is Brynn.

BILL: Oh, what kind of dog is Brynn?

She is a pitbull.

- BILL: Oh, my gosh, she's beautiful.
- JORDIE: Yeah. Thank you.

Do you think Brynn would, uh,
give us a tour of Rabbit Hash?

- We'd be happy to, we'd be happy to.
- All right.

How old is Brynn?

Brynn is six years old,
she'll be seven in March.

How on Earth did this dog
become mayor of this town?

So every four years in Rabbit Hash,

um, they have an election to elect

- a four-legged member of society.
- BILL: Uh-huh.

- JORDIE: Come on.
- BILL: What are her duties as mayor?

If you come down on the weekends,
it's bustling full of people,

wanting to meet the mayor
and see the General Store,

and so, her most important task
is just to be here

and greet the locals and greet
the people who come through the town.

BILL: Turns out, having a dog for a mayor
has its benefits.

Since Brynn was elected, Rabbit Hash has
gotten more attention than ever before.

She's not only had national attention,
but worldwide

from BBC to France
to, uh, corners of Japan, I believe.

People have come just to see
and meet the mayor.

BILL: She's a very good
ambassador for this town.

JORDIE: I think so,
but I might be a little biased. (CHUCKLES)

BILL: But Brynn isn't
the first canine mayor of Rabbit Hash.

And I wanna hear a little more
about how all this got started.

When did they first start
electing dogs as mayors?

Well, we first elected
our very first mayor in general...

- BILL: Uh-huh.
- BOBBI: ...um, in 1998.

- BILL: Oh, really?
- It just happened to be a dog.

A neighbor thought their dog

would do better than the humans
who entered the race,

so they entered their ra...
Their dog in the race

and it just ran off with the election.

- How many dog mayors have there been?
- BOBBI: There's been four.

Our first mayor was named Goofy.

(DOG WHIMPERS)

- I think I know that name.
- Uh-huh.

BILL: The election of the first dog mayor
raised enough money

to restore the 200-year-old church
that's an important part

of Rabbit Hash history.

BOBBI: The reason the elections
raise money

is because we charge you a dollar to vote,

and any age can vote in any province

in the entire world.

BILL: And when Brynn ran for mayor,
the town needed help

with the biggest challenge
Rabbit Hash has ever faced,

the loss of the iconic General Store,

the heart and soul of Rabbit Hash.

Tell me a little history
about this store.

Well, it's been here since 1831.

Unfortunately,
we had a devastating fire in 2016.

And so, uh, we lost a large portion
of our antiques,

but we did have a great
fundraising effort,

and that was due in large part
to Mayor Brynn.

She was able to raise, uh,
an excess of 9,000 dollars.

- BILL: Wow.
- MARY ELLEN: So we could rebuild the store

and bring it back to life

and be a fixture of the community again.

BILL: The town replaced every
knick-knack as best they could.

And even used 100-year-old wood
from neighboring buildings

to match the original General Store.

I understand there's other animals
that are running for office in 2020,

uh, a donkey in particular.
Who's that?

His name is Higgens,
and he's unusual in the fact that

Higgens has run in every
single race that we've had.

His owner originally
told him that he won.

- We can't tell him the truth.
- So, he doesn't know that he's not mayor.

He doesn't. Poor thing.

But, uh, we still
throw his name in there

because lots of people
like to vote for donkeys.

Well, it's gotta be a very special place

to, uh, have a dog as a mayor.

BOBBI:
Rabbit Hash is so much more than a place.

It's been said that Rabbit Hash

- is a state of mind.
- BILL: Mm-hmm.

BOBBI: And anybody who lives
near here and loves this place,

truly feels that in their heart.

BILL: And just as Jordie said,
when afternoon comes,

all of Rabbit Hash turns out to see
each other, and their mayor.

- BILL: Let's hear it!
- (APPLAUSE, CHEERING)

What's it like to live in a town
with a, uh, a dog for a mayor?

Well, it's... it's not
a whole lot different than

- the rest of Kentucky, you know.
- (BILL LAUGHS)

BILL: But with a new election coming up,
the one question on everyone's mind,

"Will Brynn be the only dog
running for mayor?"

Wallace is forming an exploratory
committee to look into running.

BILL: Just get, kind of a...
toying with the idea right now.

Get a feel for the electorate, you know.

- BILL: And who's this?
- MAN 2: This is Cooper.

Does he do any tricks?
Does he, uh... can he shake,

or well, he can lay down, we know that.

- He... (LAUGHS)
- (BILL LAUGHS)

He's pretty much done his tricks,
I think.

- That's it?
- He can sit.

- And who do we have here?
- MAN 3: This is Banks.

- BILL: What kinda dog is Banks?
- MAN 3: Banks is a retired greyhound.

- "A bone in every bowl."
- A bone in every bowl.

- Is that his platform?
- It is. Um...

And he also runs, uh...
runs circles around the competition.

- (BILL LAUGHS)
- (MAN 3 AND DOG HOWLING)

I know. Good boy.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

She's got a lot of competition coming up,
it looks like.

Uh, what are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, so we've had
a really, um, great opportunity today

to size up the competition,
and even though it's all

for fun and games, we'll see which dog
comes out on top for mayor 2020.

BILL: Rabbit Hash, Kentucky,

a town that has definitely
gone to the dogs,

in a good way.

So far, we've met some incredible dogs.

Now, it's time for you
to show us your special pets.

GOOFY: Now, time for
Goofy's Hometown Heroes. (CHUCKLES)

DAVID: Hey, buddy.

Good boy.

Hi. My name's David.

I'm Caden and this is Niko.
He's a ten year old Shiba Inu.

We call him, like, the chill surfer dog,

'cause he's just zen,
rolling with the beat.

He loves the snow,
he loves being outside.

We bring him everywhere with us.

The day that we lost Niko,
relaxing around the campfire,

suddenly I hear tire skids,
I run down to the road,

a lady jumps out of her pickup and says,

"I don't see how that dog
could've survived that hit."

Immediately, I see Niko
dart off into the woods

and I took after him,
but I couldn't catch him.

This is Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Right here is Elk Pass, right there
is where Niko went missing.

So when looking for Niko,
our weekdays were spent

after school and work, going up
in the woods, looking for Niko,

staying the night,
coming back to go to school and work

and then we'd stay there
all weekend doing the same.

That is one of the informational kiosks,

and of course,
there was a sign posted there

of cute little Niko missing.

It had been 31 days since Niko
was lost in the woods

and my son comes running out,

"Dad, there's a message on the phone.

Somebody found Niko."

CADEN:
At first, I'm like, "There's no way."

DAVID:
It's about a couple hundred yards in

from the parking lot
to my campsite.

This was the spot where they found him.

The minute that they drove up,
and they lifted him out of the car,

Niko had one eye closed,
he had lost 30 percent of his body weight.

He walks right up to us,

and turns around and sits next to us.

I start crying, my son starts crying.

And then these two guys,
they start crying, too.

It's just four men in the driveway
crying over a dog

that had just come back home.

GOOFY:
For finding home and his family,

that dog is a real hometown hero.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

- (MUSIC CONCLUDES)
- (DOG BARKS)