Greatest American Dog on CBS

By Ally Matteodo

The engaging series Greatest American Dog came to an end over the past week, and thus receives the title Best TV Show of the Week for the last time.  Airing on September 10^th at 8:00 p.m. ET,  on this episode there were only three remaining teams of dogs and owners:  Travis and Presley, Laurie and Andrew, and J.D. and Galaxy.  While Galaxy proved to be a talented and obedient companion, the judges were wary of J.D.’s sometimes harsh demeanor in disciplining her.  This ultimately led to J.D. and Galaxy being eliminated.  When it came to Presley, the judges worried that he was not always ready to listen to Travis’ instructions.  During the competition Presley had been easily distracted before, and the judges were concerned about his focus.  As for Andrew, the judges told Laurie they thought he had separation anxiety and that the Greatest American Dog would have to socialize with many different dogs.  Presley and Andrew then needed to complete an obstacle course, with the final task moving back and forth beneath the elephant Suzy.  Both managed to do so, though Andrew needed a little more guidance during the first part of the course, and Presley was fearful of moving beneath Suzy until his owner Travis did it himself.  In the end, all of the old contestants came back with their dogs, and the judges interviewed Laurie and Travis one more time.  Travis and Presley ultimately won the competition and took their victory lap, while Laurie commented that Andrew would always be “Greatest American Dog” to her.

This episode did not concentrate as heavily on having the dogs perform tasks as previous episodes.  The finale was more about examining the relationships between the dogs and their owners and how much love, respect, and trust were present in these relationships.  When the judges asked Laurie if she was participating in this contest for Andrew, she truthfully replied no.  She stated that Andrew would be happy just being a dog and lying on the couch, and said that everything she’s asked him to do he’s done, but he hasn’t done it for himself, he’s done it for her.  Laurie compared herself and Andrew to a seasoned couple, where Travis and Presley are the newlyweds.  Their relationship is new, exciting, and fun, but they don’t really know everything about the other yet.  When this comment is said to Travis, he admits that it might be true, but just like with women, he’s been waiting for the right one, and Presley is the right one and he plans on being with Presley forever.  The comparison of dogs and their owners to soulmates reflects the truly awesome power of the bond and the unconditional love that is shared.  The two teams that made it to the end exemplify that love which is free of self-serving purposes.  This is a show that will truly be missed.

Best TV Show of the Week

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org