THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA
Thursday, November 22 on NBC (12-2 p.m., all time zones)
Celebrate the "Best In Show" with "The National Dog Show Presented By Purina" --- John O' Hurley returns as host of "The National Dog Show Presented By Purina," a purebred canine competition that is part of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia's annual dog show. The show -- one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting events in North America -- is one of only six remaining "benched" dog shows where the public can interact with the show dogs. With expert commentary from David Frei, "the dean" of dog show commentators, the show is expected to feature more than 2,000 of the nation's leading canines in a wide array of more than 150 breeds and varieties, all vying for "Best in Show" honors. "The National Dog Show Presented by Purina" is a property of NBC and Carson International of Ketchum, Idaho.
David Frei has been the co-host of “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” on NBC since its 2002 Thanksgiving Day debut. He is also well-known to millions of television viewers as the longtime co-host of USA Network’s annual telecast of the popular Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which he co-hosts, live from New York’s Madison Square Garden.
In connection with both roles, he has made many appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, Ellen, The View, Martha Stewart, Charlie Rose, and more. He has been director of communications for the Westminster Kennel Club since 2003.
A longtime breeder-owner-handler and judge in the world of purebred dogs, he has enjoyed much competitive success with his Afghan Hounds and Brittanys. Ch. Stormhill’s Who’s Zoomin Who was the #1 Afghan in 1989 and retired as the top-winning female in the history of the breed. David has exhibited his Brittanys in conformation and field trials, but is most proud that Teigh and Belle are wonderful therapy dogs, visiting pediatric patients and their families every week. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel joined the family last year.
With Westminster, David helped to create Angel On A Leash, a charitable activity supporting a therapy dog program at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian. Angel On A Leash has now become an independent charity with David serving a president/CEO, and has expanded into a number of additional facilities across the country, including the Ronald McDonald House of New York City, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and Providence Health Care in Portland (Oregon).
He is also the national spokesperson for Delta Society, the world’s leading organization for animal assisted therapy. He is a member of the Sports Council of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, on the advisory committee for Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Center for Human-Animal Interaction. David is the co-author, with Mike Lingenfelter, of The Angel By My Side, a critically-acclaimed best seller about a heroic service dog, published in 2002 (www.angelbymyside.com).
John O’Hurley returns for his seventh consecutive year as host of “The National Dog Show Presented By Purina,” airing after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving Day, at 12:00 noon ET.
Dubbed one of People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2005, O’Hurley is also an award-winning actor, best known as “J. Peterman” from NBC’s “Seinfeld.” He also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for “Best Ensemble” for his work on the classic sitcom.
Other projects include hosting the Dick Clark Production of “TV’s Funniest Bloopers” and being the face of the popular syndicated show “Family Feud.”
In 2005, he was crowned as the ultimate champion of ABC’s hit “Dancing with the Stars.” O’Hurley has expanded his on-screen success into other ventures, including authoring two books, “Before The Dog Can Eat Your Homework First You Have To Do It: Life Lessons From A Wise Old Dog To A Young Boy.” His first book, “It’s Okay To Miss The Bed On The First Jump,” was a New York Times bestseller.
His film credits include: “Employee of the Month,” “Race to Space,” and "Billy the Kid.” He produced the biopic “The Richard Petty Story,” starring Dennis Quaid, as well as a film version of the New York Times' bestseller “Ahab's Wife” O’Hurley lends his voice to several of America's most popular TV cartoon shows, including “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Duck Dodgers,” “Kim Possible” and “Captain Itch.” His other television voice credits include: “Lloyd in Space,” “Family Guy” and “What's New, Scooby Doo?”
O’Hurley is also a twelve-year veteran of daytime television. His credits include: "The Young and The Restless," "All My Children," "Loving," "Santa Barbara," and "The Edge of Night." O'Hurley has more than 50 guest star credits to his name, including appearances on "Murder She Wrote," "Frasier," "The X Files," and "Melrose Place." His stage credits include: “Chicago,” “Spamalot,” “Same Time Next Year,” "Pirates of Penzance," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," and "Brigadoon."
