It’s a sad fact of city life: Often, dogs must be left home alone. But this reality motivates New Yorkers to devise creative ways to keep Spot entertained. Many leave the TV on, but freelance producer Molly Sebastian, who’s worked on “Wife Swap” and other reality shows, wanted to cater specifically to canine viewers like her Irish terrier Rudy.
“My husband and I would have discussions about what channel should be left on: Was CNN too talky, and so on. Crazy, right?” she recalls. “Then I thought, ‘What if we cut out the middleman — the humans — and had entertainment just for dogs, so they could watch it and it’d be all about them?’”
Sebastian teamed up with her friend and colleague, Emmy-winning TV producer Manny Bosgang of “Cash Cab” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” to create “PETelenovela: the Soap Opera For Dogs, Starring Dogs.”
A cross between “One Life to Live” and “101 Dalmatians,” the story follows “Lonnie Miller,” a Texas dawg who seeks his fortune here in the Big Apple and lands a job working for the villainous Fontina Fontaine. A canine Cruella De Vil, Fontina’s a rich bitch who built her empire by exploiting dogs. But in true Robin Hood spirit, Lonnie the whistleblower saves the day — all in 24 minutes, the length of this first episode, available on DVD for $10.99 at myspace.com/petelenovela.
The canine cast comes from all walks of life: The Boston-bred Lonnie is played by a photogenic border collie named Clancy; the role of Fontina went to New York pooch Dior, a wiry-whiskered Chihuahua mix who’s appeared on “30 Rock”; and, in a nod to the producers’ reality-TV background, the shelter dogs are portrayed by residents of Brooklyn’s own BARC shelter.
Now, on a monitor stationed close to Rudy’s favorite spot — the couple’s bed — Sebastian plays “PETelenovela” on a continuous loop while she’s not home, and is proud to report that Rudy heartily approves. Luckily, he’s not the only fan.
Karyn Bosnak, author of “20 Times a Lady” and owner of a Yorkie named Beverly, praised “PETelenovela” on her “Pretty in the City” blog: “Beverly can’t stop watching! (And neither can I . . . it’s hilarious.)”
Of course, unlike human film critics, dogs can’t really say what they think of the show. They can, however, express their delight in other ways.
Designer Evette Rios, who appears regularly on Rachael Ray’s popular talk show, has proof of her pet’s addiction to the doggie soap opera: “The only bad thing about how much Baloo loves ‘PETelenovela’ is that I now have to wipe her nose prints off the TV,” she says with a laugh.
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