Underdogs

NATURE’s Underdogs tells the poignant story of two misfits whose lives were turned around by people who saw their potential for greatness.

Holly and Herbie were renegade youths. Troubled and defiant, they were shuttled from home to home throughout their young lives; no family could manage their unruly conduct. But finally, each found someone who saw that beneath their mischievous veneers were two highly intelligent and gifted animals.

Holly, an 85-pound bloodhound, chewed everything in sight and by the time she was 10 months old, had been removed from six different homes. She was languishing in a shelter, with her days numbered, until professional dog trainer Larry Allen intervened. Having trained countless bloodhounds for law enforcement agencies across the United States, Allen sets out to help Holly harness her natural abilities as a tracker in the hope that one day she would become a competent police dog.

Herbie, a two-year-old bearded collie, couldn’t rein in his impish personality or his penchant for attacking livestock. His errant ways had put him at risk of being shot by a local farmer. Fortunately, sheepdog trainer Barbara Sykes sensed Herbie was more than just a marauder. In her gentle yet firm manner, she coaches him hoping to hone his skills to herd rather than bite sheep on her working farm in England.

Beginning with the initial meeting between dog and trainer, viewers follow Sykes and Allen as they apply their professional skills to transform these misfit mutts into the noble working dogs they were bred to be. As their stories unfold, we witness the powerful bond that develops between trainer and pupil.

Celebrate the beauty of a second chance with these remarkable and resilient Underdogs.

Catch this episode on PBS if you can!

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