Sportsman Channel To Bow Series Spotlighting Service Dogs

Sportsman Channel will put some of the nation's best paws forward with a new series chronicling the trained canines that serve American military and law enforcement units.

Bowing on April 24 at 8:30 p.m., Saving Private K-9 will spotlight some of the lives of these service dogs and their trainers. Former Marine R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) will serve as host of the series, the second for the network with Pilgrim Studios (The Ultimate Fighter for Fox Sports 1, Ghost Hunters for Syfy,  Orange County Choppers for CMT and Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s for OWN).

Pilgrim, as a part of three-show pact with Sportsman Channel, is also producing Amazing America with Sarah Palin, a half-hour adventure show with the best-selling author and former Republican Vice President and Governor of Alaska, which is scheduled to premiere on April 3.

The series also marks Sportsman Channel's second canine play in two weeks: last week it announced that it has become the official network of The Iditarod and will unleash a week-long stunt in late March about Alaska's famed dog race.

Each episode of Saving Private K-9 will highlight the dogs’ battlefield training, heroic accomplishments, and relationships with their handlers,  as well as their impact on those who have worked with them. Additionally, the show will focus on the dogs’ lives post-service, which often involves rigorous rehabilitation and adoption.

“When R. Lee Ermey speaks, people listen. Sportsman Channel is extremely proud to bring Ermey on board to host Saving Private K-9,” said Marc Fein, excutive vice president of programming and production of Sportsman Channel. “Sportsman Channel is privileged to be able to bring the stories of these heroic dogs to life."