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DogTV, The Channel For Stay-At-Home Pups, Is Going National

Bleu, a French bulldog who lives in San Diego, watches DogTV during the network's initial months online and on cable outlets in Southern California, in April 2012.
Gregory Bull
/
AP
Bleu, a French bulldog who lives in San Diego, watches DogTV during the network's initial months online and on cable outlets in Southern California, in April 2012.

Tell your best friend:

DogTV, which launched online in Southern California last year, says it's going national on DirecTV starting Aug. 1.

For $4.99 a month (after 30 free days), dog owners can get a channel that's programmed to appeal to canines who are home alone (although we guess there's no reason you can't watch it with them).

Last year, DogTV's Becky Lubeach told All Things Considered that the channel's morning shows would feature content aimed at getting a dog up and off the bed — perhaps, "two dogs playing tug-of-war" or dogs "playing with some kids outside." Midday programming would aim to calm a dog down. There would even be educational programming. "My dog was actually featured in a segment where he went to the vet," Lubeach said. "A dog can experience things that they might not encounter in everyday life."

The channel calls its three types of programming "relaxation," "stimulation" and "exposure." Here's a bite of what's on.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.