Elite Competition, New Breeds and More in National Dog Show Presented by Purina® Thanksgiving Day on NBC Following Macy's Parade

Holiday TV Special, Hosted by John O'Hurley & David Frei, Also Airing Saturday Night in Primetime on NBC

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The NBC special "The National Dog Show Presented by Purina^®" will crown one of America's great purebreds as its 2013 champion on Thanksgiving Day, bringing canine competition and entertainment into America's living rooms for the 12^th year.

The holiday special (noon-2 p.m. in all time zones) follows the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC and draws a total of almost 20 million viewers annually. Over 170 breeds vie for "Best in Show" honors in the tradition-rich Kennel Club of Philadelphia competition.  An encore presentation will air on NBC in primetime on Saturday, Nov. 30 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).

"Families now know to find The National Dog Show Presented by Purina on Thanksgiving Day at noon following the Macy's Parade," said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN.  "With the encore presentation Saturday night, these great dogs get to show their stuff in primetime."

The special is a celebration of America's fascination with man's best friend and is hosted by John O'Hurley, well known as "J. Peterman" on the hit Seinfeld and as the ultimate champion of ABC's inaugural Dancing With The Stars. O'Hurley is joined by expert analyst David Frei, who is the voice of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on USA Network and America's foremost authority on all things canine.

The National Dog Show also boasts a powerful online presence at www.NBCSports.com and at www.NationalDogShow.com.  Because of heavy interest from breed enthusiasts around the world, those platforms offer a look at every dog in the group competition, featuring the walks, examination and judging of all the breed-winning canines.  The online video will include extensive highlights from the TV special and video from all 11 previous Best In Show winners.  The sites will also feature behind the scenes photos and video, capturing all of the backstage energy generated by 1,500-plus eager canines.

For the first time, The National Dog Show will be streamed live via the NBC Sports Live Extra app and NBCSports.com. The show will also be available in full via video-on-demand.

Unlike traditional dog show coverage, the two-hour special's unique content is facilitated by the open format of the event, one of only four remaining "benched" shows in which the dogs are on display all day for the visiting public.

The show will spotlight three new American Kennel Club (AKC)-recognized breeds, which will be making their major-event and national television debuts—the Chinook, the Rat Terrier and the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno.

Prominent TV personality Mary Carillo, best known in recent years as a correspondent for the Olympic Games on NBC, serves as the sideline reporter for the special and for additional coverage on www.NationalDogShow.com.  

SOURCE National Dog Show Presented by Purina