The dog days of summer ended on a sad note for Claudia Brabazon, but she is channelling her recovery through her lifelong love of dogs on The Dog Show with Claudia on Rogers TV.
“My whole life, I’ve had dogs in the family,” Brabazon said.
She began with obedience training and showing dogs when she was in university. She had Great Danes when she lived on the west coast, and then a German shepherd.
When she moved to the Toronto area, she started with the North York Obedience Club in 2013, and went on to earn many levels of certification, working with dogs of various ages. She became president of the club in 2021.
In 1999, she got Pokey, a chocolate Lab, and her course was set on what breed she enjoyed most. In August 2013, she came to have “the most incredible dog” she ever owned, Magic, a black Lab. She has had other Labradors in her life — Goldie, a yellow Lab, and Bounty, a chocolate Lab.
She moved with her family, including Magic, to Oro-Medonte in 2020. She said Magic was highly skilled and obedient. His prowess was so incredible, she submitted a video of him to America’s Got Talent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the show was accepting video submissions from across North America.
She saw Rogers was searching for new show ideas and immediately thought of her talented canine and building a program around him, branching off into topics on healthcare, obedience, tips and resources she could talk about, as well as leveraging her connections from decades in the dog world for guests. Brabazon met with producer Deanne McCallum in Barrie, and a show was born.
She was set to start shooting at her house in July, when her inspiration and star, Magic, was discovered to have cancer and his spleen ruptured, and he quickly died. She was heartbroken to lose him, as this was her second blow after losing her father. She was not prepared for either departure.
Brabazon thought she must continue with the show as she was never clearer in her vision that people must build the best loving relationships they can, “because you never know when someone you love will be gone,” she said.
That is especially true for dogs, she added, as not only do they mean so much to people, but they love unconditionally.
She wants all dogs to be trained properly as they look to humans for purpose.
“We have a responsibility for their health and training, and they look to us for that care, and jobs to do,” she said.
Training doesn’t need to be hard on the owner.
“Whenever you are out with a dog, actively engaging with them, you are building that bond, regardless of what you are doing and regardless of the breed, your ability level, or the dogs,” she said.
The show has three episodes completed and she is hoping to carry on as long as she can find new topics and new ways to approach them.
“I’m hoping to draw on people I know from all over the world for their skills,” she said.
Brabazon has already had a trainer up from Toronto and Zoom segments with a veterinarian friend in Virginia Beach, Va., and a trainer friend in Massachusetts.
The show can be seen on Rogers TV or on its website, here.
