Several times a week, lucky MHS animals get selected to become TV stars! Thanks to our partnerships with WXYZ-TV Detroit, Fox 2 Detroit, WDIV Local 4 and TV20 Detroit, we have the opportunity to feature adoptable animals on various local TV programs. This not only helps get the animals adopted, but expands the reach of our programs, services and events.
So how do we decide who gets to go on TV?
We have to keep in mind that a television studio can be a stressful environment for an animal – lots of new smells, sights, bright lights, lots of people and strange noises.
Young puppies and kittens are often the most adaptable to situations like this. With a bit of cuddling and maybe a few treats, they are often happy to meet the news anchors, sit in the lap of an MHS staff member and pose for the camera. Sometimes they get a little too excited about being on set and get a bit squirmy, but that’s the fun of live television.
Of course our animal handlers always take safety into account – we want animals to be comfortable and we instruct our television hosts to properly approach and handle animals. Sometimes we are able to do a segment outside, and will usually bring a larger dog for the occasion. Sometimes we mix it up and bring critters like a rabbit or guinea pig.
With experience, our staff is able to appropriately gauge which animals might be comfortable on a TV set or not. You can see MHS on television on Live in the D on Tuesdays, Noon News on Fridays, Local 4 Morning News on Sundays, Fox 2 News Morning one Monday a month and TV20 on Wednesday mornings.