Sportsman Channel’s “Saving Private K-9” Tells Tale of Fight for Survival – Thursday, May 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

NEW BERLIN, WI (May 18, 2015) – In this week’s episode of Sportsman Channel’s Saving Private K-9, Officer Bryan Rodriguez and K-9 Officer Reiko are called to a murder scene in West Covina, Calif. With the suspect still on the run, Reiko deploys to apprehend the threat. Before the K-9 officer can complete the task, the suspect retrieves and fires his gun. Reiko continues to fight on, but surrounding officers fear he is suffering from a lethal wound.

Tune in to the award-winning original series Saving Private K-9 hosted by Lt. Colonel Oliver North on Thursday, May 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT exclusively on Sportsman Channel.

Officer Rodriguez and Reiko know if the perpetrator of a serious crime is still on the run, all they can do is prepare for the unexpected. With the help of a team of officers, the suspect is discovered and has no way to escape. But the criminal’s noncompliance to surrender meant Reiko must be deployed. Reiko approaches the armed fugitive, successfully engaging him. What Reiko did not expect, was a suspect with a gun. Shots are fired, a battle for survival ensues, and the unbreakable bond between K-9 and handler is tested.

 “I don’t know if the bond between a K-9 and a handler could ever be described,” said Rodriguez. “It would probably just be the same as the bond between a father and son, mother and daughter. You love these dogs as if they are your own kid. This is our work, together.”

About Pilgrim Studios: Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Studios produces a wide variety of unscripted and scripted programming for television, including hit series Fast N’ Loud, Misfit Garage and Street Outlaws for Discovery; Ghost Hunters for Syfy; The Ultimate Fighter for FOX Sports 1; Down East Dickering for History; Swamp Pawn for CMT; Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s and Raising Whitley for OWN; David Tutera’s CELEBrations for WEtv; Wicked Tuna and Wicked Tuna: North vs. South for National Geographic Channel; Amazing America with Sarah Palin and Saving Private K-9 for Sportsman Channel; Bring It! for Lifetime; Somebody’s Gotta Do It with Mike Rowe for CNN; and the recently launched My Big Fat Fabulous Life for TLC. The company also produced the breakout movie Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives for Discovery’s 2013 Shark Week, as well as the movie Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine and the special Megalodon: The New Evidence for the channel’s Shark Week 2014. In the scripted realm, Pilgrim has produced the pilot Recovery Road ABC Family, recently picked up for a full season. The company’s original movies for Lifetime include Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy; Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which earned a 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing In A Motion Picture; and the crime thriller Stalkers.

About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel/Sportsman HD is a television and digital media company fully devoted to honoring a lifestyle that is celebrated by millions of Americans. A division of Outdoor Sportsman Group, Sportsman Channel delivers entertaining and informative programming that showcases outdoor adventure, hunting and fishing, and illustrates it through unique and authentic storytelling. Sportsman Channel embraces the attitude of “Red, Wild & Blue America” – where the American Spirit and Great Outdoors are celebrated in equal measure. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 36 million U.S. television households. Stay connected to Sportsman Channel online at thesportsmanchannel.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

To find Sportsman Channel in your area click here.

********

MEDIA CONTACT:

Shannon Kolpin, Sportsman Channel, P: 262.432.9100, skolpin@thesportsmanchannel.com

Tom Caraccioli, Sportsman Channel, P: 212.852.6646, tcaraccioli@thesportsmanchannel.com