Sportsman Channel’s “Saving Private K-9” Calls on Canine Cops in Back-to-Back Episodes on Thursday, June 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

NEW BERLIN, WI (June 1, 2015) – How do working dogs and their handlers control a home invasion? Or find a suspected drug dealer on the run? The award-winning original series Saving Private K-9 answers these questions and more in two emotional and inspiring back-to-back episodes on Thursday, June 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT exclusively on Sportsman Channel.

Episode One takes viewers on a dangerous and highly-charged patrol to apprehend a suspected drug dealer. Shadow, a Dutch Shepherd trained as a narcotics detection dog, is on the case. Shadow’s handler, Officer Mark Rand of the Indianapolis Police Department, witnesses the fierce dog engage the suspect. The process, a seemingly routine procedure and apprehension, suddenly went wrong when the suspect began hurtling down a dangerously steep hill, Shadow in tow. Officer Rand knows his K-9 teammate was tough, but training back at the station couldn’t prepare the dog for a potentially lethal fall.

“When you first go on the streets with a new dog, there are two feelings,” explained Officer Rand. “One is the excitement of a new dog and being able to see a dog that you spent hours in training…getting to actually see him perform in the world and seeing what he is capable of. But then there’s also the anxiety of, is this dog actually going to engage a person on the street when there’s no equipment around and do what he’s been trained to do?”

The action continues in Episode Two, as Officer Gary Dahl of the Sacramento Police Department and K-9 Bandit are called to the scene of a home invasion. The suspect, armed and dangerous, fled the scene after Dahl’s failed attempts to call him to surrender. The perpetrator enters another home nearby, warranting Bandit’s release to obtain him. Officer Dahl loses sight of Bandit, and moments later his stomach drops, as shots are fired. Officer Dahl soon discovers it is a race for time…and his K-9 partner’s survival.

“Bandit has kept so many people safe that have no clue as to who he is or what he’s ever done. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him and have my family be around him. That’ll be something I’ll have for the rest of my life,” said Officer Dahl.

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 ex 102, skolpin@thesportsmanchannel.com