How the Creators of Netflix's "Dogs" handpicked the 6 Cubs and their humans for their breathtaking series

For all those who cried while watching videos of rescued pit bulls, looking for a home forever, startled in front of a chubby corgi climbing on the sidewalk or melting into a puddle of water when seeing a dog in costume. Halloween – the new series of Netflix, Dogs, is for you. The six episodes of the docuserie, which began on Friday, Nov. 16 on the streaming giant, feature a variety of stories from dog owners, dog lovers and dogs around the world. And while the number of subjects varies from episode to episode, each story is based on a comforting link between humans and their furry friends. However, as Dogs Creative Glen Zipper and Executive Producer Amy Berg told Bustle that it took a lot of work to distinguish between sad and tonic, and that there was a lot of care and consideration behind the scenes to reduce their prospective subjects so that they incorporate only six episodes.

During the series, the audience will watch reports from Berlin, Syria, Italy, Tokyo, Costa Rica and the United States. That's why it took about four or five months to project everything and enlighten, according to the collaborators. "We were fortunate to have an extraordinary casting team: a company called Aberrant Creative, led by Francine Dauw and Matt Shelly," says Zipper. "And they told us more stories than we could count, and at one point we reduced the number to about 30 or 40, and from there we had to reduce it even further. to reach six. "

But how in the world did they narrow their search when there were so many good mutts to choose from? "We had some criteria we were looking for," says Zipper. "Above all, we wanted stories rooted in the connection between man and dogs." While there were many stories about remarkable dogs doing remarkable things, sometimes funny things – a skateboard dog, a paragliding dog – these We put aside stories so we could focus on link-centric stories. "

However, a beautiful story about a dog owner and dog is not necessarily a compelling documentary topic, however sweet or hilarious it may be. For this reason, they had to further reduce the pool. "[W]We wanted diversity – geographical diversity too, so we could explain how the love of dogs has no borders – and also the diversity of characters, "says Zipper. different breeds with different perspectives, but the same love that applied to dogs. "

Their hard work has paid off: spectators will be eager to meet Zeus – the chatty talker caught in a war-torn Syria, while his owner, Ayham, is thousands of miles away in Berlin. Then there is Ice, who watches over an isolated Italian village on the shores of Lake Como. The lab sits at the dining room table as a member of the family patrolling the wind vicoli from the hill, welcoming about 40 people who live there all year, and helps his owner to catch fish to supply the family restaurant. Another dog, Rory, helps her young owner, Corrine, manage her epilepsy. And then there is Territorio de Zaguates – the over-the-top dog rescue in Costa Rica that is home to more than 1,000 dogs that have nowhere else to go.

"Our relationship with dogs is not complicated, it's pure love, a perfect creature and a perfect soul."

"The most difficult story to find was probably Costa Rica," says Berg about this episode. "We were so drawn to the images of twelve hundred dogs running together, but we did not know what it would look like in practice." The end result is a nuanced description of a difficult situation: it is clear that the owners are passionate about their rescue but lack the infrastructure and funds needed to stay afloat. However, the episode has a somewhat happy end. Zipper reveals that one of the episode's directors, T.J. Martin, has adopted a Territorio rescue. "This dog now lives in Los Angeles and is spoiled by him daily," said the Dogs creator says.

Speaking of rescue, I ask Berg and Zipper if they were as eager to adopt a Hearts & Bones dog, the rescue described in Episode 6, just like me. They answer that they were but that they had self-control to prevent it. That said, both owners are already enthusiastic. Berg owns a 2 year old Poodle Rider named Lenny while Zipper speaks fondly of his pit bull rescue, Anthony. Who better to create a docuseries on dogs than two enthusiastic canines? "We have people, human beings who are important parts of our families, but these relationships are always complicated," said Zipper. "Our relationship with dogs is not complicated, it's pure love, a perfect creature and a perfect soul."

So, as they are enthusiastic dog lovers, what documentary subjects have been their favorites? Berg has two: Ice and Zeus. "I love Zeus", she springs. (Berg, it should be noted headed both "Bravo, Zeus" and "Second Chances.") "I wanted to take her home with me.I remember when we went to this cafe – and there is huge – and he just lay on the ground, and all these people were looking at him and trampling on him, and he was completely indifferent, he's the dog with whom you walk down the street, and everybody has to take a selfie with him. "

Although Zipper acknowledges that Rory, Ice and Zeus are the three "hero dogs" in the series, the designer prefers Max, which he calls jokingly about "his underdog" and his "best-placed favorite dog". Indeed, Zipper's pit bull rescue is a major reason why he has a soft spot for dogs like Max. "At some point, I'll be adding more dogs to my bag, and I think I'll probably dwell on dogs that have been forgotten and really need that second chance," he says. he.

In fact, Zipper says that he is in a constant state of wanting more rescues. "For me, my life is basically made up of two things: I tell stories in film and on television and I resist the urge to adopt dogs," jokes Zipper. "So it's a constant struggle, day after day, I'll need my own Territorio de Zaguates to fulfill my ambition to adopt dogs."

Fortunately, a lot Dogs viewers probably feel the same as Zipper, especially after episode 6. It's hard to try to pick a handful of doggos to figure in such a moving docusery, but someone needs to make. Hopefully, they will be able to create more episodes in the future because that is the type of content that the world needs nowadays.