Who’s a good boy…

Dog lovers, settle in for paw-fect viewing with The Secret World of Guide Dogs with Martin Clunes, new Hudson & Rex and more.

Martin Clunes with potential guide dog puppies. Credit: Buffalo Pictures / All3 Media

Nobody knows whether dogs first adopted humans or the other way around. What we do know is that for tens of thousands of years we’ve been working together to hunt for food, protect each other, provide companionship, and – if you’ve been watching Hudson & Rex – take down a whole lot of criminals.

Even in the 21st century, there’s something wonderfully rewarding about watching people and dogs working together towards a common goal. And if you don’t have a dog in your own life, you don’t have to look far to see this kind of cross-species teamwork in action. It’s a double act that’s uniquely satisfying to watch, whatever form it takes.

Hudson & Rex is a series where Canada’s top cop Rex (Diesel vom Burgimwald) teams up with his human partner Charlie Hudson (John Reardon) to bring to justice all manner of crooks and lawbreakers using only the power of being a ruthlessly efficient yet adorable German Shepherd. Whether it’s campsite killers, deadly treasure hunters, or Rex getting a big chance to star in a TV commercial only to have it derailed when the ad executive responsible is murdered, you can rely on this canine cop to put the bite on crime.

Charlie and Rex on the job in season 4 of 'Hudson & Rex'. Credit: Derm Carberry / Shaftesbury / Pope Productions

A reboot of the globally successful Inspector Rex (Diesel is a distant relation of the original Rex), it’s been shown in over a hundred territories around the globe and recently finished filming its sixth season. Audiences just can’t get enough of a crime-fighting pooch bringing bad guys down, and if the episode is about the inventor of a board game titled ‘Snake Pit’ being murdered by an actual snake that’s even better.

At first glance, The Secret World of Guide Dogs with Martin Clunes is about as far from Hudson & Rex as you can get. One’s a crime procedural on the mean streets of Canada; The Secret World of Guide Dogs is a documentary hosted by the Doc Martin star that follows his journey as he adopts Laura, a retiring guide dog, and helps Laura’s previous owner Jaina find a new dog. It’s a touching, informative look at what happens to guide dogs once their working life is finished, alongside the challenges of pairing a human with a dog that they’re going to be relying on for the very basics of getting around.

Martin Clunes with a puppy who might one day become a guide dog. Credit: Buffalo Pictures / All3 Media International

Clunes himself is obviously a big fan of dogs; he has four even before he takes in Laura. “Having a dog as your company, works for me,” he says with a smile on his face, clearly adoring the dogs milling around his feet (the dogs, on the other hand, seem more focused on being fed). But it’s his next line that makes it clear what this documentary and Hudson & Rex have in common: “I kinda dig it when two species come together and share their ambitions, it’s great”.

Training a dog to achieve those ambitions isn’t easy. As is traditional with stories about guide dogs, we’re shown the rigorous efforts they have to go through to qualify. There’s an emotional side to things too; Jaina and Laura have been together for ten and a half years, so letting go isn’t easy on either side. But the heart of this documentary is surprisingly close to an episode of Hudson & Rex: people and dogs, working together.

It's a team up that works no matter what the setting, and movies have been doing it for decades. The Belle & Sebastien trilogy (now available on SBS On Demand), where a young boy befriends a sheepdog (that’s almost as big as he is) and has various Nazi-thwarting adventures along the French Alps is a charmingly heart-warming take on the team-up. Hachi (also available on SBS On Demand), which is based on the true story of a dog who turned up at a train station every day to wait for his dead master to return, takes the bond between canine and human and turns it into a great way to bawl your eyes out.

What touches us in all these stories is the devotion that these dogs show to us. They’re working with us to help us achieve our goals, with only a lot of pats and hugs and food as their reward. Whether they’re helping someone get down to the shops safely, or they’re helping stop a truck full of explosives from blowing up half of Canada, these good boys (and girls) are doing a very good job.

Hudson & Rex seasons 3-6 arrive at SBS On Demand on 6 July, joining seasons 1 and 2, which are streaming now. Episodes will also be airing on SBS VICELAND Saturdays 10.20pm from 6 July.