Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 134

AKrsr Style CALGARY HERALD Saturday, September 14, 2002 ES3 i 'J Front porch friendliness and laid back charm aren't for small towns anymore Courtesy, Global Television Robert Church, left, and Vic Cotton: No shortage of tails or tales on their popular TV program. Pet project for Calgary unleashes fifth season 'Si-: (7 I i I fit 4 4 0 VILLAGE OF Prestw IN MCKENZIE It just feels like home It's a place to get away from the horn-honking and tire-screeching of everyday city life. It's a community built on the values and traits of a small town. It's a place where Quiet, tree-lined streets filled with alluring front-porches extend an invitation to all that visit. But above all, it's a place that just feels like home.

So whether you're looking for your first house, a perfect place to raise a family or a charming community in which to simplify your life, the Village of Prestwick offers something special. Spotlight The Pet Guys begins its fifth season AT 12:30 P.M. TODAY ON GLOBAL (Ch. 7). BOBBLAKEY Calgary Herald They have told viewers about ferret-proofing their homes and dental care for puppies.

They've kissed a buffalo and been goosed by a Pig- They're the people who make The Pet Guys. Vic Cotton, Robert Church and a Calgary-based team produce the national TV series that begins its fifth season today. No pet show on Canadian TV has lasted this long, says producer Brad Zipursky, but he insists there's never a problem keeping the series topical and fresh. "We travel across the country for stories," Zipursky says. "I'm proud to say that although we might do a similar topic, we have never done exactly the same story twice in five seasons." Made-in-Calgary TV productions have become rare over the years, excepting news shows.

Global's three competitors CFCN, A-Channel and CBC devote most of their production resources to journalism and annual Stampede coverage. Exceptions include A-Channel's and Global's breakfast shows, and A-Channel's nightly entertainment show, Wired. A-Channel also contributes segments to Craig Broadcasting's Sunday program The Sharing Circle, which is packaged in Manitoba. CBC Newsworld produces 16' hours of programming in Calgary per week, and CBC-TV does four hours, but it's predominantly journalism. CFCN only produces news locally.

The Pet Guys has earned itself a wide audience by discussing an unusually diverse array of pets. "We're the only pet show in North America that has, in every show, seven major categories of pets." Zipursky, Cotton, Church and associate producer Andrea Power spontaneously rattle them off: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish, exotics and the final catch-all critters. The Pet Guys has come a long way since it signed on in 1998. Initially confined to the TV studio of what was then Calgary 7, the hosts did a live-to-tape show in front of an audience. Church remembers one of his worst moments from those days involving a pair of spiny mice, a particularly aggressive type of rodent "Vic picks up the nice one," Church recalls.

"I've got Igor the Spiny Mouse, who bites my fingers. Now I'm bleeding and I'm pinching the blood off so it doesn't show. "Then he urinates on my hand and he does a few mouse poops and they get stuck in the urine and it's dripping down my hand and sleeve. "And we're trying to get through this. We don't want to cut and start over." The show soon began incorporating field segments and by 2000 it had left the studio for good The next big change was Can West Global's takeover of Calgary 7 and other Western International Communications WIC) stations about two years ago, which gave The Pet Guys a national reach and more resources for traveL The team went last season to Vancouver, for example, for the report on street kids and their pets.

It was a touching segment about youngsters Who have unconditional love for their animals, which are also strays; "The kids are amazing with their animals," Power says. "It's thought (street kids) have no responsibility, but those animals are better taken care of than most dogs in the average household." Church says society and its attitude toward pet ownership has changed in the past five years. "People are downsizing," he says. "They're living smaller, faster lives and they want more convenience smaller animals, sometimes." Reptiles are gaining in popularity as pets he says. So are aquarium pets.

"You come home and aquariums lower your blood pressure. They're healthy and relaxing." But hke any hobby, pet ownership requires knowledge, expertise and work. "Our job," says Church, "is to help (pet owners) be successful at that hobby." BLAfcYB a THEhCRAUXSOUTHAMLCA -a I 7 it i 1 i3. SHOVVHOME HOURS: Monday-Thursday: 2-8 PM; Fridays, weekends and holidays: noon to 5 PM TAKE DEERFOOT TRAIL SOUTH TO MCKENZIE TOWNE BLVD. TURN LEFT AND FOLLOW THE VILLAGE OF PRESTWICK SIGNS..