Extraordinary Dogs

Jack Russell Bingo saves his owner's life - constantly: whenever 10-year-old Cole suffers one of the life-threatening episodes in which he stops breathing, Bingo barks to alert Cole's parents. When leading fire investigator Sam, a springer spaniel, smelled accelerant on a discarded shirt it led to the arrest of an arsonist. Zoe, the water rescue team golden retriever, jumps out of helicopters to save drowning swimmers and is strong enough to pull an overturned boat to shore with the stranded fisherman still clinging on. With real-life stories like these, Extraordinary Dogs details how dogs' super-heightened senses, strength and loyalty allow them to perform remarkable acts. It explains the biology behind dogs' physical make-up - their muscular strength, how their movable ears help to pinpoint sound, how their huge number of scent receptors powers their astonishing sense of smell - and dispels many myths, for example that dog's sight is limited: not so - they have amazing ability to see movement over long distances.
Each chapter explores an element of the world of dogs - their agility, their hearing, whether their abilities constitute a 'sixth sense' - explaining the science, examining which breeds exhibit particular capabilities and why, and then focussing on individual stories of remarkable dogs. Filled with fascinating and heart-warming descriptions of canine bravery, intelligence and instinct, Extraordinary Dogs examines the complex and intriguing interactions of dogs and their best friends - humans. Extraordinary Dogs accompanies the 13-part Channel 5 prime-time tv series of the same name.