New Leash on Life

Television ABC
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New for 2023

Mental health issues and loneliness in Australia are on the rise and so are dogs on death row. Joel Creasey has a solution: a mutual rescue. New Leash On Life is a feel-good, family friendly documentary series with our love of dogs at it’s core. In each episode, Joel meets an Australian in need of unconditional love from a dog, then works with canine behaviourist Laura Vissaritis to rescue a suitable unwanted dog on death row, guiding them with behavioural modifications, before introducing them both and transforming two lives at once. The series will confront head on the culture of dog ownership – good and bad – that has developed in Australia and hold up a mirror to us all, forcing us to consider how our lives intersect with our dogs and how we shape each other’s worlds.

An Artemis production. Financed with the assistance of ABC and Screenwest. Series Producer Hannah Pocock. Executive Producers Celia Tait and Nia Pericles. ABC Executive Producer Leo Faber.

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Laura said on 3AW there will be x6 30 minute episodes, going to air in July on Tuesdays at 8pm.

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Sounds like a copycat Dog House.

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“Filming a documentary”

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Joel Creasey and Laura V connect pound dogs with people in need in the heart-warming new series, New Leash on Life

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ABC is pleased to announce the wonderful new 6-part series, supported through the ABC and Screenwest’s Factual Formats Initiative, New Leash on Life will premiere on Tuesday 4 July at 8pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Each year thousands of dogs across Australia are impounded for a variety of reasons. Renowned comedian Joel Creasey teams up with leading dog behaviourist Laura V as they try to reduce the number of dogs in pounds. Together they rescue, train and pair each dog with a family or person in need of a new best friend.

Across 6 very different episodes, Joel and Laura work towards a mutual rescue, that sees a dog paired with a new owner. But these matches can be complex, and Laura must ensure the dog will work well in the prospective new home, and just as importantly, that the owner is the right fit for the dog.

Click HERE to see a New Leash on Life preview.

Though he’s a big dog lover, Joel has never stepped foot in a pound before and he has much to learn from Laura. A fish out of water, Joel takes in Laura’s vast knowledge and works with the rescue dogs to prepare them for their new homes.

Through a series of touching encounters and activities, New Leash on Life takes you on an emotional journey as the show highlights the healing power of canine companionship.

Launched in 2022, the ABC Factual Formats Initiative is a major Western Australian joint initiative designed to discover the next great returnable factual series out of Western Australia.

Production credit: An Artemis production. Financed with the assistance of ABC and Screenwest. Series Producer Nia Pericles and Hannah Pocock. Executive Producers Celia Tait and Nia Pericles. ABC Executive Producer Leo Faber. Worldwide distribution managed by ABC Commercial.

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Doesn’t sound awful, but not a really inspiring casting choice with Joel imo.

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Lots of dog shows coming from Aunty and FTA in recent years: Muster Dogs, A Dog’s World, New Leash on Life, For the love of Pets, The Dog House, Dogs Behaving (very) Badly, Pooch Perfect, Australia’s Top Dogs. It’s becoming the new dating genre.

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Love the sound of this, but Joel Creasey is so bloody overrated and means I won’t be watching.

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Episode 2

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Tuesday 11 July 8.00pm

Terrified Memphis faces being euthanised unless the right foster carer can be found. No-one can get close to this seemingly aggressive hound except Derek. Can Laura and Joel win Memphis’ trust and help find Memphis a new home?

Laura and Joel face a huge challenge with an abandoned dog in desperate need of a second chance. Memphis is a strong, three-and-a-half-year-old male Doberman, Staffy cross, with a ferocious bark which terrifies anyone who comes near him. For Joel it’s a big learning curve in not judging a book by its cover. Through Laura, he learns how to understand dogs better, especially aggressive ones.

Laura bravely enters Memphis’s only safe space, his cage. While there’s no way Memphis is ready to be paired with a family, Laura is determined to help him all the same.

Joel and Laura learn there is only one man who can get close to this traumatised dog - single father, Derek, the facility’s animal care officer.

Derek is the only human Memphis trusts. But Derek faces a race against time to get Memphis out of the pound and into temporary foster care. If he doesn’t find a new home, this misunderstood hound faces being euthanised.

To help Derek’s cause, Laura wants to train Memphis to trust people again to improve his chances of finding a foster carer. But finding the right foster carer is proving a challenge. Rescue groups are already inundated and a dog like this with behavioural issues will need a lot of time with an experienced foster carer before he can even be considered for re-homing.

Production credit: An Artemis production. Financed with the assistance of ABC and Screenwest. Series Producer Nia Pericles and Hannah Pocock. Executive Producers Celia Tait and Nia Pericles. ABC Executive Producer Leo Faber. Worldwide distribution managed by ABC Commercial.

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Episode 3

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Tuesday 18 July 8.00pm

After a terrible accident, Tracy is looking for a canine to restore purpose in her life again. She’s open to any dog as long as it’s not a small, yappy dog. Can she overcome her aversion to a pint-sized pair?

Joel and Laura meet fifty-seven-year-old Tracy or ‘Nana Skids’ as she’s known to her grandsons.

At the age of forty-three, Tracy’s life was turned upside down in a motorbike accident. The once adventurous thrill seeker became a paraplegic and her life changed forever.

Fourteen years on, she is feeling isolated and depressed. When she was refused a rescue dog by a shelter group, due to her disability, Tracy had given up on the idea of finding a loving companion.

But she knows a rescue dog would give her purpose and get her engaged with the world outside her front door again. She is happy with the idea of any type of dog – apart from a chihuahua.

Joel and Laura want to match Tracy with a compatible canine who won’t overpower her and who will get along with Darla, her daughter’s rottweiler. They meet a newly arrived bonded pint-sized pair of dogs, who are brimming with character - Jasper the fox terrier and Jade the chihuahua.

But Laura is unsure if Tracey would take 2 dogs! And whilst these smaller hounds are a good pairing, Jade is a chihuahua!

Will big hearted Tracey embrace the idea of having 2 dogs?

Episode 4

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Tuesday 25 July 8.00pm

Grieving migrant nurse, Rosey, wants to get a large rescue dog to help fill the void of losing her husband. Will big, beautiful but very anxious Arty be too much for first time dog owner Rosey to handle?

Forty-two year old nurse Rosey migrated to Perth from the north of England six years ago, with her husband of almost two decades, Tom. After a short illness a year ago, Tom passed away leaving Rosey grief stricken.

Ten months on, Rosey is determined to break through her oppressive grief, and work her way through the bucket list that she and Tom once shared. Top of the list is getting a dog which she hopes will help her meet new people.

Rosey is looking for a big dog with a presence who she can pour her love into, and who in turn will
make her feel safe.

At the pound there are no shortages of large dogs. Joel and Laura, meet an ‘unnamed’ chocolate
Labrador-cross and a very big handsome Bullmastiff-cross called ‘Arty’. When Laura first meets Arty, he is weary and showing signs of high anxiety.

Arty is a gentle giant with a presence. But he is a ‘project dog’, needing a lot of time, training,
and patience to blossom. Laura and Joel introduce big Arty to the world outside the pound where sights, sounds and smells seem to frighten

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Episode 5

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Tuesday 1 August 8.00pm

Host Joel Creasey and dog expert Laura V help loved up couple, Ian and Gail who need a small dog to keep lonely Ian company while Gail’s at work.

Joel and Laura meet loved up couple Ian and Gail, who for 16 years, kept active with the help of their ‘pocket rocket’ pup, Pearl. Ian has type 1 diabetes, a bone disorder and recently suffered 2 heart attacks, forcing him to stop work.

Alone at home after losing Pearl, Ian feels unmotivated to pursue much in or out of the house. Ian’s mental slump has Gail worried, and Gail’s own morning exercise routines have lapsed as well.

The couple are ready for another rescue dog in their life. They’re convinced a new pooch will reinvigorate Ian and spur Gail to resume her morning walks again.

Ian and Gail want a small dog they can take on the back of their tricycles when they ride to the foreshore.
This presents a challenge for Joel and Laura as pounds are full of medium to big sized dogs, but the few smaller ones that come in, get snapped up. Will they find a suitable dog for these two love birds?

Production credit: An Artemis production. Financed with the assistance of ABC and Screenwest. Series Producer Hannah Pocock. Executive Producers Celia Tait and Nia Pericles. ABC Executive Producer Leo Faber.

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Episode 6

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Tuesday 8 August 8.00pm

After a series of traumatic and tragic events, newly-weds Ned and Gabriella want to start a new chapter with a dog who’ll give them comfort and joy. Will they connect with Scout, the handsome comedian of a dog?

Joel and Laura meet newly-weds, Ned and Gabriella. Despite their recent nuptials, the couple have been through an emotional rollercoaster. Gabriella is recovering from a traumatic workplace accident while Ned is grieving the tragic loss of his youngest son.

This compassionate couple agree a pooch would give them the comfort and joy they need right now – but they don’t always agree on what kind of dog they want. Gabriella wants a good-looking ‘fur baby’ she can snuggle up with while Ned wants an active dog he can take to the construction site where he mentors ex-prisoners.

At the pound Laura invites Joel into the pen with her to meet a robust, friendly – but very stressed staffy cross called Cruz who has not been microchipped. It’s the second time Joel enters a dog cage and he’s nervous.

Joel and Laura also meet Scout a young, handsome and totally untrained dog who could be the ray of sunshine Ned and Gabriella are looking for…if he can ever learn to stop mouthing. Scout will need a lot of training to channel his exuberant nature.

Production credit: An Artemis production. Financed with the assistance of ABC and Screenwest. Series