Production has begun on Talent Hounds, a transmedia project by Toronto prodco Hop To It Productions in association with fellow prodco BookShorts that is supported by national broadcaster The Pet Network.

The one-hour Talent Hounds TV documentary will follow the history and humanization of dogs, tracing their changing roles and talents from wolves to the domestic animals we know today.

A component of the execution sees the screen-entertainment content forming the core of an online community-building initiative, complete with entertainment content, networking and know-how for “dog parents,” the producers explained to Playback.

Open casting calls for talented dogs to be featured in Talent Hounds started Nov. 9. In the coming months,  producer Susan Nation of Hop To It with the help of Judith Keenan at BookShorts will sniff out a range of talents, dog breeds and training methods.

The program is being created with the assistance of  the Canada Media Fund and the Canadian Media Production Association Transmedia Production Acceleration Program.

The Pet Network recently unveiled a re-branding plan that included several new programs.

Photo Credit: Trish Aleve, Pawsome Pet Photography, supplied to Playback by Talent Hounds‘ producers.