John O'Hurley and his infant son, William, will host 'The National Dog Show Presented by Purina' on NBC at noon on November 22

On daytime television, John O'Hurley has had his fair share of drama, playing Jim Grainger on The Young and the Restless and Greg Bennett on General Hospital, to name only a few of his soap roles. Others might know him as J. Peterman, Elaine's eccentric yet fun boss on Seinfeld. Newer viewers might associate him with Family Feud, which he has been hosting for a little more than a year now, taking over for Richard Karn of Home Improvement fame.

John has another role that he is particularly fond of: host of The National Dog Show Presented by Purina. This year will be John's sixth year of hosting the show, which airs November 22 on NBC directly following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

A long-time dog-lover, John has even written two books on the subject: It's Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons I Learned From Dogs and Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It: Life Lessons From a Wise Old Dog to a Young Boy.

dog show

This hosting gig came about simply because he was asked. John tells me: "One of the heads of NBC Sports saw the Christopher Guest movie Best in Show, and thought that having a dog show would be good to follow the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here they were, airing a parade that is watched by millions of people, but then they end up following it with an old rerun of something like It's a Wonderful Life.

"It was a really hard sell to NBC, but they decided to do it. So, on a Tuesday morning, he called me and asked me to host it. I immediately accepted and knew I'd have a lot of fun with it. They've teamed me up with David Frei. He is so knowledgeable about dogs. I try to make it enjoyable."

Now, before you start to think that John channels Fred Willard's colour-commentator character in Best in Show, know that their only similarity is the comedy. However, John makes it clear that unlike Fred's parody of the situation, John keeps it fun at his own expense. "These dogs, these breeds, are the best. When you see an Irish setter do a half-canter around the ring, you think, 'This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen'." John wouldn't dream of making fun of such hard work and beauty.

While John loves every aspect of his hosting duties, he especially enjoys the time before the main event, the stuff that happens behind the scenes, before the television audience tunes in. "I like going backstage before the show and just walking the backstage area. There are more than 2,000 dogs, about 15,000 people. It is wonderful to see all these people, and the enjoyment, the tension and the sense of accomplishment. All the little kids get to see all these dogs, they get to pet them and see them up close."

Standard Poodle area

One place John likes to hang out is by the Standard Poodle area. "It's so interesting to see the way they are manicured, primped and preened, with their poofy hair patches - just all of the work that goes into making them look the way they do."

While John admits that "it's funny to see them being primped and preened, it's the historical representation of the animal. Those hair patches are there to keep their joints warm - they were prized hunting dogs. They were part of the survival of man. That's part of the fun of the show, learning the history of these dogs. It's acelebration of the breeds."

And, of course, dogs will be dogs. John explains, "These dogs are as silly as anything; they're just looking for someone to rub their belly."

While you probably won't see a lot of belly-rubbing in the actual competition, you will see a lot of beautiful animals. Be sure to catch John and his infant son, William, as they host The National Dog Show Presented by Purina on NBC at noon on November 22.

- Cindy Elavsky