There's a canine star in town, and his name is Eddy!
Whitfield County's own beloved drug dog and his handler, Deputy Todd Thompson, will appear in the new A&E show called "America's Top Dog" that debuts early next month, according to a news release from the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office.
The series brings together top K9 cops and civilian dogs alongside their handlers as they compete nose-to-nose on the ultimate K9 obstacle course. In each one-hour episode of the series, four police K9 teams, including fan-favorites from "Live PD," and one civilian team will face off for the title of "Top Dog" in three rounds of high velocity, furry competition, the release states.
Filming of the show occurred back in June, and for the past five months, Thompson has been sworn to secrecy. While he can't comment on whether he made it to the grand finale or even how he did in his first episode, he did say the whole experience was a thrill and honor for him.
"I never knew and never imagined that I'd be doing what I'm doing," Thompson said in the release. "I just thought I'd be a guy with a dog, you know – a K9 handler with a dog just doing my job and just coming to work and giving the county their eight hours a day and supporting the community and being out here protecting and serving. I just assumed that that's what I was gonna be doing."
Whitfield County K9 officer Eddy had his own seat on the airplane as he flew to California and back for filming of "America's Top Dog," even though sometimes the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office K9 dog preferred to relax in the floor. / Photo provided by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office
It's turned out he and his K9 partner are doing much more than that, though Eddy doesn't seem to be aware of his new-found fame.
"It's just another day for him," Thompson said in the release. "He don't understand how popular he's fixing to get. He don't get that, he's just a dog. He just loves going to work with Daddy; he's just along for the ride."
But what a ride it has already been, as Thompson told the host of the show, Jamie Little, on set in a California canyon this summer.
"Eddy's a fantastic dog," he told Little. "Really and truly, he'll do kinda whatever I tell him to do, whatever I ask him to do. He aims to please me, and that's what he's all about – 'Hey Dad, what you want me to do? I'll do it if I can. If I can't do it, let's just try to work through it together and figure out how we can do it, and I'll do it.'"
Eddy asks for little in return for pleasing his master, Thompson points out, "to play with that toy a little bit, to go home every evening and get those two treats from my wife."
Whitfield County Deputy Todd Thompson and his K9 partner, Eddy, strike a pose on the set of "America's Top Dog." / Photo provided by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office
The competing teams will be tested on their speed, agility, and teamwork by completing a series of expert tasks on a massive obstacle course including navigating a complex maze for scented items and apprehending and taking down a suspect in a bite suit, among a variety of other challenges as part of the show.
Each week's winning team will receive $10,000 for their department and another $5,000 to donate to the animal charity of their choice. In the final week of competition, top competitors will return to the finale course to battle for the title of "America's Top Dog" and an additional $25,000 cash prize for their department, the release states.
Thompson says he feels like he is representing all the K9 dog handlers in the area, many of whom he has befriended over the years since he began working with Eddy, as well as his late co-worker, Lt. Fran Rice, a long-time lawman for the sheriff's office who passed away this summer.
Competing in "America's Top Dog," Whitfield County K9 officer Eddy wore the retirement badge belonging to the late Lt. Fran Rice, a long-time Whitfield County lawman who passed away shortly after the show was filmed in the summer of 2019. / Photo provided by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office
Rice was a dog handler for the military in the Philippines, a past neighbor of Thompson, and eventually pushed Thompson to apply for the K9 handler position, the release states.
"He was a dog man...he's been nothing but an encouragement for me, and I think he would like that," Thompson said.
Just before his death in June, Thompson was asked to present Rice's retirement badge to his wife, Kim, but a few days later he called her to ask if he could borrow it back for a short time. With Kim's permission, Thompson replaced Eddy's badge with Rice's, to show he was running the course in Rice's honor.
Once Thompson got to Los Angeles, a representative of the show noticed Eddy wearing the badge and asked why it had Lt. Rice's name on it. Later, Thompson was asked to comment on the badge's significance during an interview that he hopes will make the final edit for the show, according to the release.
"I'm kinda representing not only the Sheriff's Office, not only Whitfield County, not only the community, but I feel like I'm representing more – the counties and agencies around me, too," Thompson said in the release.
Thompson and Eddy have been successful in regional and national competitions over the past three years. He says he's grateful for the overall experience and thinks the show will be "very well received" by viewers.
"At first, I didn't realize it, but now I do realize how much my life has changed because of me meeting that dog. He came to me at the right time in my life. I needed him and maybe he needed me, and we've done very well with this adventure," Thompson said. "I imagine there's something good coming from this show that's around the corner. I just don't know what it is yet."
You can catch Thompson and Eddy on the show, which debuts at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Though they competed on the first day of shooting, Thompson isn't sure exactly when their segment will appear, because of the editing process.
"America's Top Dog" is hosted by veteran sports broadcaster Curt Menefee alongside expert dog trainer Nick White and sideline reporting by seasoned sports reporter and animal rescue ambassador Jamie Little. The 11-episode series being produced by the same company as "American Ninja Warrior" and "Live PD," the release states.