Barking up the right tree

You can keep your Bachelors, and islands Heartbreak, Temptation and Love. In my opinion, there’s only one TV matchmaking show worthy of your attention. A programme guaranteed to give you the feels, it’s a series that each week takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, as you find yourself invested in the fortunes of the participants. There are no hidden agendas, no gratuitous nudity or backstabbing, although there is almost certainly game-playing, the occasional bout of bad behaviour and bitches abound.

Yes, returning for its third season tonight, The Dog House (8.30pm, TVNZ 1, with episodes also available on TVNZ+) is mostly family friendly (sometimes the doggie backstories can be a little too overwhelming for more sensitive viewers) fun that packs a real punch when it comes to delivering heartwarming and heart-rending tales.

Set in and around one of Europe’s largest animal rehoming centres – the Wood Green

Animal Shelter in Godmanchester in Britain – each week it highlights three or four searches by humans for their perfect canine companion.

Now with a well-established format – currently replicated in Australia and set for introduction here later this year – each sole, duo or grouping’s hunt begins with a relaxed on-camera interview with staff, describing often harrowing or tragic backstories, why the participants feel now is the right time to introduce a pooch into their lives and some specifics around the kind of size, demeanour and breed they’re particularly keen on.

The Wood Green team then work their magic and come up with a couple of potential options from their eclectic array of current residents.

As the dogs’ potted bios and sometimes blighted backstories are regaled to us, it’s the imagery of them looking sad in their stark accommodation or happily frolicking around in the leafy estate where you’ll first start to experience goosebumps, a little pain in your heart and/or a moistening around the eyes.

Once a shortlist has been created, or an individual singled out, it’s off to a small enclosure for a play date. We can see the nerves on both sides as the anticipation reaches a fever pitch – and the door opens. It’s now essentially make-or-break time.

Will it be love at first sight? Will the dog favour one over another? Will they completely ignore the humans, cause mayhem, or simply lash out? You can feel yourself holding your breath, internally jumping for joy or expressing doubt that they were every really suited in the first place. As one staff member puts it in this week’s episode, ‘‘sometimes people don’t know what they need until they meet the wrong dog’’.

Definitely falling into that category are Roshni and Jay. He’s a charismatic, larger-than-life figure desperate to help his wife of five years break out of her funk. She’s had her confidence knocked by a ‘‘soul-destroying workplace experience’’ that’s made her wary of going out in public alone. Both believe the right dog could alleviate her anxiety.

But while Roshni has her mind set on a ‘‘Scooby-doo-sized dog’’, Jay is only slightly joking when he says that there’s ‘‘only space for one large, gorgeous thing in our flat’’. You can see Roshni’s excitement dissipate when Bella the bouncy staffie (whose previous home involved living alongside 17 cats) appears to prefer Jay’s company and you’ll cheer when Cech, the shy, cuddly terrier cosies up on the ground next to her.

But, of course, which, if any of them, end up at their home is left tantalisingly hanging until the very end of the episode – when the crowd-pleasing ‘‘Some Time Later . . . ’’ section reveals all.

Sometimes the resolution isn’t what everyone hopes for (be it a result of irreconcilable differences, unforeseen medical issues, or even personal preferences or prejudices). But that’s also part of The Dog House’s appeal: it echoes the highs and lows of real life and the sometimes frustrating search for a furry addition to your family unit.

And while for the humans their story is usually wrapped up in a single episode, certain canines often make repeat appearances, becoming familiar faces to a captive audience who send them as much aroha as they can, willing them to make the best impression possible and hoping – this time – they’ll find their forever home.

My family will tell you I’m most definitely not a dog person, but it’s hard not to fall in love with some of the Wood Green residents and seek out the regular dopamine hit that The Dog House provides.

Season 3 of The Dog House begins screening on TVNZ 1 at 8.30pm today. Episodes will also be available to stream on TVNZ+.