ESPN Dog Day: Programming to Include Competitions, Disney’s Turner & Hooch

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Press release: ESPN

In celebration of International Dog Day, ESPN has announced that it will “raise the woof” with ESPN Dog Day, a full evening of dog-related programming on Thursday, August 26, including dog action sports and an airing of the classic Disney film Turner & Hooch, starring Tom Hanks.

A half-hour Disney-themed American Kennel Club (AKC) Meet the Breeds will kick off the evening at 6:30 p.m. ET on the ESPN App, followed at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 with ESPN Bark in the Park.

The two-hour program will feature dogs competing in spectator-friendly sports including Agility, Diving Dogs, Flyball and Weave Pole.

Continuing on ESPN2, Turner & Hooch will air at 9 p.m. followed at 11 p.m. by the 2020 AKC National Championship event from Orlando, Florida.

The ESPN Dog Day lineup (ET) is as follows:

6:30 p.m. – ESPN App

AKC Meet the Breeds

An array of dog breeds with a Disney theme will be introduced to viewers. Highlighted will be familiar breeds from Disney films including the Cocker Spaniel, Dogue de Bordeaux and Dalmatian, among others.

7 p.m. – ESPN2

ESPN Bark in the Park

A new event for ESPN Dog Day, ESPN Bark in the Park will features more than 90 dogs competing in dog action sports including Agility, Flyball, Diving Dogs and a new Weave Pole Challenge. ESPN SportsCenter anchor Phil Murphy is host of the two-hour telecast, with expert analysis from AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo along with Dr. Terrence Ferguson and Dr. Vernard Hodges from Nat Geo Wild’s Critter Fixers. The event originates from Dunkin Donuts Park in Hartford, Connecticut, home of the Hartford Yard Goats minor league baseball team.

9 p.m. – ESPN2

Disney’s Turner & Hooch (1989)

Scott Turner (Tom Hanks), a compulsively neat detective, finds his tidy world goes to the dogs when he’s forced to team up with a drooling slob of a junkyard dog named Hooch. Not exactly man’s best friend, Hooch turns Scott’s life upside down, wrecking his home, career and budding romance. It’s a nonstop test of wills between this mismatched duo that will leave viewers laughing their tails off.

11 p.m. – ESPN2

2020 AKC National Championship

The largest dog show in the country concludes with group competitions and Best in Show from Orlando, Florida.

ESPN Dog Day – Full Schedule

(Photo courtesy ESPN Images)