The Truth About Pooch Perfect's Dr. Callie Harris
If you love dogs, love grooming, and have a pinch of drama and competitiveness, have we got the show for you. Pooch Perfect, a dog grooming competition show, premieres on ABC on March 30, 2021, because we can't get enough of our furry friends and their sassy dye jobs (all pet-friendly, of course!)
The show is hosted by Rebel Wilson and she's joined by judges Lisa Vanderpump, Dr. Callie Harris, and dog groomer Jorge Bendersky, according to People. The eight-episode show follows a typical competition pattern. Contestants will take part in grooming challenges and those who fail will get sent home. Obviously, a cash prize to the tune of $100,000 looming at the finish lines adds a little adrenaline to these challenges
This is everything we could want and so of course, we're dying to know more about the amazing people who are evaluating these puppy-cuts, especially Dr. Callie Harris. Here's the scoop!
Dr. Harris is a dog lover with a worthy cause
Dr. Callie Harris, a doctor of veterinary medicine, completed her schooling at the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 and completed a small animal internship at a veterinary practice in North Carolina, according to her Purina bio. In 2016, Dr. Harris was named veterinary communications manager at Purina, the pet food company. So clearly Dr. Harris knows the ins and outs of all things dog!
She lives in Sandy Springs, Ga., where she works primarily in emergency work and not just on dogs. Dr. Harris told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on March 25, 2021, "I love seeing a variety of cases. I've worked with goats, snakes, rabbits."
Dr. Harris herself is a dog owner, she told the outlet, and, true to form, her Instagram is packed with dog photos. Is there anything better on the internet?
So what is her take on grooming? "I know my way around clippers for medical procedures," Dr. Harris told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But if you want something aesthetically pleasing, you'd have to rip the clippers out of my hands!"
Dr. Harris' appearance as a judge on Pooch Perfect is doubly meaningful to her, as she told the outlet that Black members of the veterinarian community only make up 2% of its population. "I want to show that veterinarians come in different colors and backgrounds," she said. "This is such a unique position for me to have a seat at the table on a major network and work with dogs in a completely different arena."