This type of work must be an exercise in extremes — seeing dogs at their most abused and neglected, and then, on the other end of the spectrum, watching them find their way back to happiness . . .
ALEX: Definitely. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions — and it’s kind of the same as the dog [experiences]. When we see them in those situations, it breaks your heart. It’s so sad and you’re so emotional, but what keeps you going are those moments when you do see them in their forever home and thriving. And like we always say, dogs are so resilient. They’re so forgiving. They have unconditional love. And we have to fight for that — because if given the opportunity, they should all feel that in return. They give all of that to you. So, seeing them in these horrible situations breaks your heart, but when you see them get adopted or in their forever home, that’s why we keep going back — to give every dog that second chance to have that life.
What sorts of conversations did you have with the producers about what this show was aiming to capture, and how intimately the cameras would delve into your lives?
BRADY: I think the biggest thing is obviously we really wanted to highlight [rescue organization] K9 Advocacy and the work that they do, because they’ve got an incredible team of all volunteers that do this because they love animals. They love dogs, they love cats and they just want to make a difference. So, the big thing was shining a light on K9 Advocacy and their amazing support team, the work that we get to do with them — and then shining a light on the dogs and what they have to suffer.
We want to raise awareness. If you love dogs and if this is your calling, we want to show people with this TV show that you can get involved. Hopefully it inspires people to make a difference and maybe visit your local shelter or start donating or taking dogs for walks or adopting. It’s just to raise awareness.
And when it came to talking to the producers before we started filming the show, we had one non-negotiable with them. We wanted the show to be as real, as authentic and genuine as it could possibly be. We wanted to show the rawness and the vulnerability of us doing this rescue work, but the one non-negotiable was that it was never going to be staged. We’re never going to put a dog in harm’s way just for you to get the shot. So, be ready, because when we’re on these rescue runs, you never know what to expect. Get your camera ready. If you get the shot, you get the shot. Great. If not, we’ll wait for another dog that has to be rescued. Nothing’s gonna be staged.
But we do always say, the one thing I felt like was staged 24/7 was us getting in a vehicle, getting out of a vehicle [laughs].
ALEX: I think they were like, “If you’re not going to let us do anything else, we’re going to make you do that 100 times.”
Season one, it was new to everybody. Rescue is so unpredictable. So, it kind of just unfolded on its own as to what the show became and what was being filmed. There wasn’t a ton of conversation on what that was going to look like. We pretty much said, “We’re down for whatever you guys want to film, but everything has to be real. If you catch the moment, you catch it, but we’re not going to redo the moment. It is what it is.”
BRADY: Yeah. That dog’s saved, put in a kennel, in a warm vehicle. We’re not taking it out to get a shot.
Whether it’s pro sports broadcasts or reality dating competitions, you’ve both had experiences with a camera being shoved in your face. How did Must Love Dogs compare to that?
ALEX: I had a little stint on The Bachelor. And I said I would never do anything again where there were producers or camera people. I was like, “Absolutely not.” It was so . . . whatever, that’s a different story! But this didn’t feel like that. The crew that we have and the producers and the camera [operators], all of them were so invested in the show and the story of the dogs, that it never felt invasive. They were there to support us . . . but at the same time, they were filming.
I mean, sometimes the days were long and the mornings early and I’m like, “Can I have my coffee before I talk to you?” But they were so good about all of that. It never really felt super-invasive or in our space. And I think it’s because we were genuinely doing what we loved to do. We want the world to see all of these dogs and their stories.
BRADY: I thought it was epic. We had the most amazing film crew, producers, director, showrunner — they were like family to us by the end of it. We got so close with them. It was such an amazing experience. I mean, Alex and I taking our dogs on such cool adventures, them filming it; us paddle-boarding with the dogs, them filming us; playing in charity golf tournaments for the rescue, them filming it. We got to do cool things that we’d be doing anyways.
The one thing the crew did say, though — which is very true — I remember it was our first shoot day, they said, “Just need to let you guys know before we start off this whole journey: pretend that our crew has a giant grand piano attached to the back of them, because we’ll move way slower [than you].” That was the only annoying thing we got used to. Days were a lot longer than normal — but all worth it.
Beyond the on-the-ground rescue work, you’re both also very active championing this cause on social media. When did you realize the power of your platforms to make a difference?
ALEX: I definitely got that from Brady. I always shared stories, but I was never really big into the social media stuff until I saw Brady constantly posting these rescues and spreading awareness and using his platform — before we even knew each other.
And I was like, “OK, this is reaching so many more people now and they’re seeing these incredible transformation stories and all of these rescues that he was doing.” That’s what inspired me to start doing the same thing.
BRADY: For myself, I always knew I had some sort of a platform and brand. Being a professional athlete definitely helped with that. But even my younger self, when I was in high school and college, I knew what I wanted to be growing up — I wanted to be a pro athlete. And I knew, with that, you have some sort of brand where you can have influence and make a positive change. So, I did work on that throughout university especially, trying to create a brand and social visibility. And when I got to the pro level, I was like, “You know what? I have this little brand — let’s just grow it bigger and let’s start sharing what I truly care about, and my passions off the field.”
You’ve got quite the pack of dogs at home as well. What was it like integrating Alex’s pups with Brady’s pups when you two got together?
ALEX: Yeah, Lady was my dog. She’s now 13, so she was eight or nine when we introduced our dogs. Brady had Gunnar and Nellie. Gunnar, you could introduce him to anybody and he’s like, “Take me home, love me.
I don’t care if you’re human, dog, cat, squirrel, whatever . . .” He loves everybody. But Nellie and Lady definitely duked it out a little bit, because they both wanted to be the top female in the pack.
They just sort of learned to coexist. Do they love each other? Probably not. But they coexist and I think now the three of them are so used to us constantly bringing dogs home that when we brought Wasabi back, the last one we adopted . . . they kind of treat them all the same at first. They’re like, “OK, we’ll ignore you, we’ll tolerate you.” And then they’re like, “Oh, this one’s not leaving.” And now he fits in perfectly with them. But I think they’re so used to us bringing dogs home all the time that they’re just like, “Ugh, another one? Seriously? I’m so over this!” But with patience and time, usually dogs will work it out themselves.
Must Love Dogs, streaming on CBC Gem
MEMORABLE ROLES:
Must Love Dogs isn’t the first time reality TV fans caught a glimpse of Vancouver-born realtor Alex Blumberg. In 2019, she appeared on season 23 of The Bachelor, ultimately heading home rose-less after week two. Though love eluded her back then, Alex’s passion for rescuing at-risk dogs ultimately led to a happily ever after, when she crossed paths with CFL star Brady Oliveira in 2021 while they were both volunteering for K9 Advocacy. Speaking of Brady, the Winnipeg-born footballer has spent six years suiting up for his hometown team, the Blue Bombers. During that span, he’s a two-time Grey Cup winner, a two-time CFL Most Outstanding Canadian and a one-time CFL Most Outstanding Player.
CURRENT GIG:
Hit the streets of Manitoba alongside Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira and his girlfriend/fellow dog crusader Alex Blumberg as they, with fellow volunteers from rescue organization K9 Advocacy, pull vulnerable pooches out of dire situations — doing their best to find these pups a place to call home. Debuting with four episodes on streamer CBC Gem on Monday, April 20, 10-part docuseries Must Love Dogs continues with two new episodes per week through Monday, May 11.