On The Dog House NZ, rescue pups are paired up with new owners. Last night, it was our turn.

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My wife wanted a dog. She needed a dog so bad. Every day, my phone would ping with photos of sad pound pooches along with the words: “How about this one?” Collected from various rescue centre websites, these were snaps of damaged dogs with haunted looks in their eyes. Bits were missing from their ears. One leg didn’t quite work properly. Another had a wonky eye. Life had been hard. They were in various states of distress. She wanted one for herself so she could nurse it and love it back to life.

This went on for months. She couldn’t choose. All these dogs needed her. We only had room for one. Even then that wasn’t a sure thing. With a 20-year-old cat that refuses to play nicely with other pets and a son traumatised by several bad dog experiences, getting a pet dog wasn’t as easy as just picking one from a picture. This family had opinions. It had reservations. It had questions. What kind? How big? Which breed? How damaged? “Can we call it ‘Audi’,” asked my car-mad son. Erm. No.

It would take a special kind of dog to meet all those expectations. No wonder we couldn’t choose. It’s a problem a reality show has mined for entertainment purposes. On The Dog House, families are paired with rescue dogs. If you’ve ever seen the British or Australian versions, you’ll know how it goes. It’s emotional. It’s a tearjerker. Regularly, I would come home in the evenings and find my wife surrounded by tissues. She’d sit there wishing it was her getting her special moment with a new doggo.

You probably know what happens next. A local production company planned to import the reality show and host its own version of The Dog House in Aotearoa. My wife saw the Facebook ad and applied. None of us really thought about it again until we were asked to sit in front of a laptop for a Zoom interview with producers. My daughter beamed. My wife cried. My son had his arms crossed for the entire call. “We’ve got a cat,” he said. “We are not getting a dog.”

Yes we were. A few months later, after 2022’s bleak winter, when everyone was getting Covid and staying at home again, we headed out to South Pacific Pictures’ West Auckland set at 6am to meet the dog of our dreams. Or, maybe, not. Nothing was guaranteed. Masks were required. “Wear nice clothes, nothing sparkly, and minimal make-up,” said the notes. My daughter couldn’t stop smiling. My wife seemed perpetually worried. My son was just grumpy. Would this dog click with us?

Finally, just before midday, after shooting interview sessions for several hours, we were told they’d found a dog for us. Before we could meet her, producers pulled us aside. They wanted to warn us. This dog had been through a lot. She’d been given up by her family. She’d also lost her siblings, a brother and sister she’d lived with for the previous three years. She’d also recently been pregnant and had lost a litter of puppies. She was damaged. She was sad. She was depressed. She needed a lot of love.

Were we up for that? I looked at my wife. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She couldn’t talk. She just nodded. Yes, this dog would do her just fine.

If you were watching TVNZ 2 in prime time (!) last night, you’ll have already seen the results. We headed into The Dog House pen and were introduced to Fudge, a three-year-old terrier type bitser with big brown eyes, a nervous disposition and a need to have as many hands on her as possible at all times. My wife cried, I cried and my daughter fell instantly in love. Despite leaping up on the bench seat, my son was soon feeding her bacon-flavoured treats. By the end, he was wavering, his stern tone replaced by something else. Hope?

We’ve changed her name – twice. Fudge became Maisie the first week we got her. My daughter rebelled and sulked for the next seven days, so the name Astar was chosen. Eight months on, she’s become part of our life in a way none of us thought possible. As time went on, Astar relaxed and seemed to shed the stress of what she’d been through. Soon, she was enjoying all the good doggy things: walks, cuddles, treats, and naps on the couch even though she knows it’s a no-no. Even the cat seems OK with her.

Now, a complete and utter goofball has emerged. She gets manic zoomies and does the same crazed spins every time she meets another dog. When it comes to humans, it’s the eyes that seem to get to them. Everyone has the same reaction. They kneel down. They stare into those eyes. And then they start whispering things, quiet little secrets that only Astar gets to enjoy. It happens every time she comes to work with me or my wife. We go about our working day, and so does she, as an accidental therapy pup.

Astar’s heart needed healing. Now, she seems intent on helping do the same for others. What a dog. What a show.

The Dog House screens on TVNZ 2 on Thursdays at 7.30pm, and via TVNZ OnDemand.