For more than 20 million viewers, "The National Dog Show Presented by Purina," broadcast on Thanksgiving Day on NBC, is as much a holiday tradition as turkey and cranberry sauce. And a key component of the annual showcase for show dogs is the soothing, expert commentary of David Frei.
Frei, who lives in Cannon Beach, Oregon, returns for the 17th anniversary edition of the "National Dog Show," on Nov. 22, joined once more by cohost John O'Hurley, famed for playing J. Peterman on "Seinfeld."
After living in New York City for 14 years, Frei says he and his wife, Cherilyn, returned to Oregon about two-and-a-half years ago.
"It was a move driven by my wife getting a job at Providence Seaside Hospital," Frei says, in a phone call from Cannon Beach. His wife, a certified Catholic chaplain, is the director of mission integration and spiritual care at the North Coast hospital.
The timing was right to come back to the Northwest, Frei says, because after working for more than 25 years as cohost of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the broadcast was moving from its cable home at the USA Network. Frei didn't follow, and remained with NBC (NBCUniversal is the parent company for USA Network) and the "National Dog Show," the Kennel Club of Philadelphia's American Kennel Club-sanctioned event.
"NBC told me I could do my job from anywhere," says Frei, who also cohosts the annual "Beverly Hills Dog Show" on the USA Network. The move, Frei says, "worked out great."
Frei, 69, is definitely familiar with the Northwest. He grew up in Eugene, where his father, Jerry Frei, worked for the University of Oregon beginning in 1955, becoming head football coach from 1967 to 1971.
Though he is a longtime breeder, owner and judge of purebred dogs, Frei says he came to the canine world as a college student.
"I blame it on a woman," Frei jokes. "We never really had a dog growing up, in the family. When I moved into my own house in college, my girlfriend at the time said, 'Let's get a dog.'"
As a 20-year-old guy, Frei says, he was inclined to do whatever his girlfriend suggested. "She said, 'How about an Afghan hound?' I said, 'What the hell is that?' I had no idea. We got the dog, and three weeks later, the girl left, and the dog stayed, and it's the best thing that could have happened to all of us."
In addition to pursuing careers in public relations with the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers and more, Frei grew interested in dogs. He raised champions, and joined the Westminster Kennel Club, serving as director of communications from 2003 to 2015.
But Frei sounds most proud of the work he's done with therapy dogs, including his Angel on a Leash program.
"We've gone from having two dogs to having 12 dogs in the program," says Frei, including the couple's two dogs, Angel, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Grace, a Brittany.
"They're two dogs that grew up in a high-rise in Manhattan," Frei says. Grace's idea of a "game bird," as he says, is a pigeon.
"They love the beach," Frei says, adding that "Cannon Beach is a dog-friendly place." He's especially fond, he says, of visiting the Driftwood Restaurant & Lounge, which has an outdoor deck. "The dogs are well-known there," Frei says.
Frei is looking forward to this year's "National Dog Show," which will feature a variety of prize-winning dogs from domestic and international breeders. The 2018 show brings two new breeds, the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje, in the sporting group, and the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, in the hound group.
There's also an Oregon dog in the show, an Irish Setter, from Oregon City, Frei says.
It's also fun, Frei says, to be reunited with his cohost, O'Hurley. As with his longtime Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show cohost, the late Joe Garagiola (who reportedly inspired Fred Willard's not-too expert co-commentator in the movie, "Best in Show"), Frei has easy chemistry with O'Hurley.
"We're both dog lovers," Frei says. "We've become great personal friends through the years." In September, he recalls, "We brought John O'Hurley to Cannon Beach to do his one-man show at our community theater. It was a sold-out crowd."
While Frei says he's not supposed to have favorite breeds, given his professional role, he has a soft spot for the dogs he and his wife have, along with Afghan hounds.
Frei also speaks affectionately of Uno, the beagle that charmed the crowd when he won Best in Show at Westminster in 2008. Uno, who died this fall, spent considerable time with Frei, including traveling together.
"When we would travel somewhere, I would buy him a ticket, and he would sit next to me," Frei says. He recalls going through security, and an agent calling out the name, "Uno Frei."
"'He's right here,'" Frei remembers saying. "The guy looks at me, and says, 'He's a dog.' The computer selected him for additional screening, so they took him over, and wanded him and patted him down. It's the only time I've seen these TSA people smile."
"The National Dog Show Presented by Purina" airs noon-2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 22, on NBC.
-- Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com
503-221-8227
@Kristiturnquist