Hosted by Antonio Ballatore, Animal Cribs is Animal Planet’s show for HGTV viewers.
Antonio Ballatore has always loved dogs, which makes the first project for Animal Cribs season 2, in the episode “Dog Town, USA,” especially perfect.
The Cappucci family, Francesca and her two teenage sons, have an Australian Shepherd named Blue (and three other dogs, Milo the Beagle, a Labrador and a scruffy mutt).
Their house has become the hangout spot for all the neighborhood dogs, and so they’re feeling a little overwhelmed, because dogs in packs can cause quite a bit of destruction.
The kitchen is a cramped war zone when it’s time for the doggos to eat, and the backyard is bare dirt and the dogs keep getting into the space Francesca has been trying to make “people-only.” There’s also an unused rat-infested freestanding garage and a wonky chain-link fence the dogs keep escaping through.
Ballatore brings his crew of teammates, both human and canine, to discuss the renovation plans.
While they’re handling the demolition, Antonio and his dog Edie go on a researching trip to Blue Collar Working Dog to meet up with Antonio’s trainer friend Barry Hewitt, who specializes in working breeds. Barry gives the audience a quick rundown on the Aussie breed, and Blue gets to play on an agility course.
After that, it’s time for a stop to see Larry Hobbs at Bow Wow Dog Houses for some custom upcycled weatherproof designs.
Crew members Gary and Christina work on the Dog Town community pool (with a redwood deck) while Mardi works on the agility-inspired jungle gym Central Bark Park and Brady works on the General Store, a doggone pleasant eatery. Edie and her friends (who Antonio jokingly calls “Team Weirdo”) have to test the pool to make sure it’s awesome (and it is).
Gary and Christina went a little above-and-beyond and created a separate small-dog pool as well, and then there’s the human patio to tie everything together.
Dog Town, USA is a huge hit with both the people and the dogs, both on first sight and in a pupdate from two months later.
Our thoughts
Animal Cribs is a spectacular show. Not only does it have the peculiarly fascinating appeal of a house show, but then there are all sorts of animals featured in each episode, not to mention the fun-loving interaction of Antonio and his crew.
The second season of Animal Cribs can be caught on Animal Planet each Friday at 9 p.m. ET.