This is quite a departure from Cheaters. And don’t forget STAG: A Test of Love, in which Habeeb caught up with couples shortly before they were married, filmed the groom’s bachelor party, and showed it to the fiancée the next day. But the veteran actor and host of reality shows insists that like To the Rescue, Cheaters was about helping people, even if “most of the country thinks otherwise.”
“People that watch Cheaters get out of it what they get out it,” Habeeb says. “As the guy who took you down that path, my main objective was people came to me and said, ‘I need help.’ You would look at this differently if you were in my shoes. People would come to me crying and say, ‘I don’t know where to turn; I don’t know what to do.’ I committed with my heart and soul. I didn’t do something that was exploitative and out to shock.”
Currently halfway through its first season, To the Rescue debuted in October and is being shown in more than 200 markets through syndication. The show airs year-round, on Saturday and Sunday here in Dallas, and a second season is already in the works.
“Feel-good shows are what resonate with people today,” Habeeb says. “We need warm and fuzzy right now. I’m passionate about this show, and I know we’re doing the right thing. Even the most hardened sales guys are crying through these episodes.”
Developed by Habeeb, To the Rescue has been years in the making. His passion project started in 2004 when he hosted a telethon for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles with Betty White.
“I’m a big dog and animal advocate, and I got involved,” Habeeb says. “But that was a Hollywood version of rescue. With this show, we are getting down and dirty.”
Indeed, 11 episodes in, he has worked with animal shelters and pet foundations to rescue dogs from animal hoarders, dog fighters and extreme weather. He even describes the sight of dogs that have been chained so long that the chains are actually growing into their necks as “common.”
“So much of it has to do with how you are raised,” Habeeb says, before mentioning a man who tearfully told him he once participated in dogfighting because he grew up in an environment where it was normal. “I don’t want to judge people; I just want to help them. I want them to see that it’s OK to reach out for help.”
Although the show is about rescuing dogs, Habeeb says it is also about dogs rescuing people. He mentions a steady stream of emails from viewers who share their stories about what their dogs mean to them. While filming episodes, he has seen how rescuing a dog can turn someone’s life around, even if they are suicidal, struggling with Asperger’s syndrome or recovering from a shark attack.
“I’m not putting myself at the level of an Anthony Bourdain,” Habeeb says. “But when I look at what he did as a chef traveling around the world, the through line was food but the stories were about people and humanity. That’s what this show is. It’s about the struggles in their lives and how these dogs change their lives with unconditional love. That’s what I’m so proud of.”
