New Leash on Life: July 11

Tonight on ABC’s New Leash on Life...

Laura and Joel face a huge challenge with an abandoned dog in desperate need of a second chance. Memphis is a strong, three-anda-half-year-old male Doberman, staffy cross, with a ferocious bark which terrifies anyone who comes near him. For Joel it’s a big learning curve in not judging a book by its cover. Through Laura, he learns how to understand dogs better, especially aggressive ones.

Laura bravely enters Memphis’s only safe space, his cage. While there’s no way Memphis is ready to be paired with a family, Laura is determined to help him all the same.

Joel and Laura learn there is only one man who can get close to this traumatised dog – single father, Derek, the facility’s animal care officer. Derek is the only human Memphis trusts.

But Derek faces a race against time to get Memphis out of the pound and into temporary foster care. If he doesn’t find a new home, this misunderstood hound faces being euthanised. To help Derek’s cause, Laura wants to train Memphis to trust people again to improve his chances of finding a foster carer.

But finding the right foster carer is proving a challenge. Rescue groups are already inundated and a dog like this with behavioural issues will need a lot of time with an experienced foster carer before he can even be considered for rehoming.

8pm Tuesday on ABC.