CBC Life50%
Meet the Winnipeg couple rescuing dogs in CBC’s new series Must Love Dogs 73%
By Dana Masamra0%
4/20/2026, 3:28:59 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 13 faulty reasoning types, including Attempt to Sell a Product or Service, Indoctrination, and Negativity Bias, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 14.4% saturation with 207 hits. Analysis detected 1,172 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,438 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 65.6% and a BS Rank of 73% (4,640 of 16,813 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 72.40% of the article peer group.
Between early morning rescue calls, muddy crawl spaces and Canadian Football League game days, life is anything but typical for Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira and his partner, rescue influencer Alex Blumberg.
The couple, who have helped save thousands of dogs, are now bringing that reality to screen in CBC’s new series Must Love Dogs, premiering April 20 on CBC Gem.
From crawling under sheds to reach scared puppies to taking in pregnant strays, the series follows their real-life rescue work as they save dogs in need and find them forever homes.
Must Love Dogs also offers a look at how that work fits into their everyday lives, with high-stakes rescues unfolding alongside a packed CFL season and a home that can quickly turn into a revolving door of fosters.
We spoke with Oliveira and Blumberg about the new series, balancing football and rescue efforts, and life at home — from CFL watch nights to the less glamorous side of WAG life.
(As told to CBC Life.
These answers have been edited and condensed.)
Alex, you’ve been rescuing dogs for over a dozen years now.
Approximately, how many dogs would you say you’ve likely saved during your time?
Alex: Oh my gosh, I honestly don’t even know.
Thousands and thousands of dogs.
Some rescues we go on, it’s 70-something animals, and sometimes it’s one animal.
And over 15 years, it’s definitely been a ton of dogs.
I always wish I would have kept track.
I always say that in the moment.
It’s been a lot, though.
Brady, as a CFL all-star and two-time Grey Cup winner, some fans might be surprised by how many rescue dogs come through your home.
How does that constant change affect the rhythm of the CFL season at home?
And how do you manage both playing and rescuing?
Brady: Yeah, it’s a great question.
Obviously, it’s a very busy schedule, especially in the midst of a busy season.
I just find time.
Our house is pretty busy, just with our pack alone of four dogs, and then you add in maybe a foster here and there, or a foster that’s giving birth to 10 puppies, like you’ll see on Must Love Dogs, Stella and her 10 puppies.
So it gets busy, but we just truly love dogs.
Any free time that I get, I want to spend it with Alex and with our dogs, or any dogs.
So for us, if we can bring dogs into our home, knowing that they need it, I always find the time to make that work, doesn’t matter how busy we are.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job as dog rescuers?
Alex: I mean, the most rewarding part is definitely getting them into their adoptive home.
So when they get to their forever home, that’s the end goal.
We want every dog to live the life that our four dogs get to live every single day, and just be loved and taken care of.
Brady: Just to add onto that, it’s rescuing your dog that is in dire need of help.
Visibly, you can see the dog is not doing well, and you kind of see that whole transformation from rescue to vetting to rehabilitation to eventually getting the dog adopted, and you see that full moment of the dog is a different dog now.
It’s finally healthy, it’s loved, and they all hit the jackpot with the most amazing families.
I think that’s why we do it.
What’s the hardest thing about dog rescues?
Brady: The hardest thing about dog rescue is the things you see — seeing a dog in a condition where you wish you didn’t have to see or, you know, a dog not making it in the moment of rescue.
We’ve seen a lot.
Alex: You see things you wish you would never have to see.
But we do it because of the end goal of giving all these dogs a second chance.
And, also, the ones that you can’t save, right?
There’s so many dogs, and we can’t save them all, and we really try to celebrate the small wins of the ones we can, but the ones you can’t, those haunt me still.
So that’s probably the toughest part for me.
We need more people to get involved.
Has there been a rescue moment that has happened during a game week or game day?
And how do you respond in those situations?
Brady: Oh yeah, I get messages constantly through my social media.
We use our platforms to raise awareness, so people reach us that way a lot.
So there’s been lots of moments where I’m at practice, and I see the message that there’s a dog in need, and I can’t just drop everything and go.
If it can wait a couple hours, as soon as I finish practice, I’ll head out, and we’ll go get the dog.
If it’s an emergency, I pass it on to Alex, or Canine Advocacy, a rescue we volunteer with, and they have an amazing team of volunteers, so someone usually picks that up right away.
Alex: We have a very great support system.
We’re just a small part of the rescues, so we have people that are always willing to help when they can.
We’re very fortunate to have that surround us as well.
Brady: Definitely, football always comes first, but sometimes it’s like, “Damn, I wish I wasn’t at practice right now, because this dog needs us.”
But we make sure someone else goes.
It’s all taken care of, but it’s very fulfilling when we do get to do the frontline rescue work.
Alex, people might think of the term “WAG” and think glamour, but your version includes muddy shoes and early-morning rescues.
Talk to us a bit about that, and what rescue moment from the show actually captures what it really looks like.
Alex: I think WAG is one of those things that people assume when they see me, but I would say 99.9 per cent of the time I’m covered in pee and poo.
That’s gonna sound so bad.
I’m covered in dog — I’m a mess.
I’m a hot mess.
When we’re out on a rescue mission, we’re climbing under things, we’re getting peed on, we’re getting anal glands on us, all sorts of things.
So it gets messy, and I’m there for it.
That’s me in my element.
But I also love getting dressed up and wearing my cute Bomber stuff, and going to the game.
So different sides to me, but 99 per cent of the time it’s the messy, dog-crazy girl.
When it comes to CFL watch nights at home, what does that look like in a house full of dogs?
Brady: They’re watching Dad on TV?
Alex: Gunner especially likes to watch him on TV.
But yeah, we have watch parties.
Our families come over, and my brother brings his two dogs, and [Brady’s] sister brings her dog.
So at any given time, there’s four to 10 dogs watching Brady play football at his away game, so it’s usually pretty chaotic.
What advice do you have for first-time dog adopters or those thinking of taking a rescue in?
Brady: I’d definitely have a lot of pee pads around or paper towels or towels, because they do bring a mess with them, especially if you’re adopting a rescue pup — that’s a real thing.
I would definitely say having a safe space for the dog, whether that’s a crate or an x-pen.
Just an area for the dog to have its alone time and decompress a little bit.
Having dog beds.
A comfy space.
The biggest thing is just have a lot of love, like open your arms to that dog.
Alex: And love the heck out of them and be patient, right?
Some of these dogs have been through unthinkable things, but most of them are very resilient and forgiving, and if you just give them the time that they need to decompress, especially if you’re adopting an older dog, they’re gonna make your life so much better.
So you just be patient and have a lot of love to give, and the rest you just figure out as you go.
Anything else you’d like to share about the show?
Alex: I think every episode I make out with some sort of animal, whether it be a dog or a goat.
Brady: The goats were making out with each other.
Alex: It was a whole makeout session.
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