David Frei
David Frei (born April 4, 1949) is an American TV personality. He is most known for co-hosting NBC’s National Dog Show airing on Thanksgiving Day following the Macy’s Parade. He spent 26 years as the face and voice of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and its live telecasts on USA network.
Biography[edit]
Born in Portland, Oregon, Frei grew up in Eugene where his father, Jerry, was head football coach at the University of Oregon in 1967-1971. Frei attended South Eugene High School, then attended the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, graduating from OSU in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in animal science.
Frei served in the U.S. Army 1971-1974, operating as a veterinary technician at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
He is commonly known for his expertise while hosting The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, The National Dog Show Presented by Purina and The Beverly Hills Dog Show. He is an American Kennel Club (AKC)-licensed judge who has officiated dog shows all over the world.[1]
Early Career[edit]
He held public relations positions with the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers and ABC Sports before moving to Seattle in the early 1980s. There, he worked in the PR agency business, and owned two restaurants.[2]
At this time, he also became very involved in the hobby of showing dogs (Afghan Hounds) as a breeder-owner-handler and judge.
Television[edit]
In 1990, Frei was hired by Chet Collier, president of the Westminster Kennel Club, as the television co-host for the club’s dog show from Madison Square Garden, a job he did each February through 2016. In 2003, he added the position of director of media relations for the club, and moved to New York from Seattle.
In 2002, NBC and the Kennel Club of Philadelphia hired him to co-host (with TV star John O’Hurley) the new National Dog Show Presented by Purina on Thanksgiving Day. O’Hurley and Frei have performed those duties together every year since, playing to the largest TV audience for any dog show on television – most recently, 25 million total viewers in 2018.
After hosting the Westminster telecast in 2016, Frei left Westminster to work full-time for NBC to continue with the National Dog Show, adding co-hosting duties (again with O’Hurley) for the new Beverly Hills Dog Show in 2017.
Author[edit]
He is co-author, with Mike Lingenfelter, of The Angel By My Side in 2002. Frei's book, Angel On A Leash, published in 2011, won a Dog Writers Association of America’s Maxwell Award in 2012.[2]
Dog Writers' Association of America (DWAA)[edit]
Frei was inducted into the Dog Writers Association of America’s Hall of Fame in 2017.[3]
Career Accomplishments[edit]
- Inducted into the DWAA Hall of Fame
- Once called "probably the most famous human in the world of canines" by the New York Magazine. [3]
Personal life[edit]
David and his wife, Chaplain Cherilyn Frei, moved to Cannon Beach, Oregon, in 2016 where she is the Director of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care for Providence Seaside Hospital. Their dogs, Grace (a Brittany) and Angel (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), are carrying on their therapy dog activities which began in New York City.
Honors and Awards[edit]
- Dog Writers Association of America’s AKC Distinguished Service Award
- World Dog Press Association Media Award
- Association of Purebred Dog Writers Stonehenge Award)
- Purina (Better with Pets Award)
- Petside.com “Pet Person of the Year”
- Dog Fancy magazine “45 People Who Changed the Dog World”
- Transfiguration Church and School, New York – Humanitarian Services Award
Board Member[edit]
- Take The Lead
- Morris Animal Foundation
- St. Jude Children’s Hospital Sports Council
- President, Afghan Hound Club of America
References[edit]
https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2015/02/08/realestate/20150208-LOVE.html?searchResultPosition=3
https://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2018/11/david_frei_on_cohosting_the_na.html
- ↑ https://www.nbc.com/the-national-dog-show/credits/host/david-frei. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "David Frei to be Inducted into the DWAA Hall of Fame". talkinpets.com. December 6, 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "David Frei to be Inducted into the DWAA Hall of Fame". PRWeb. December 6, 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
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