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A crew and producer from the television show met with the family Tuesday at their bed-and-breakfast, A Cozy Log B&B.

"This is nothing we've ever looked at ourselves as," Judy Bowler told the Empire on Wednesday. "We're just here living life and helping others if we can."

"They volunteer their time and their organization involves dogs, helping others and saving lives," said Jeff Jayson, producer of the series. "We did some research and thought they would be the perfect amazing family."

Bruce was one of the original members of SEADOGS when it started in 1977.

"There are seven volunteers on the team including me," Bruce said. "There are two commercial fishermen, four who work for the state and one with the federal government. We're a diverse group of people from all walks of life getting the job done safely and well and going back to our own lives again."

The segment featuring the Bowlers airs June 27 on ABC.

About a month ago, Lorene Kappler of the Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau called the Bowlers and asked Judy some questions, but said she could not reveal why she was calling.

"We're JCVB members, and I thought nothing of it," Judy Bowler said. "She later called back and told us 'Good Morning America' was interested in our family and would be calling us in a few minutes."

Judy said she almost did not believe they would call and that nothing would come of it.

"It was surreal," Judy said. "I never thought that would happen to me personally or to us as a family."

"Good Morning America" arranged a schedule, and suddenly the Bowlers were anxiously awaiting the film crew's arrival, Judy said.

Judy wanted the crew to experience what breakfast at the bed-and-breakfast was like, so she cooked for them Tuesday morning and realized having a film crew around was a little awkward.

"I love working one-on-one or with a group, but fixing breakfast with a camera in your face is a different story," Judy said. "Sometimes the camera was within inches of my face when I was cooking."

The TV series involves several stories for each state: an overview, two small vignettes, a medical story and a profile of what the show calls an "amazing family."

"We're shooting about a week in Alaska, trying to show about as much of the state as we can," producer Jeff Jayson said in an interview Tuesday.

Rather than having a reporter tell viewers facts about Alaska, the show's production crew is grabbing people from the street to tell tidbits of Alaska life.

For the Alaska medical story, "Good Morning America" is going to King's Cove on the Aleutian Peninsula to investigate how small rural Alaska communities are getting medical care via the Internet, Jayson said.

"In places where they don't have doctors, they now are connected to a major medical center in Anchorage," Jayson said. "They can transmit X-rays and pictures and can prescribe treatment. We're shooting both ends of that operation."

Jayson said the two vignettes involve Sitka and its Russian heritage and summer solstice events in Anchorage on Friday.

"We'll be shooting other stuff around the state," Jayson said, "everything from the pipeline to Barrow."

The crew on Tuesday accompanied SEADOGS on a demonstration of an avalanche rescue. Bruce said a TEMSCO helicopter and a Coast Guard helicopter flew the group to Norris Glacier, next to Taku Glacier, because it had deep snow.

"We flew to 2,000 feet, dug a hole, put a person in, filled it in and filmed it," Bruce said.

Mike Tilling took his dog Rubi, one of three certified avalanche rescue dogs on the team, and performed the demonstration. Bruce said the dog did an outstanding job.

"We have a good, strong organization," Bruce said. "It's amazing the quality and dedication of people in the Juneau community."

Before the TV crew leaves for Anchorage today, Jayson said its members will have some free time to explore Juneau on their own.

"The whole crew wants to take a couple hours and go king fishing," Jayson said.

Emily Wescott can be reached at ewescott@juneauempire.com.