DVD Sniffing Dogs Animals at Work

Hi, welcome to Animals At Work. One of the most extraordinary... Argh!

SNAKE HISSES

Around the world, there are millions of animals that have jobs.

This is the show that brings you the most extraordinary,

bizarre and unusual animals at work.

Coming up next...

What, are you just gonna leave me here?

Top crime-fighting duo Lucky and Flo sniff out illegal DVDs.

I would put them in the superstar bracket...

Will Bear the trainee lifeguard instructor get to graduate?

And Pigasso the artist does his first ever piggy painting.

-What do you think of this?

-He pooed.

-He has.

And there goes the dog.

Hi, and welcome to the show. So do you fancy yourself as a film critic?

Think you're good at spotting a RUFF DVD? Think again.

Because there are some mutts in the movie business

that can sniff out a bad picture at ten paces.

Let's hope they don't get their paws on some of my howlers!

It's an open-and-shut case of police canine action

as we join some crime-busting animals at work.

First, we're off to a secret location in England.

Meet Lucky and Flo, a couple of super sniffer dogs

that live to whiff out illegal DVDs.

So far this crime-busting duo have tracked down

£3 million worth of illegal DVDs and helped put 26 criminals behind bars!

Lucky and Flo are four-year-old Labradors.

They're the first dogs in the world trained to find DVDs.

To be exact, they sniff out the plastic, called polycarbonate.

They've now had a period of rest and a holiday really,

and we just need to bring them back up to speed.

Illegal DVDs are a big problem.

Not only do they cost the UK and North American film industries

billions in lost sales, the cash from dodgy ones

often gets funnelled into crime.

And that's where Lucky and Flo come in.

They may eat, sleep and sniff out crime together,

but they have very different personalities.

Lucky just wants someone to throw something to her.

Flo would want someone to stroke her as well.

I would put them in the superstar bracket.

Even though Lucky and Flo are natural-born sniffers,

their training is tough but also has to be fun.

The dogs are shown a particular smell,

in this case, the polycarbonate from a DVD.

Once they find the smell, they're rewarded with a tennis ball.

Using a ball as a reward is ideal for training Labradors.

By linking a successful sniff with a game,

work becomes fun for these frisky Labs.

Her brain click in to remembering the smell that gets her the toy

and that's what's going through her head -

is that smell out here in this field somewhere?

It's the same process with a bomb dog or a drug dog.

The only difference with them is that they've probably got four or five

different smells to remember whereas she's only got one.

And sticking to just one smell has helped them become

a crack crime-fighting team, as well as best mates.

They've got on famously from the day they met.

It's almost like they were long lost friends who'd been brought together.

The Labrador retriever is a very, very social dog,

both towards other animals and towards people.

It's very difficult to say if there is a leader with these two.

They seem to get on so well together that neither one is dominant.

Flo is the steadier dog

and wants to please and wants to do the job, but the drive in Lucky is,

whether we were here or not, she'd be playing with that ball.

It's just the desire to play, to carry, to fetch...

This dog's just got everything.

MUSIC: Theme from Hawaii Five-O

These special forces canines

come from a long law-enforcement tradition,

and Labradors are top choice for top dog.

Most police forces and other agencies that use search dogs

tend to go for either the Labrador or springer spaniel.

They're bred for their nose work. They're compact. They're energetic.

Both dogs have a track record of finding so many illegal DVDs

it's made them some enemies in the criminal underworld.

There's now a 30,000 bounty on their heads to kill them.

We have to be very careful with their security as a result of that.

Does it worry them? We haven't told them about the bounty,

so they don't know anything about it.

MUSIC: Theme from Batman

This super canine combo, with a £20,000 target on their heads,

are protected with extra security.

And they're going to need it,

as they're about to face a new challenge -

their first crime-busting assignment in the UK.

We're staying in England to go to the Cotswolds.

This is Bear and he's a trainee lifeguard instructor,

training young people how to be lifeguards

and help stranded swimmers.

He's part of a team of more experienced Newfoundland dogs

that work at this water park.

HELP!

The idea is that the young people

watch the dogs towing them back to shore to learn how it's done.

He hasn't got the hang of it yet.

You can feel more confident when you've got a dog beside you,

because you know that if anything happens, they're gonna help you.

But two-year-old Bear is new to the job

and hasn't quite got into the swim of things.

He's definitely not up to speed.

He just can't figure out what to do.

Bear has a water-resistant double coat, webbed feet

and is an incredibly strong swimmer, which is why Newfoundlands

make great water-rescue dogs.

But the lifesaving part is just too confusing for Bear.

Go! Go!

Go! Go.

'There's the water...

'the lifesaver, the rope,

'But which part goes where?

'It really isn't that hard, Bear!'

Come on, Bear! A sweet temperament is one of the hallmarks of the breed

and they love people, so the job should be a breeze.

They're so incredibly strong, who needs a towboat?

Bear should be good at the job of lifeguard. It's in his blood.

And these beefy canines have a nickname -

the St Bernard of the sea.

There are even stories of them jumping into the water

and rescuing shipwrecked sailors.

Dogs with markings just like Bear

have been a favourite artists' model for hundreds of years.

On day two of training, with more encouragement,

it looks like Bear just might be getting the hang of the job.

Go for it, Bear!

Go! Go!

He's done it!

That's it! Get in and pull the lifeguard trainees out.

At last Bear's got to grips with his new job.

Now it looks like everybody's going to graduate -

the lifeguard trainees and Bear.

We've been surfing the net to see what animals

get up to in their spare time.

Countess is a Himalayan seal tortie point cat who lives in Australia.

She's a master of hide and seek, but the cat's out of the bag

on her secret hiding place now that she's been caught on camera.

Secret Mission Vase, accomplished!

Next, we're back with another top-secret location,

this time in England.

Lucky and Flo are the super dogs of the crime-fighting world.

Having worked their way across the globe sniffing out illegal DVDs,

they've been putting their paws up for a well-earned rest.

But it's a dog-eat-dog world and they're back in training

for their next assignment, their first in the UK.

They've got some quite important work coming up soon.

Operational work.

Lucky and Flo may be the world's top dogs for digging out DVDs,

but they still need to be reminded of the smell they're hunting.

Today the dogs are going to be put through a test search.

Phil's going to plant some DVDs in some boxes.

This is the only way to make sure their sniffing skills

are back up to scratch.

They've become a little lax. If they fall below standard

and don't search properly, then obviously we're gonna have trouble

finding illegal DVDs.

Super hounds they might be but the pressure is on.

Labradors have been bred for 200 years as sniffer dogs,

so will these top dogs be able to find where Phil has hidden the DVDs?

Hopefully everything will go well and we'll find the DVDs.

DVDs contain polycarbonate, a kind of plastic.

The dogs can't tell the difference between illegal and legal DVDs,

so their job is just to track down the smell of this plastic.

First up is Flo.

When they're working, their tails are wagging. Work excites them.

Flo is the more methodical of the two dogs.

She's a little slower than Lucky.

It only took eight months to train both their snouts,

though for one of them, it's more about going with the Flo.

She knows they're there and she's sitting back now,

waiting for the ball to come in.

Come on, Flo, you can do it.

But she isn't going to budge until she's sure.

Good girl!

And the reward is a tennis ball.

It's been slow and steady, yet Flo got there in the end.

Can Lucky find the DVDs faster with her more energetic approach?

The difference between the two is that Lucky's far quicker,

which looks a more enthusiastic search

but in fact, it's just her way of working.

It may look energetic but will it get results?

And Lucky's sniffed out the DVDs almost instantly.

Good girl. Good dog! That's very good.

They've both passed the test and Phil's happy

that they're back on top form.

Tomorrow is Lucky and Flo's first assignment in the UK.

Will their sniffing skills be back on track

in a difficult new location?

'Quiet, please! Animals At Work, John's final link, take one.'

-It's OK here?

-'Back a bit, please, John.

'A little bit more, please...

'If you could go all the way through the gate,

'that would be brilliant.'

-Here?

-'Yeah, a bit more. Thank you.'

LION ROARS

Stop tickling me!

We're staying in England to go to Devon.

These organic masterpieces were created

to exquisitely capture the control of Rembrandt,

along with the ultimate free expression of Jackson Pollock.

And, believe it or not, they're created by pigs!

Today there's a new piglet wannabe hoping he'll be the next

crackling good artist.

This little pig here is called Pigasso.

He's six weeks old and he's going to have his first day

trying to be an artist.

Pigs love to play, so if you put them on a canvas with some paint

they can use their snout

or their trotters. Of course, if it gets very slippery,

they get very excited and they might roll over

and, as this is his first day, we're not quite sure what he's going to do.

What do you think you're going to do today?

Do you?

At Pennywell Farm, pig painting is big business.

Selling prints like these really brings home the bacon

and raises money for farm food and for charity.

These are the works of two retired piggy past masters -

Van Trough, on the left,

and Francis Bacon, on the right.

They're now too porky to paint, so to stop a trotter

tearing the canvas, little Pigasso is taking over.

Pigasso is a very, very calm, confident pig.

We'll see how his confidence grows as an artist.

Pigasso is a Pennywell miniature pig.

You want to hold it?

They may be small but like full-sized porkers

they still need lots of care and attention and to be kept amused!

They're very special to us as

we wanted pigs that were small that children could enjoy playing with.

For the last 15 years we've actually been breeding specially to have a pig

that stays small for a long time and when they become adults

they're about the size of a springer spaniel, but a lot stouter.

They are the cutest little things you can imagine and they make great pets.

Oh, yum baba doo-doo...

'Good afternoon, Pennywell farmers.

'This is just to let you know that your next activity today

'is piglet painting with our new pig, Pigasso.

'It's Pigasso's first day on the job so do come along

'if you'd like to come and watch him painting.'

At just six weeks old,

Pigasso is ready to have a go at his very first porky painting.

The paint we use is actually very safe finger paint,

the same as you'd buy for children when they do their first paintings

and put their hand on the paint and splodge it on the paper.

If you'd like to bring Pigasso in. Lovely, Vicky. Thank you.

Here he comes. That's it. Give him a clap.

APPLAUSE

Hello.

What do you think of all this?

The paint is put on tiny sponges

and sprinkled with food pellets to encourage Pigasso

to move things around.

Pigasso really looks like he wants

to be number one, but sadly he also wants a number two!

..That's good... Ah!

Ooh! That's not brown paint!

-He pooed.

-He has.

The finished painting is auctioned for charity.

Can we have some bids, please?

-£4.

-You'll pay £4?

-A fiver.

-A fiver! That's £5 over there. Yes?

How much are you gonna pay for it? Ten? £10!

It's going to Spike here! Ten pounds for Spike!

Spike's got it. Thank you, madam.

Delighted. Thank you very much, sir.

-OK. Lovely.

-I'm not sure where we're gonna put it.

And what do the lucky new owners think?

I thought it was very good for his first go,

because he's not actually that old yet.

I think he's got a long future of painting

and a good future of painting.

Pigasso has been a star at his first day of work.

It doesn't matter that Pigasso weed and pooed on the canvas.

He puts real body into his work. I couldn't have asked for better.

As you see, like any great master when they've worked hard,

he's absolutely shattered.

-'John, take one.'

-Working with animals can get pretty silly.

Check out these bloopers from me and my co-stars!

Oh, my!

You can lead a horse to...

You bit my hand! I forgot the other joke.

Yeah, not my finger, buddy.

But someone's been... Stop it! Argh!

Your bowel movements will be so good today.

A crime-busting Animals At Work - and there goes the dog.

That hissing, is that all right?

JOHN BURPS Sorry, that was a burger.

Now we're off to Utah in America.

Meet Kiyoshi, an akita.

He's a dog with not one but two very special jobs.

One of Kiyoshi's jobs is a nurse dog.

Once a week he visits the local hospital with boss Kathy

to help cheer up people waiting while their friends

-and relatives have an operation.

Hi, everyone. This is my akita, Kiyoshi.

Fourteen year-old Josh is here with his grandmother.

His mother is having an operation that will last most of the day.

Kiyoshi is on hand to distract Josh

as he gets to try out a few commands.

-Kiyoshi, stand.

-Oh.

-OK, I get it.

-This dog has been the best thing

for Josh today, cos he's been upset.

His mother is his whole life.

They're just for each other, they're always there,

so that dog right now has given him a real release.

I'm certainly glad they brought it up here. It's been really good for him.

Kiyoshi's favourite area of work is with children.

If he spots a child, he often pulls Kathy over

to them so he can help.

Kiyoshi may be a bit of a couch potato

but he seems to instinctively know what people need.

Do you like dogs?

Yes? Let me show you the softest part of him. Feel right there.

Slowly, as Kiyoshi works the room,

the atmosphere changes, thanks to this big, friendly dog.

It's like all dull and stuff, and then when he came in here

everybody, like, changed into happy, like,

being happy and stuff, excited.

Oh, he's found a new friend!

After their morning at the hospital,

Kiyoshi and Kathy get some good news.

Josh's mother's surgery has gone well

and she'll soon be in the recovery room.

Kiyoshi gets some well-earned thanks.

Then it's time for Kiyoshi to clock in for his second job,

at the local primary school.

Here he helps children read.

Let's go!

For these children, Kiyoshi is a reading assistant,

and the books are right up his street.

The Taxi Dog. That looks interesting.

-The Smart Dog!

-They have problems with their reading skills,

and that's where Kiyoshi comes in.

If an adult reads with a child

they sometimes feel under pressure to get things right.

But with a dog they're not so worried

about saying words out loud and practising as long as they need to.

What... What was going on in the investigation more like a raid...

Kiyoshi's patience is endless

and he enjoys being read to as much as they enjoy reading to him.

This is the most... unusual situation...

Lydia used to be far behind in her reading.

Reading to an adult or classmate could never be as much fun

as reading to Kiyoshi.

Now reading has become one of Lydia's favourite activities.

When she started in my class she didn't turn in any work.

By the end of the term, she was turning in more things.

She felt more open to express herself in writing

and, you know, reading out loud.

Although Lydia's reading has come on in leaps and bounds,

it's still good to have Kiyoshi by her side.

She's told me Kiyoshi's a very good listener, haven't you?

And he doesn't play favourites.

He's got time for everyone.

So the paw-tograph... Oh, look! From Kiyoshi. Yay!

An authentic paw-tograph!

Thanks to all his hard work, Kiyoshi has become a local celebrity.

Back at home, it's time to wind down.

After all, he is a dog with two jobs.

Next it's off to Felixstowe on the English coast.

Today is the big day for canine crime-fighting duo Lucky and Flo.

They've been sharpening their DVD sniffing skills in readiness

for this - their first assignment in the UK.

Here at Felixstowe docks, their target awaits -

a warehouse as big as six tennis courts!

It's full of cargo that may have illegal DVDs hidden inside.

Today really is what the game's all about.

Although they don't realize how crucial it is,

what they're gonna be doing today is the end result

of all the training, the selection and the build-up to it.

Hopefully we'll get some success today.

MUSIC: Theme from Knight Rider

Although these are the top DVD dogs in the business,

any new location can be a tough nut to crack.

Flo's up first in the hunt for illegal DVDs.

Will her steady approach work on the first part of this assignment,

checking out these sacks?

There's no freeze. She's not slowing down on anything.

She's not showing an interest in anything.

She's just covering the ground, searching what she needs to search,

and then moving on.

This is a top search dog hard at work.

Flo's body language is telling Phil she hasn't found anything.

If she does, she's trained to sit still,

but Flo doesn't turn up any DVDs.

Now it's Lucky's turn to do the second search,

this time, in some boxes.

Will she do any better with her high-energy tactics?

What happened there is that she's completed the search

and found nothing.

The search for the pirate DVD goes on.

With the sacks and boxes done, the last part of the assignment

is to search a shipping container.

This time Lucky's going in first.

But before she does, Phil needs to check for any hidden dangers

like sharp edges or rat poison.

Safety check complete and, no surprise,

Lucky's in there like a shot.

Looks like she found something.

She's giving me a bit of an indication on this box here.

It's possible that there's some plastic fittings in it

but it's possible there could be something else as well.

Flo is sent in to double check.

After a lot of careful checking and sniffing,

Flo sits down to indicate that she's found something.

She's showing the same thing so it could well be

that there's some DVDs in there.

The heat is on.

Both dogs have now told Phil that there may be DVDs inside.

All they can do now is wait with baited breath.

This is the boxes that the dogs indicated.

They're containing plastic polycarbonate brackets

for the bathroom fittings.

Unfortunately in the real world,

the target odour that the dogs find is often found

in other everyday items.

The dog isn't wrong in this case but I can't reward 'em.

I can't reward either Lucky or Flo for it

because it's not the target odour that I'm looking for.

Well, that's the problem with plastic like polycarbonate

being in more than just DVDS.

But the important thing is that they sniffed out the right smell.

That proves these girls are right back on top form

and they've done their job to secure this warehouse

as an illegal-free zone.

You might think this turtle is smart because he can play chess.

Well, I'm considerably smarter!

I usually win, two out of three.

Could you hurry it up a little?

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