A Litter of Model Puppies Animals at Work

animals at work.

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

When we say we've got animals at work, we're not kidding!

This is the show that brings you the most extraordinary,

bizarre and unusual animals at work.

Coming up. At just seven weeks old, one of these dogs will have its day.

There's double trouble with these inseparable oxen.

And we'll be flying high with this unusual Frisbee fanatic.

Hey. I'll do the counting.

Hi and welcome to the show.

Today we've got real puppy power as we follow a nine strong Labrador

litter who at just seven weeks old will soon be starting work.

So join us as we see some pup idols

hoping their new career is flush with success.

First it's time for walkies as we set foot in Oxford in England.

Say hello to this litter of labs. At seven weeks old,

these pretty puppies are already being put to work.

The catch? There are nine puppies and only one job.

# And they called it puppy lo-o-ove

# Oh, I guess there'll never know... #

Today the search is on to find a new furry face

and make it famous as part of a new advertising campaign.

These bundles of fun have been bred by Martin and Louise

and are all in the running.

Very soon they'll be much-loved family pets,

but before that happens, they could be dogstars.

So, who are the puppies with potential?

Now concentrate because you might notice some similarities here.

Let's start with Posie. And this is Bracken.

She was the smallest of the girls when she was born.

This is Marley, the feisty one.

Are you noticing a theme yet?

And here's Annie, the most mischievous of the litter.

This is Casper. He's always in the thick of any trouble.

Can you see the family resemblance?

And this is Hazel. Sort of looks like Casper, doesn't she?

This is Dudley. He's into all the mischief, and Dexter.

He likes to rough and tumble.

And lastly, this is Molly, the quietest of the bunch.

No, I don't know how they can tell them apart either.

Labrador puppies are perfect for the job of modelling.

Their personalities make them very affectionate and loving.

By nature, they are friendly and crave human leadership.

This combination makes them perfect models.

They do what they're told to do

whilst having a bit of fun at the same time.

Now meet...

..the real top dog.

This man has serious puppy power!

Not only is Richard a trained veterinary surgeon,

but for ten years he's been making many mutts international stars.

Now, he's on the hunt for another puppy with appeal.

We're certainly going to make one puppy a star in the UK,

and possibly, who knows, maybe all over the world.

The current owners of these golden girls and boys are hoping that one

has got what it takes to impress.

This litter I am thrilled to bits with.

It is the best litter that I have ever bred.

Puppies!

Pup, pup, pup, pup, pups.

They've got such sweet little faces

and the temperaments should be absolutely 100% perfect.

But will canine casting agent Richard agree?

We've got a new product coming out and they want new photographs

to put on the packaging.

What I'm trying to do is to find a puppy that looks just like

what everybody else thinks it ought to look like.

If one of Louise's Labs gets this job, they'll be the latest in a long

line of puppies that have promoted toilet paper.

Since the campaign for this toilet tissue started in 1972,

there have been over 200 Labrador puppies used as models

in the television adverts and packaging.

After 30 years in the public eye,

just what is it that makes a model puppy?

For me the big thing is you just want

to...take that puppy up in your arms and snuggle it up.

Back in Oxford, Annie, Hazel, Posie,

Bracken, Casper, Marley, Molly,

Dudley and Dexter are all undaunted

by the thought of being celebrities.

-It's not fame they are hungry for right now.

-When you're ready Martin.

It's just food.

I'm very excited because obviously they're my puppies

and I was astounded that they would want them.

When I stand back and look at them,

I think they're beautiful. I know they're beautiful cos they're mine.

It really is just a sit, wait and see situation

and that's all we're doing, sitting and waiting.

When Richard comes, I hope that he shares my enthusiasm

for the puppies. I personally think, "What's not to like?"

But he may well walk in and say that they're

not good enough for us, in which case he'll be bundled out the door.

-Coming up, we'll see if these hungry pups...

-Choose me! Pick me! Pick me!

..have what it takes to be stars.

Next, we're flying to Indianapolis for some Frisbee fun.

This is Jumping Jack The Maniac.

He's a seven year old Lab

who can leap over his owner in a single bound.

This super dog is the star of Bill Camps' Flying Dogs.

They do half-time shows at sports events.

Bill has 18 trained Frisbee dogs.

But Jack is the best overall performer

and the most famous of the flying dogs.

OK, on the count of three.

OK, you ready? One. DOG BARKS

Hey, I'll do the counting.

One...two...

four...

30...three.

We start out with just basic Frisbee.

He did catch a Frisbee the first day...

..which I thought was very, very unique

and then I went and started teaching him to do tricks.

He's loveable, he's friendly

and I have learned over the years with Jack,

he aces everything he does. He gives you 100%.

Bill teaches each dog tricks that suit their natural abilities.

Border Collies are lighter so they are better at backflips.

Labradors, like Jack, are a hunting breed,

so they instinctively look up for anything that flies.

And that's what's made Jack such a rising star,

and his specialty is "the bullet".

It takes incredible mouth and eye co-ordination.

Good boy! All right. Good boy.

His leaping ability is astounding.

The big air is what people want to see in all these shows that we do,

the entertainment part of it.

Leaping ability, he's a ten.

Tonight in Indianapolis, the Indiana Pacers are playing at home.

This basketball game attracts thousands of fans to the stadium

and tonight at half time,

these fans will get to watch Jack fly through his Frisbee routine.

And just like the players, Jack and Bill both have a pre-game ritual.

His paws are outfitted

with special booties to stop Jack slipping on the court.

Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. You're done.

Good boy. The tape does support their joints and you'll see them out

on the court doing all these jumps but don't worry, they don't get hurt.

Stop. Let's go.

They're expecting us.

It's time to perform.

As half time nears, it's show time for Jack,

and The Jumping Maniac just can't wait.

When we bring Jack out,

you'll hear the fans even at a higher level of oohs and ahs.

Now, fans, here he is wearing his Superman cape.

Let's give it up for Jumping Jack The Maniac.

Jack has no problem with the crowd noise.

The louder the fans are, the higher he jumps.

We've been surfing the World Wide Web and checking out

what some crazy critters get up to in their spare time.

Take Tilman, from California.

It seems he "wheely" wants

to be one of Hollywood's hot celebs.

Brilliant boarding there, Tilman.

Now, on your bike. Hey, that would be good!

Now, let's get back to the Labs from Oxford in England.

Puppies! Pup, pup, pups.

Earlier we showed you these little Labs.

If their fur fits, then one of these faces could soon be

on the front of your toilet tissue.

Today, this man will be putting their paws through their paces

and deciding whether they've got the "rex" factor he's looking for.

I've got quite a lot of things to look out for.

Colour is very important but also I'm looking for personality.

What we're really looking for is a puppy that's going to want to really

bound onto the set and take charge and really say,

"I'm the star of the show."

The audition is for a high profile photo shoot.

There's no fur brushing allowed

so it's important these pups are picture perfect.

Breeder Louise is confident that her puppies have star potential,

but will canine casting agent Richard agree?

He could think that they're a little "wuff" around the edges.

-What are you looking for?

-My ideal puppy is a puppy that isn't too white

because they tend to disappear or a puppy that is too dark.

I'm looking for something that isn't too skinny

and equally isn't too fat.

I'm looking for something with plenty of energy and plenty of enthusiasm

that's going to want to actually participate in a day's filming.

This one in the corner, is my favourite.

Now whether she's a potential or not, I don't know.

Do you think Hazel would fit the bill?

Hazel is very, very pretty.

The only slight drawback for me is that her nose is a little pink.

For me the absolute ideal is to have a nice black nose

and nice black rims to the eyes.

Hazel's not out of the frame just yet, but getting back in the picture

is going to be tough as the others now have their noses in front.

Well, modelling is a dog eat dog world.

Time to make sure these wannabe pup idols are fit for the job.

Say arrrrr!

Richard first needs to check their general health and appearance.

They might all look cute but are they cute enough?

As a veterinary surgeon, I'm looking for a puppy that's healthy

and vigorous and vital.

You gonna wag your tail for me?

Make sure your tail wags.

I'll have a good look at it and make sure that they're healthy

before they come on a shoot.

Now it's time for the fitness test.

Louise and Martin, I've had a look at them all.

They look very fit and healthy.

I think what would be nice now would be to get some toys out

and have them playing around, perhaps out here on the lawn,

so we can get an idea of how they're going to react in the studio.

Richard needs to find a puppy that has bags of energy,

the bouncier the better. Come on, puppies, work it, come on!

I have to say I hope that Hazel's the one he chooses

but realistically, she hasn't got as dark a nose as some of the others.

Maybe she won't be the one that's chosen,

but as long as she's having fun.

Choose me, pick me, pick me. Hello.

Hello. Hello.

Do you like that, do you?

Excuse me. That's my toy.

Having had her nose put out of joint earlier, Hazel wants to make sure

she's still in the running.

-You shouldn't tantalise her.

-Give my toy back.

"No, no," she says, "I like it."

Audition over, have any of these tiny tearaways got what it takes

to be toilet tissue's next top model?

I really do think that you've got some real model puppies.

Hazel certainly was running me ragged playing games,

so I think she's going to have great fun.

I think possibly Dudley here is perhaps the more photogenic,

but I'd very much like it if you and the puppies would

come to the shoot with us.

-Yeah, that'd be lovely to bring them.

-Yeah, great.

It looks like Dudley is the front runner in the race

to be the next famous furry face.

But Hazel still has time to put her pink nose in the picture.

The other seven puppies have dropped out of the running

and the competition between these two prized pups is on!

Let's see which pretty puppy gets the job.

Pup, pup, pups. Pup, pup, pups.

Hazel? Hazel? Come on, Hazel!

Pup, pup, pup, pup.

Hey, what a great audience. Hey, what do you call a sleeping bull?

A bulldozer. Come on.

I thought that was quite laughable. Laugha-bull.

OK coming up next,

a dynamic duo is literally muscling their way onto the show.

Standing side by side, these animals at work are a force

to be reckoned with, so moooove over for some loveable bovines.

Hey, so you telling me you've heard all this before?

Herd. Get it?

Now we're going back in time and visiting the Canadian countryside.

Before the arrival of machines, work that was too hard for man

was carried out with the help of trained animals.

For thousands of years, the ox has helped man do everything.

These large animals exert incredible power.

But this isn't the 1800s.

No, this is actually an agricultural museum in present day Canada.

And there are two very special members of staff

who make this museum feel very authentic.

Meet Lion and Bright.

On the left and on the right.

Side by side all day and all night.

Never argue and never fight.

These inseparable oxen do absolutely everything together

and absolutely everything slowly.

Their patient boss is Wade.

This ox here that I've my hand on his name is Lion.

Lion's always on the left hand side when you're facing to me.

Bright over there, Bright's always on the right.

They work well together. They don't like being apart.

They won't beat no speed limits but they're slow and sure.

This duo is in perfect partner pacing when they wag, when they nod,

drink...

eat...

and when they step.

That's the way they like to be.

Lion and Bright are Heritage Hereford Oxen,

and they have their place in history

because their job is to demonstrate

exactly what working animals did 100 years ago, and it's a tough job.

They rise at 7am, just like their ancestors would have done.

And after a hearty breakfast,

it's time for these two performers to get ready for a show.

It's important to Wade that they look their best

if they're going to brush shoulders with the public.

To really help with the demonstration, this duo finally

get into character with the addition of a yoke.

I'm just gonna grab this yoke here

and put it on here, start strapping it on.

The yoke is a traditional headpiece that will allow the team

to comfortably carry large amounts of weight evenly and without strain.

Yokes are like finely tailored suits and will only fit one team of oxen.

Once they're dressed, Lion on the left and Bright on the right

mow the hay to show visitors what life was like hundreds of years ago.

For over 250 years,

Hereford Oxen were used as the main source of power on farms.

They were more popular than horses because they were cheaper to buy

and cheaper to feed as they live off the land.

Lion and Bright plough to eat and eat to plough.

Now that the field is fully mown, the show is finally over.

Time for these two to go backstage and be fed and watered and rest up

because after all there's another show tomorrow.

Nighty night, Lion and Bright.

Check out these rats from Exmouth in England, who love nothing more than

a good work out at their home gym.

Just another day in the rat race.

And now it's time to swing over to Ohio in the USA.

To the golf lovers of America,

nothing is more enticing than a picture perfect autumn morning.

But with this wonderful weather comes a golfer's nightmare...

The annual invasion of the Canadian geese.

It really is a "fowl" mess because these geese gobble the grass and

pay for their dinner only with slippery and unsightly deposits.

Goose poo messes up the grass,

so this is one birdie these golfers don't want to see.

So, who you gonna call?

Tattie, the goose buster.

Tattie's intent is only to scare these geese and not catch them.

Her trainer is Denny.

It's a very humane, non violent way to take care of the goose population.

Tattie will spot the geese quite a distance away,

and with that she gets very, very excited.

She'll start quivering and whimpering a bit.

Today 9-year-old Tattie will be going around the course

once more to ensure that golf remains a goose-free game.

Her eagle eyes are always

on the look-out for feathers on the fairway.

Stay.

Stay here, honey.

She'll get off the cart and make the decisions herself.

Sometimes it's just strictly a stealth move that intimidates,

makes eye contact with one of the guardians of the geese flock,

and will upset the geese enough that they'll take off on their own.

Sometimes Tattie has to get up close and get into her scatter mode,

which separates the flock.

And not even water will stop this goose buster.

She'll go into a herding mode, where she'll go in swimming

after them and start breaking them off into smaller groups.

As she's breaking them off into smaller groups they're frustrated,

because their unit's being dissembled and at that point they'll fly away.

We'd all be better off if we loved our jobs as

much as she does. For her it's a real pleasure

to get up every morning and go do her thing.

We call it work and she just just has it as her way of life,

doing what she does.

Great work there, Tattie.

That's one birdie the players won't be seeing on this course today.

Now we're heading to London

to see if the fur really flies at the photo shoot.

Out of nine lovely Labrador puppies, talent scout Richard whittled

the litter down to just Dudley and Hazel

to audition in front of the camera.

The job that's up for grabs is the starring role

in a new toilet tissue campaign.

The winning puppy's face is going

to be on the packaging and seen by millions of shoppers.

-Not wanting to travel to the audition alone...

-Hello, puppies!

..Dudley and Hazel brought their brothers and sisters along

for some moral support.

Oh, the pressure's on because if the puppies don't behave themselves,

I'll get into all sorts of trouble.

It's gonna be very strange seeing my pictures with the puppies on

the products and that'll be what everybody's getting for Christmas.

For those of you on Louise's Christmas list,

you know what you're getting!

The first in the audition spotlight is Hazel.

I think it would be very nice if Hazel here were to run across

with her ears flapping in the air, so that she looks like she's having

a great deal of fun.

Hazel. What have I got? Puppy.

It seems Hazel doesn't want to perform.

Perhaps Richard's earlier criticism

during the audition process has knocked her confidence.

-Do you think Hazel would fit the bill?

-Hazel is very, very pretty.

The only slight drawback for me is that her nose is a little pink.

Pink. Pink. Pink. Pink.

Come on, pups. What have I got? Puppy!

HE WHISTLES

Pup, pup, pups. Pup, pup, pups. What have I got?

What have I got? What have I got?

What have I got?

Gracious me, Hazel. Can't you muster a little bit more enthusiasm

than that for a piece of chicken?

Don't worry, Hazel. Show business isn't for everyone.

Over the last 30 years, there have been many other pups

who have also failed to perform.

Take a look at these past puppy out-takes.

Dudley!

Back at the auditions, Dudley has breathed new life into the day.

Pup, pup, pup, pup, pup. Oh, you got energy.

Hazel didn't take her opportunity to shine,

leaving the pathway to fame and fortune open to her brother Dudley.

Puppy! Pup, pup, pup, pup. Oh!

Richard and Dudley had chemistry when they first met,

and it seems their spark is still alight.

He's got the job.

At seven weeks old, puppy Dudley is growing bigger by the second,

so Richard wastes no time and gets the shots for the advertising

campaign done immediately.

I'm very proud of them. They've done extremely well.

I've been watching the pictures on the monitor and they're beautiful.

They really are first class.

To have our puppies going to be on a package, it's a big honour.

But for Dudley, his puppy career is short lived.

Now at the ripe old age of eight weeks,

the star of the shoot has retired

and is now the youngest of a family of five.

I've wanted a puppy for a long time and I never thought I'd get one.

I'm happy that Dudley's in our family

because he's a maniac just like I am.

And what does his new owner think of his pet's performing past?

I think that's really funny because I never even thought

I'd have a dog but now I've got one, I didn't know he'd be famous.

I was told this programme was gonna be about me.

I'd be the one who's the star.

Me, me, me!

And what ends up happening?

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