Episode 10 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

This show features professionals,

working with potentially dangerous animals.

So do not, we repeat, do not try this at home.

Did you know that now, right now, there are people

all around the country who are

working their socks off to help wounded wildlife and poorly pets?

And we've managed to get VIP passes for some willing helpers

who are going to get stuck in at the busiest vets',

wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres.

On today's show, Nelson and Dillon help tuck in a dozy dormouse

for its marathon winter snooze.

But the red squirrels are far from sleepy.

Ohh!

It's bath time as Abbie and Shannon sort out some muddy mutts.

Really, really fun.

But that's the least of their worries.

Here is a filthy ferret.

And I turn waiter and rustle up a fishy dish for some

particularly picky penguins.

They're all having fun time party honk-honk.

It's tough and dirty work.

But someone's got to do it.

Today on Dick And Dom Go Wild, I'm at the Wildwood Trust in Kent.

And joining me on this wild adventure is Nelson and his best mate, Dillon,

two boys who usually run a mile when it comes to anything about animals.

Nelson, tell me about all the pets you've got.

None.

Oh, yes, OK. And Dillon? How many have you got?

None.

Really? Why is that then?

I just think they're boring and it's too much hassle clearing

up their mess, taking them for walks every day and stuff like that.

OK, so it's a no-no when it comes to pets.

What about other animals?

Farmyard animals are quite boring.

Foxes and badgers are quite scary.

Birds and all that, boring.

So let me get this right, you're both sports fanatics

but you're not fans of anything furry.

What are we going to do with you?

Well, I think a day spent at a top animal sanctuary

might just do the trick.

How do you feel about people who dedicate their lives

-to looking after animals?

-They're wasting their time.

If they like doing it and enjoy themselves, yeah,

they can carry on doing it.

I think it's a waste of time.

Here at the Wildwood Trust, they have something to say about that.

In Kent, here, they save hundreds of animals every single year

so when they heard that we had two able, willing volunteers

that just needed some encouragement, they said, "Bring it on."

Nelson, Dillon, how are you? All right?

-Fine, yeah.

-Yeah.

We know already that you guys aren't keen on the British wild life.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

Really? OK, this is why we brought you here to the trust,

to see what amazing things are around.

Yeah, shall we do it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. OK.

Enthusiasm. Love it. Come on, let's go. Come on!

The Wildwood Trust in Kent is positively packed

with wild animals, some of which are rather familiar

and others that have become extinct in Britain.

The people here work hard to make sure that no more

go that way, so today, they will be happy to have some helping hands.

Hazel, how are you doing?

-Hi, nice to meet you.

-This is Dillon and Nelson.

-Hello.

-They have reluctantly been dragged here

to get into British wildlife. We thought this is the perfect place

to learn about endangered British species as well.

-What have you got planned?

-We've got some rare species.

We've some dormice for you to see.

We need to check them over

to make sure they're ready to hibernate for the winter.

-Wow, do you think you can handle mice?

-Yeah.

-Easy.

I know it's not an elephants, or tigers but it's still

a very, very important thing to do.

The common dormouse is one of the most rarely seen mammals in the UK.

They only come out at night, so it's truly a treat to meet one.

But will anti-animal Nelson and Dillon think so?

Are you ready?

Sure you're not scared?

They're deadly, these dormice.

Really deadly. OK, so they might not be deadly but they're a dying breed.

Over the last hundred years,

the number of dormice has dropped massively

but the good news is, people are helping these mice

in peril, like the breeding programme here.

Would you like to take the lid off the box?

OK.

Oh, there he is.

Later, the boys weigh in to size up the dormouse

but will he have eaten enough to make it through to the winter?

First, let's see what Dick's team have ahead of them

at Bleakholt animal sanctuary in Lancashire.

They started off with just a few horses in their care

but now they've all sorts of animals from ponies, pigs, rabbits,

ferrets, guinea-pigs, horses, cats and dogs.

Lots of dogs.

And I mean lots of dogs.

Which might not be great news for one half of our team today.

Meet best friends Abbie and Shannon,

two giggly girls from Rochdale,

who just love hanging around together.

When it comes to the perfect pet, Abbie knows what she likes.

I like cats.

And she knows what she doesn't like.

I don't like giddy dogs.

I just don't like it when they jump up.

Shannon on the other hand isn't bothered one bit by the barking.

In fact, she's got two pooches as pets.

So, can she help her best buddy when it comes to her doggy dilemma?

Abbie's fear does sound pretty serious.

I hope I'll be able to help her overcome her fear of dogs.

Bleakholt animal sanctuary is the perfect place to come

and find out just how delightful dogs can be.

And hopefully, we'll soon have Abbie and Shannon

dancing to the same tune.

Ladies, nice to meet you.

-So Shannon, you don't mind dogs, no?

-No.

So we got to try and help Abbie get over this fear of big dogs.

-Do you think we'll be able to do that?

-Yeah.

Abbie, if I said we're going to walk along,

past all those big dogs over there

-you wouldn't be too keen?

-Not at all. I'd absolutely hate it.

So the aim of today is to help Abbie realise that big dogs

-aren't that scary, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Shall be do it?

-Yeah.

Right, let's go.

To ease Abbie into all things furry, we're kicking off with Bozo here.

He's a fully-grown adult ferret who was found running wild in a garden.

Ferrets are playful little creatures

who love to explore and get themselves into mischief.

And they certainly like their sleep.

In fact, your average ferret will happily nap

for an amazing 18 hours a day.

Girls, it's time for a bit of ferrety fun.

This is Bozo.

If you want to stroke him, stroke the top of his head down to his back.

Sometimes ferrets do nip but mostly, it's just saying hello.

-I think he's really cute.

-Yeah, me too.

He's a friendly little fellow, isn't he?

Introductions out of the way and Abbie

and Shannon seem to be fine with ferrets.

But how will they fare when faced with some ferret poo?

Meanwhile, sports-mad lads Dillon and Nelson are down in the woods

in Kent, knocking on the door of a dormouse house.

Ah! Nice!

Have you ever see anything that cute?

No, that's awesome.

Well, for two boys who seem negative

when it comes to animals, I'd say that's quite a positive reaction.

So, do they come awake at night?

That's right.

Do you know what that's called?

-Nocturnal?

-Nocturnal.

-That's right. Yes.

He sleeps during the day. At night, he climbs around, looking for food.

Not only do they sleep through the day,

dormice will hibernate for an amazing six to seven months.

Yes, they doze through the whole winter.

-Would you like to hold him?

-OK.

Come on, Nelson, you can do this, my friend. Top job!

Could you have these like as pets?

In Victorian times, schoolboys just like yourselves,

used to go out and find dormice in the wild and took them to school

in their pockets because they would curl up.

They did keep them as pets but today, we can't do that

because these are a protected species.

-Would you like to hold him?

-Yeah, OK.

To get through the winter, dormice need to put on a lot of weight

so they can use that energy to sleep

while there's not much other food around.

Right, what we need to do now is weigh this dormouse to make sure

he's heavy enough to hibernate.

OK?

Now, please remember, Hazel here is a trained professional.

Putting any animal into a plastic bag is definitely not something

you should do yourself.

So, this dormouse weighs 37 grams.

That's really heavy for a dormouse.

Dormice are normally about 15 to 20 grams.

So, he's ready to go into hibernation now.

Mission accomplished!

So, that's one dormouse nicely tucked into bed

and ready to face the winter.

And if I'm not mistaken, two boys who might be changing their minds

when it comes to liking animals.

But how will they get on when they've got to grab a goat?

This is impossible!

Meanwhile, in Lancashire, Abbie and Shannon are looking after Bozo here.

No, not him - him!

-I think he's really cute.

-Me too.

So, without further ado, may we present the Dick and Dom

three-step guide to ferret care?

Step one, cleaning up your ferret's poo.

Right, girls, the first thing we need to do,

we need to empty his little tray and get rid of the papers.

Do you want to grab the newspaper?

Be careful, so you don't get yourself covered in poo.

This is what we do with my cat.

Funny you should say that, ferrets are often kept as pets

and can be trained to do their poo in a cat's litter tray.

Speaking of which, looks like that tray could do with being changed.

Carry on, girls.

If you want to take a full scoop, brilliant.

If you want to pop that in the tray over there.

Toilet task complete, step two, feeding your ferret.

Grab yourself just one scoop with the blue scoop.

Ferrets are carnivores

so pet ferrets eat pet food like a dog or cat.

Mm! Delicious, well, for a ferret anyway.

Step three, making your ferret's bed.

Right, now we need to check that his bedding is still clean.

I'll need one of you to clean it out. Is it OK if you do that?

I'll need the other one to hold him.

Put your thumb behind his armpit.

-Just one hand. You've got him?

-Yeah.

Just swing his legs a bit. For some reason they enjoy that.

Ferrets are domesticated versions of a wild animal called a polecat.

They've been kept as pets since Roman times.

Brilliant.

Shannon, time to change that bedding.

Have you found anything yet?

There's one towel which is a bit dirty.

Right, we'll pull that out.

Thank you very much. Brilliant.

And that concludes the Dick and Dom guide to ferret care.

It may look simple but as with any animal,

a lot of hard work goes into looking after these pongy pets.

We've spent a little time in here with Bozo. What do you think of him?

I think they're really cute animals and he's really friendly.

After today, I think it's really nice to have a ferret

and I'd have one as a pet.

It's been a fantastic first time ferret experience for the girls.

But will they manage to bath three beautiful blind puppies?

First, it's time for Dom to help some particularly picky penguins

pick out a treat.

Right then, Dom, what do think these are?

Penguins?

Very good. Actually, I was looking for a little bit more detail.

These are Humboldt penguins, also known as Peruvian penguins.

-And where do you think they live in the wild?

-Peru.

Chile.

Actually in Peru next door as well

but they actually live on this tiny strip of land

here in South America.

And here, of course.

No, these are all part of a captive breeding programme.

Hopefully, they'll be saved from extinction.

Talking of survival,

they are starving so go and feed them.

Me go in there and do fish business?

Yes.

Yes, a penguin's preferred lunch is a fishy dish

which they like to eat whole, head and all.

1, 2, 3! Yabba!

Come on, lads.

Feed them then!

I am a feeding them.

Two have come in.

They're all in. They're all in. Now start wanging them.

Wanger! I'm a sprat wanger.

I wang sprats.

Look at this one.

Oh, dear, it's got no head.

Who likes fish with no heads?

You? No!

Dom, watch your fingers.

Penguins have spikes on their tongues

which helps them to catch their fish.

See that, see that?

I don't think he likes your hat.

They're all having fun time party honk-honk.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Humboldt penguins may look furry but like any bird,

they're covered in feathers.

Their feathers are very densely packed.

Some types of penguin don't even get their skin wet

when they go for a swim.

Come on, Gonzo. Come on.

Gonzo!

KNOCKING

Oi! Oi!

-What do you want?

-I've come to tell you something.

-What?

Did you know that the Humboldt penguins,

they actually stay in couples, right?

They can recognise each other even when there's thousands of them.

Well, these penguins might be partnered up, but they're still

hungry. Better get on with it.

That's some fully fed-up penguins. Good work, fella.

I think someone deserves a treat.

Done it, I'm king of penguin.

Well, since you did so well and passed the test,

I've got you your favourite.

Ooh! Oh, look at that! I love this!

Nice?

I've got a bone in my teeth.

RETCHING

At an animal sanctuary in Lancashire, best friends Abbie and Shannon

are getting into the swing of this animal thing.

It's dogs that Abbie is doubtful about and their

next job is to look after some pups.

Digby and Alice were born blind, while Jasper is partially-sighted.

They were brought to Bleak Holt to get the care and attention they need.

-Girls, it's time for a trip to the vet.

-Hi, guys.

-The three blind puppies?

-Yes.

-How are they all getting on?

-They're not doing too bad.

I just thought we'd bring them in.

Let's just have a look at their eyes. There we are.

You can see that silvering that we've got in there.

-See that in there?

-Yeah.

That's what we call a cataract.

It's a fibrous membrane that goes over the lens and prevents the light

going through. That's what makes them blind.

They were born with those and blind from being born.

How do you think they will do in life, not being able to see much?

Dogs tend to cope quite well when they're born blind, because their

other senses develop quite rapidly.

They'll use their sense of smell, which is very good and hearing.

Generally, they'll cope very well.

Vet's checks over, it's time for the girls to really get to know

-their new-found four-legged friends.

-Look at this.

-Stop eating my zip, missus!

-Abbie, How do you feel about dogs now?

I absolutely love this one.

Now everyone's nicely acquainted, it's time to get these

lovely little pups into the bath. Lead on, Luke.

If I show the girls how to do one puppy here, like this one,

they can take theirs and do it. They will wriggle.

You want to wet them down.

Then, we take the doggy shampoo that we've got.

-Do they enjoy this?

-At this age, as it's never happened

to them before, they don't know what to expect, so, usually stay still.

Once they've had their bath,

we need to get them dried as quick as possible,

because they do get cold.

-Is it because they're so young?

-Yeah, at this age, they tend to

-lose their body temperature really quickly.

-Wrap it up like a baby.

-It is a baby.

-Yes.

-And first to pamper a pooch is Shannon.

Whoopsie!

-All right, Jasper.

-This is the shampoo.

Rub it in, just like you do with your hair at home.

you're doing a god job, Shannon. Get right in those feet.

Clean as clean can be.

It's all right. She's done a good job on you, hasn't she?

Next up is Abbie.

So just steady her in one hand, get some water and just wet her down.

Give her a good rub, Abbie, rub it all in.

It's really, really fun doing this.

It's really funny when she jumps out.

I'll tell you what, you're a dab hand. She's good.

So what does the future hold for these three puppies?

The future's very good, now that they're here,

because we can spend time finding the ideal home.

And they should live nice, normal lives.

-There should be no problems, really.

-This has turned into a real treat.

While Shannon is a dog lover, Abbie really didn't like dogs until today.

And just look at her now, she's doing a fantastic job with Alice.

Good one, girls.

But the question is, Abbie, will you come and see a big dog?

Erm, I think I'll be OK, as long as it's not too big or giddy,

-like, sort of, thing.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-We've got her, Shannon.

-Yes, Abbie is well on her way

to developing a passion for pooches.

But will she be able to deal with frisky Finius

and help him to find a new home?

-Good boy.

-Very good.

Back at the British Wildlife Centre in Kent,

sports-mad Nelson and Dillon have been finding out that

-animals can be fun, too. Karen.

-Hiya.

-How are you, all right?

-Yep.

-Good. The boys have been working hard, so far,

-at the Trust. You've had good fun, haven't you?

-Yes.

Time for something a bit more challenging. What can they do next?

-Next, we're going to trim some goats' hooves.

-Whoa!

-I bet you've never done that before.

-No!

I would be surprised if you had.

Does this involve catching the goats?

-Yes, we've got to catch them.

-How do you feel about that?

Erm, nervous.

So, catch the goats and trim their hooves!

These pygmy goats are a small domestic breed,

originally from West Africa.

They're a lot smaller than your average farmyard goat

and much friendlier, too, which is why they're often kept as pets.

Let's do this.

So, time to catch us some goats.

But these supposedly sociable animals don't seem to

want to make friends with us today.

Oh, no, it's all gone a bit wrong.

This is impossible!

Thankfully, this breed of goat isn't aggressive,

so the boys are perfectly safe.

Yeah! Eat that!

But please don't try any goat herding yourselves.

-Yeah! Close the door!

-We did it!

-We did it! Yes!

-Well done, lads, well done.

-Yeah!

Right, that's enough messing around, boys. It's time to do some clipping.

Come round and Paul will show you what you're doing.

That slips underneath there, look,

and cuts all the way down through there. See what I'm doing?

So it's like cutting nails.

That's exactly what it is, cutting nails.

In fact, goats' hooves are made of keratin,

which is the same stuff that human nails are made of.

So, just like toenails, they need trimming.

You just need a much bigger pair of clippers.

What's the lifespan of a goat?

About 12 to 15 years.

The better you look after it, the longer it will live.

-How old is this one at the moment?

-She's four?

-Four.

-Do you want to have a go?

-Er...!

If this goat's hooves weren't regularly trimmed,

they'd get so overgrown, it would find it painful to walk,

so the boys are doing an essential job here, just don't try

-doing this on your pets.

-It's your turn.

-Oh!

It's hard work, but the lads are doing fantastic

and maybe, just maybe, getting to grips with this goat is helping them

realise that not all animals are annoying, after all.

OK, we're ready to let her go.

There we go.

Now, that is one perfectly pedicured pet. And for Dillon and Nelson,

it's another amazing animal experience in the bag.

But that's not all. Will the boys manage to catch some

-red squirrels in need of a new home?

-Oh!!

But first, it's time to meet a salamander that refuses to grow up.

You're a big baby, that's all you are.

Why are you offending it?

-Ah, well, this is an axolotl.

-I'm glad you said that.

Yes, it's a Mexican amphibian, much like a frog or a newt.

And they are big babies.

'Yes, unbelievably, an axolotl stays in its immature form for its entire

'life - a bit like a frog never changing from being a tadpole.'

-What do they eat?

-Well, each other, sometimes, yes.

Imagine if you and I were axolotls, I would eat your leg, for example,

-but you would just simply grow another one.

-Lovely(!)

'Yes, axolotls have amazing powers of healing and can grow back

'body bits, should they get chopped off.'

Hu-ya! Lunch?

Mmm, don't mind if I do. With the, erm... And the, er...

..and a bit of the old...

Best buddies Shannon and dog doubter Abbie

are spending a day behind the scenes at an animal sanctuary.

Abbie loved the petite pups, but big and bouncy Finius

is a different type of dog together.

He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback, who was found wandering the streets

and was brought here to be looked after.

He's harmless but he is a bit excitable.

This big dog may not be Abbie's cup of tea.

-No!

-Wrong!

-See, big dogs aren't too bad, are they?

-This one isn't.

OK, then, Abbie's reaction is nothing short of remarkable.

It's a total turnaround and Abbie even wants to help

when it comes to training Finius.

-Hi, girls, how are you feeling?

-OK.

-A bit nervous.

-A bit nervous.

We're going to do a food test, to make sure that Finius

doesn't guard his food. It's a very important safety check.

So whilst he's eating, I'd like you to put the fake hand in the bowl

and stir it around a little bit.

-Is that OK?

-Yes.

It's important that Finius learns to calm down, if he's going to have

any chance of getting a new home.

This is a massive moment for Abbie and Finius.

Turn the hand, so you've got the palm near his nose.

The hand test will show everyone that Finius is ready

for a new home. Abbie has realised it's not just the size

of the dog that matters, but how well-trained it is.

-Good boy.

-Very good.

And for Shannon, it's something she never thought she'd see.

Her best friend seems to have beaten her fear of dogs.

With Abbie's help, Finius has successfully earned his doggy

diploma and, after years of dissing dogs, Abbie's canine concerns

look to be a thing of the past.

But before Abbie leaves, there's one last thing she wants to do.

Abbie, you may remember at the beginning of the show,

I asked you what you'd feel like about

walking down past these big dogs and you said...

I would absolutely hate it.

So I'll ask the same question now - how would you feel

-about walking past the big dogs in the cages here?

-I wouldn't mind.

-Are you going to do it?

-Yes!

Please be my guest.

Come on through. Look at this!

-She's doing it.

-I like that one.

-You like that one...?

-Yeah.

Yes, with the right training, big dogs can be big softies.

What about these giddy ones up here?

That one's quite cute.

Hello... Hello.

Look at that now. When she arrived here this morning, Abbie

was so scared of big dogs, wouldn't go near them. We've transformed her.

She now is talking to the big dog in the cage.

Would you believe it? Job well done, I say.

Back in the British Wildlife Centre,

sports-mad Nelson and Dillon are finding out animals aren't so bad.

Welcome to our red squirrels.

We've got a great job you can help with.

We need to move these red squirrels to a new enclosure,

so we're going to have to capture them up first.

Now, it might sound easy, but it's a lot harder than you'd think.

Red squirrels have been living in Britain for the last 10,000 years,

but the introduction of their cousins, the grey squirrels,

has caused them chaos.

Even scientists don't know why greys are pushing the reds out.

It could be that they're eating their food, spreading germs

or just scaring them off.

The last thing anyone wants

is to see this beautiful species disappear.

Here, they're breeding the reds, so that they can be released

into the wild in areas where the greys don't live.

Nelson, Dillon, are you ready to help

capture these fantastic little creatures?

-Yes.

-Let's go for it.

To catch a squirrel, the boys just need to coax them

into these wooden boxes and then slide the door closed.

It looks simple enough to me, but this furry fellow might have

something to say about that.

Other side, Dillon.

It's gone in that box.

Let's go and do it now. Quick.

-Yes!

-Nice one, boys!

One down and two still to catch.

Oh, and anything you can do, I can do better - probably.

-All the time in the world!

-Just because you've already got one.

Or actually, perhaps not.

Oi!

-Wait a minute, wait a minute!

-It's going in, don't do anything!

-He's in.

-It's looking good! It's looking good!

Oh!!

But a last-minute change of mind from squirrel number two

has denied me a catch and, in all the commotion,

we've actually lost sight of squirrel number three.

-So, on the off-chance, Peter checks one of the boxes.

-It's there.

With very little help from yours truly, we now have two

red squirrels ready to be released into their brand new enclosure.

OK, you guys were responsible for catching

these little slippery tuckers.

-I wasn't very good, was I?

-No!

So this is all for you for to do. Are they able to open the boxes?

Right, let's bring it over here.

Hopefully, it will be easier to get the squirrels out

than it was getting them in. So, time to lift the lid

-on box number one.

-There he is.

-There he is.

-Oh!

-And off he goes! So it's over to box number two.

-Whey!

-That was like Superman.

Great, how does that feel?

-Pretty good?

-Yeah.

Dillon and Nelson have done it and these two bright-eyed, bushy-tailed

squirrels will now live here happily until they're big and strong enough

to be released into the wild.

Well, guys, you've been part of the process of getting red squirrels

-back into Britain. Have you enjoyed today?

-Yeah.

Well done, you've been absolutely brilliant help.

If you want a job in a few years' time, give us a buzz.

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