Episode 12 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

Listen up, this show features highly-skilled professionals

working with potentially dangerous animals.

So do not try this at home.

Did you know that now, right now, there's people all around

the country 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...

Scott and Matthew take on daringly difficult animal assignments,

but will the flappy mute swan be too much of a handful?

Courtney and Jordan roll-up those sleeves and manage a mucky pup.

But how will they deal with the dog that has no-name?

-Spikey!

-No.

-Waggy?

-Oh!

And Dom cannot mask his fear,

when he comes face-to-face with a giant sea monster.

-Hello.

-No.

-Hello.

It's tough and dirty work...

-..but someone's got to do it.

-Argh!

I'm in the Home Counties,

at St Tiggywinkles, so if you've got a fox with pox

or a badger with a bug , then this is the place to come.

Tiggy's is an animal hospital that deals with around 10,000

ill, injured or orphaned animals every year.

Founder Les Stocker even lives at the rescue centre and hospital.

Today, we've brought along a couple of likely lads to go

behind the scenes and give them a hand.

Meet two good sports, Scott and Matthew.

Now these fellas like their animals with a bit of bite.

We like predators and vicious animals.

Yes, they may be big fans of our nation's sports,

but they don't get a hit out of our animals.

The animals in our country are, like,

boring and slow.

So what wildlife makes you go wow?

Lions.

-Sharks.

-Hyenas.

-Tigers.

-Rhinos.

Every other animal's pretty dull and boring.

Maybe we can kick those ideas into touch? Only one way to find out.

Scott, Matthew, dudes, welcome to Tiggywinkles.

So, what's wrong with British wildlife?

Well, they're just not vicious at all

and they don't eat other animals.

Right, well, this place is full of British wildlife,

so hopefully, by the end of today, you'll change your mind.

Let's go and explore Tiggywinkles.

-Hi, Les. Hi, Vicky. This is Scott and Matthew.

-Hi, Dick.

Now their favourite animals are lions, tigers, sharks - predators.

-The first animal you've got is a predator?

-Yes, here he is.

He's a buzzard. British wildlife, very, very dangerous.

Is it a kind of eagle?

-It's a bit smaller than an eagle.

-Do you like that?

-Is that scary enough for you?

-It's all right, but not that viscous.

-You haven't met him yet.

-Well, boys,

bit of a scary predator you've got there. I'll leave you to it.

This beautiful buzzard was found four weeks ago in a garden

with an injured wing.

After a good rest up, the bone has hopefully healed.

Scott and Matthew must now help the buzzard

complete a training exercise, as the bird of prey closes in

on a return to the wild.

So far, so good.

Vet nurse Nicky is completing a final

examination of the damaged wing.

He was found with a break in this bone here. It's nice and stable now.

How did he break it?

We never know exactly, but it's likely that he crashed

into a tree or a power cable or hit the ground hard when he was hunting.

How fast does it normally go when it's hunting?

He's probably better than African predators.

He's much faster than a cheetah.

Not bad, eh, boys?

This hunter can see eight times further than humans

and can spot a rabbit from three kilometres away.

Now, the moment of truth. Will that wing work?

Let's see if he can actually fly.

Later, Scott and Matthew discover if the buzzard can wing it to freedom.

Will he take to the air or suffer another crash-landing?

But first, Dom drops in at a dogs rescue centre

with two up-for-it animal helpers.

This is the Dogs Trust, Leeds.

And these are the Dogs Trust's leads!

This place cares for disowned, abandoned

and forgotten, yep, dogs, of all shapes and sizes.

YELPING

They're always on the lookout for new volunteers,

which is just as well, because we've got a couple.

Courtney and Jordan have something in common -

Mum's who say, "No pets allowed!"

I keep asking and they say the answer is always going to be no, so...

Unless they say yes, one day.

Yes, I asked for a pet, but they said no.

They'd love to have a pet to play around with

-and their animal of choice is...

-My favourite animal is a Labrador.

I'd probably pick...

..erm...

..a spaniel.

OK, let's see if we can show your mums

that you two can manage animals.

Why doesn't your mum want you to have a dog?

Because she works full-time and she's allergic to fur.

Oh, the old allergic to fur ploy, right. Heard that before. And you?

My mum and dad work full-time, so they don't have time for a dog.

It would get lonely on it's own, poor thing.

It's a valid enough reason, I suppose.

OK, I'll tell you what we're going to do,

we're going prove to your mums that you can handle dogs, right?

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

They may be known as man's best friend,

but every year thousands of dogs are abandoned by their owners.

Fear not, this place steps in and helps out homeless hounds

16,000 times every year.

The aim is to find new owners for as many as possible.

We're starting small. And very cute.

This is Hector.

Say hello.

Hector is a Staffordshire bull terrier cross,

who's just six weeks old.

He was found as a stray in the street, alone and underweight,

poor lad.

Have you ever met a puppy before?

-No.

-What do you think?

-He's lovely.

-Gorgeous.

-Yeah.

-So, Emma, what's the first job?

The first job is one of you to needs to bob him onto the scales

and we'll get an idea of his weight and see if he's put some weight on.

-Who's gonna do it?

-I do.

-Who?

-I will.

There you go. Hold his bottom.

-How are you feeling about holding that?

-Cute.

All right, let's go weigh him.

He's being treated for worms, which live inside his tummy

and basically pinch the food he eats.

Just pop him down there in the middle.

Worms are common in dogs, but can be very harmful to small puppies.

Oh, dear.

So if Hector's not putting on weight, it's a big worry.

How much does he weigh?

1.6 kilos.

1.6 kilos, that's great,

because when he came in, he actually weighed 1.1 kilos,

so he's put a lot of weight on, which is brilliant.

Now, that's a healthy pile-on for Hector

and he celebrates...by doing that.

He's just had a wee.

Oh, dear, a little accident.

And Hector keeps Courtney and Jordan busy later,

when they help him through his first-ever vet check.

Will the pup be given an all-clear and a chance to find a new owner?

Scott and Matthew are at a wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire.

They've transferred a recovering buzzard to a test flight enclosure.

This bird hasn't flown for an entire month.

If his wing hasn't healed, he'll have to remain grounded.

And...?

Lift off! We did it!

That wasn't too bad,

he didn't fly very far,

because his muscles are a bit weak from being in a cage for a month,

but now he's got time to fly around in here,

he'll get his strength up and be able to fly there and back.

Now, if he can build up his flight strength, he'll be free in no time.

And there's another fully fixed buzzard that is bursting

to reach for the skies.

-OK, so, who wants to make it happen?

-Me.

-Me.

OK, so what I need you to do is put your gloves on,

put your hands in front of you, as far away from you as you can.

Big moment, this.

Are his flight muscles ready to lift him to freedom?

So if I put him like that, keep your arms out straight away from you.

-Got him?

-Yes.

-Ready?

One, two, three...

-OK, so how good was that?

-Very.

-Look at him go.

Could feel him push from my hands.

What a wonderful British wild animal.

Fair play to the boys.

It looks like they might be falling for British wildlife.

Scott and Matthew volunteer for more bird work later,

but will they get to grips with the struggling swan

that ain't too keen on bath time?

Courtney and Jordan are doting on dogs at a rescue centre in Leeds.

They've helped weigh Hector, a tiny Staffie cross.

He's the first puppy they have ever handled.

Now, it's time to check up with vet nurse Vicky Tonks.

Hector has roundworm, which is why he arrived so underweight.

These are the horrible things he's got in his tummy.

Big long wiggly worms.

Do puppies die, if they actually have worms in their stomach?

If they have a really lot and it is not a very well puppy,

then they can do, but he's fine.

Now he's here with us,

we can help get rid of those worms

and make sure he's got everything he needs, and he'll be fine, I'm sure.

Nobody knows exactly why the pup was abandoned.

Puppies are hard work.

People don't always realise that, they just think they're

all cute and cuddly like he is there. They don't realise what is involved.

-Poor puppy.

-Yes.

Health check over, time for breakfast!

Hector lives in the manager's office

and goes home with one of the Dogs Trust team every night.

Wannabe vets Courtney and Jordan squirt some medicine

into Hector's food.

That'll sort the worms out!

Put that in, hold it there and then pull it up...

Oh, no!

LAUGHTER

No worries, Courtney, it doesn't matter to hungry Hector.

In a bowl, on the floor, whatever!

Don't worry, he'll eat it off there, it's nice and clean.

It's been a hectic morning for the pup.

Now, he needs some well-earned rest.

Have a nice sleep!

I feel sorry for him.

-He's lonely.

-I know.

He needs a home.

He's coming on fine and with a bit more TLC like this,

-Hector could soon be heading to some new loving owners.

-Night, Hector.

But there's more hard-luck hound stories later,

when Courtney and Jordan take on the poor Pekinese

that arrived at the rescue centre in a terrible state.

There you go, look at that! She's doing tricks already!

But first, I somehow find myself handling a real live sea-monster!

Y'know it's alright,

us getting everyone else to do these animal tests.

Yes it is, isn't it?

-But I also think we should show a bit of willing.

-You do?

Yes, so I've arranged a very special task

for us to help out with.

And when they told me what it was, I thought,

"This is one Dom can do... with his eyes closed."

Ah, Lyndsay, I brought Dom here, for his...

Hi, Dom!

...his "special task".

'Did I say "special"?

'I meant, terrifying.'

There... there, there...

Ooh, oh, it's wet, it's knobbly!

Wha does it feel like?

It feels wet and knobbly.

Here... All the way...

along.

Knobbly... knobbly... knobbleeeaagh!

-Is it a long knobbly snake?

-No.

-Can I have a look now?

-Yes.

I mean, let's face it, how bad can it be?

HE SCREAMS

What is that?!

What it is, is...

a Japanese spider crab.

A real-life sea monster, this.

They can grow to the size of a car and live for 100 years.

And in the wild, Japanese spider crabs

attach sponges and other small animals to their shells,

to disguise themselves from predators.

He has had a go at doing that in here and so we need to clean him up.

Why are we doing this, then?

If they do it in the wild, what is the use of doing it here?

Well, purely because they get what we call Black Spot Disease in captivity.

We are just making sure he has got no parasites drilling through his shell,

he's got no soft patches of his shell, and that means

that when he does his next moult,

which is taking off this old shell and growing a new one...

-Like a snake, when they shed their skin?

-Basically, yes.

-What, do they slip their legs out and everything?

-Slip everything out.

-Everything apart from their eyes.

-Wow!

-Wow.

-Regrow it all over again.

-Man, oh, man. Well, listen. There we go, job done.

-A very clean boy.

-A happy crab. Let's send him back before he gets angry.

-OK.

And back he goes.

-Eek! What is this?

-Oh, this?

This is a sponge that I have attached to my head,

much like the Japanese spider crab does,

to make sure it does not get attacked by anything.

Ha! Clever! Clever, me.

Mm-hmm.

-Dom?

-Yes?

Your sponge has slipped slightly.

Oh, yes, thank you.

Wouldn't want to look silly now, would I?

Courtney and Jordan are helping out at a dog rescue centre in Leeds.

They handled Hector the puppy brilliantly, but,

at a place like this, there's always more dogs needing assistance.

When Hector came here, who you looked after,

he was in not such bad condition, but not all the dogs

are in such great shape when they get here.

These seven Pekinese arrived here in a right state.

They're lucky to still be alive.

Just unbelievable, isn't he?

Emma's showing us just how bad they were

when they came here two months ago.

-See they're struggling to walk a little bit there.

-Yeah.

-All their toes were all glued together.

-It's terrible.

They were rescued from an owner

who could no longer look after them properly.

I don't think they've ever been out of the lady's house.

It doesn't look a dog, no. Have you even seen anything like this before?

-No.

-Don't they look sad, eh?

-Yes.

Will it be painful for the dogs?

It maybe was a bit painful trying to carry all that around with them,

but now they're running around like little rabbits.

The staff got to work on the poorly Pekinese immediately

and they were swiftly sorted out.

Underneath all that fur, the dog's about a quarter of the size!

All that matted fur was trimmed off

and five have been rehomed already.

They are going to serve lunch to the remaining two,

Cliff and Bonny.

Shall we go and have a look what they're like now, two months later?

Because they were neglected for so long, there's still a chance

they can be frightened by lots of people, so we feed in shifts.

Just bend down on the floor. Very, very quiet.

On the flat of your hand. That's it. Have you got it? No problem.

Why do they make those funny noises?

Because they've got squashed faces,

all the airways are quite contracted and quite small,

-so they grunt a little bit like pigs.

-Sounds like they're snoring.

-And despite the noise, Courtney's a fan.

-They're cute.

-They are cute, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-Jordan, your turn.

-Oh, it's licking.

Eh! He's only got Bonny standing for attention!

There you go, look at that. Eh! He's teaching him tricks already.

Courtney and Jordan have seen what happens

when you don't look after a pet.

'And what a difference a bit of care and attention will make.'

It's nice to have a peek in to the world of these dogs!

'And how to laugh at your own jokes, when no-one else does.'

Happy, not hungry, dogs.

I think they'll make someone a really lovely pet.

Two lifelong dog lovers here, I reckon.

That's proven later, when Courtney and Jordan

receive the very latest strays at the rescue centre.

Can our pair settle them into their new home?

Good boy, that's lovely walking.

-It's better now.

-It's easier now, isn't it?

-Yeah.

'Scott and Matthew are working with rescue birds

'at a wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire.

'They've handled buzzards with wonky wings like experts,

'but now time to tackle a bird that is not the boys'

'most favourite creature in the world.'

Boys.

-Oh! Not a swan.

-What?

-Not a swan.

-What do you mean, not a swan?

-What is it?

-It's a fish.

-No, 'fraid not fish.

-Swans, I hear you love swans.

-Your favourite, Scott.

-Yeah?

-No, they're evil.

-No, no, they're lovely, they're beautiful swans.

So, we're going to actually bath a swan.

'This mute swan was found covered in oil and was struggling to swim.

'She needs a bath every three or four days

'until she can float again.'

-How are you feeling, Scott?

-I just absolutely hate swans.

It's going to splash a little bit.

Here it comes.

Aah!

THEY LAUGH

SWAN MAKES LOW GRUNTS

Is it farting?

'No, Scott, they're not bottom burps.

'That is the noise this type of swan makes.

'Actually, it's about the only noise the swan can make.

'That's why they're called mute swans.'

-Do you want to hold his head?

-Oh!

-Go on, Scott.

-There you go. There.

-Don't wring its neck!

-It's tensing, it's going to bite my fingers off.

Just hold him there.

THEY SCREAM

'Hey, nobody's forced to do anything they don't want to do

'on this show, you know.'

THEY SCREAM AND LAUGH

'They're peaceful vegetarians,

'but swans are one of the biggest flying birds in the world.'

Boys, I knew you wanted to meet some scary, fierce...

HE LAUGHS

..predator-type animals. So, here we are.

'So we let the experts complete the swan's scrub,

'and our lads prepare themselves for wildlife work

'that doesn't include bathing birds.'

Despite what those boys think, you are a beautiful creature.

'But the tables are well and truly turned later

'when Scott and Matthew get stuck into a messy deer operation

'and I decide to take a back seat.'

Sit down and put your head between your knees!

But first, Dom disturbs my catnap with cat facts.

-Yah!

-Aah!

You're not meant to be sleeping! You're meant to be working!

I was having a bit of a catnap.

All right, well, listen, we've got lots to do,

lots to be getting on with. Hey, by the way,

did you know we've been hanging out with cats for over 4,000 years?

That's strange, that nap only felt like five minutes.

What? Not "us" as in you and me, "us" as in humans.

-Dates back to the Egyptian times or even longer.

-Paws?

-No, not paws like that, tell me about cat paws.

-Oh, yes.

Something interesting about cat paws.

OK, you know when adult cats like to knead soft things with their paws?

-Oh, yes.

-Well, that's how kittens get their milk.

-No, you've lost me.

Kittens get milk from their mothers by gently kneading them

like this, nice soft tummies,

and that's why when adult cats do it to you, it means they're happy.

They're remembering the fun times of being a kitten.

-Ah, so that's the way we know that an adult cat is happy.

-Exactly!

And don't cats have a good sense of smell?

Yes, for example, that cat there smells 14 times better than you.

-Amazing!

-No, no, no, I think you misunderstand.

That cat physically smells 14 times better than you.

Courtney and Jordan

are throwing themselves into dog duties

at a rescue centre in Yorkshire.

They've settled Hector the puppy

and helped to pair a recovering Pekinese,

and now it's time to take on today's new arrivals.

Staff here at Dogs Trust don't know what to expect each time

a new dog delivery comes in.

So Emma's first job is to examine each new arrival,

-ably assisted, of course, by her apprentices.

-Are you ready?

-See what's in here.

-Ah, look at that. A cocker spaniel!

'First to check in is a cocker spaniel

'and a golden retriever crossbreed.'

-Oh, that is massive!

-'A big golden retriever crossbreed.'

So how do you feel about the big dog?

-A bit scared, cos it looks massive.

-What about you?

I'm not bothered but I don't want it to be really vicious.

'Emma knows he isn't dangerous.

'The team here have carefully assessed

'the dogs' personalities before taking them in.'

That's it, come on. You're a good girl.

'They've been stuck in the dog warden kennels for a week.

'Time to stretch those legs. Nobody knows their names,

'so that's down to Courtney and Jordan to sort out.'

-Could call her Flopsy.

-OK, Flopsy it is, then.

'Our big retriever cross has two names to choose from.'

-Spikey!

-No.

-Waggy!

-Oh!

'Yay! I think he likes it, Jordan.'

Good boy, that's lovely walking.

-It's better now.

-It's easier now, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Good boy. Go on!

'Courtney and Jordan might not be allowed dogs of their own yet,

'but they've shown how well they can handle hounds

'if they ever get the chance.'

Courtney, what have you enjoyed about today?

Seeing Hector and getting to do all those things with him.

-The little puppy?

-Yeah.

-Very sweet. And what about the Pekinese?

I found that funny as well because he can do some tricks,

especially the one with the paw.

Do the impression of it, go on, do it. Very good.

'Great work. Flopsy and Waggy can get a bit of rest

'and then look forward to a brand new life with a loving owner.

'Scott and Matthew are continuing their day

'at the wildlife hospital.

'We're on our way to help a young fella

'who has suffered a horrible injury.'

Ah, Vicky, Francesca.

The boys are ready to meet their next animals.

We've got one of this year's babies, baby fallow deer,

and it was found tangled up in a fence by its foot.

And unfortunately, its foot has died and fallen off.

We're going to give it a sedative now

and you're going to help us wheel it back to the ward.

We're going to take the bandage off and see how it's getting on.

-So we're going to send Fran in now.

-Go on, Fran.

The big, brave girl.

-Shout when you need me.

-We may never see her again!

'The deer is very nervous,

'so she's going to get an injection to calm her.

'She's soon out for the count.'

There she is. Mind out, boys.

-There we go.

-It looks awake.

They don't close their eyes when they're under sedation.

It'll just stare out, but it won't actually blink.

'Time to get this beautiful fawn over to casualty.

'The team need to check that the leg injury is healing properly.'

So what's Francesca doing now, Vicky?

She's setting up some monitoring

to make sure the anaesthetic goes well.

We've got a monitor on the ear which is giving us a pulse rate

and telling us how much oxygen is in the blood.

She's got a stethoscope to listen to the heart and breathing.

How will it manage with three legs?

They do surprisingly well.

They can't go back into the wild

cos they're too vulnerable to predators,

but we've got some really nice private estates

-where they go and live in a three-legged herd.

-Very nice.

And hop around together!

-It might be a bit gory.

-Oh!

-Eurgh!

'Oh, dear. The injury looks and smells absolutely awful.

'I'm not embarrassed to admit it,

'it's all making me feel a little light-headed.'

You've gone a bit pale and clammy.

You know when you smell something

and you go, "OK, that reminds me of..."

But that, you can't. There's no example of what that smells like.

That is...

'I think I'll just wait outside while the boys sort this one out.'

Sit down, put your head between your knees!

I've never smelt anything quite like it.

Oh, my life.

'The inspection is complete, apparently.'

Well done.

OK? Good job.

I'll just finish that little bit off. There we are.

So that's all done, that's a nice, clean bandage.

All right?

-How are you doing?

-Fine.

'The gammy leg will be removed in the coming weeks'

'and a healthy three-legged fallow will be running free

'in a secure wood near here very soon.'

OK, so we're just going to put it back in now.

'And our lads have proven without doubt

'they can handle tough animal first aid assignments.

'And that I can't.'

-Am I glad that's over?

-Yes, you are.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]