Episode 7 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

This show features professionals working with dangerous animals.

Yeah, quite right. So do not,

-repeat do not try any of this at home.

-No. No. No.

Did you know that now there are 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.

We did it! We did it!

-Today...

-Zac and Finley are up against it at the wildlife hospital,

but can they get these dizzy ducklings under control and on the water?

This is quackers!

Alex and Josh don't hold back at the animal sanctuary,

but can they get Rosie the bulldog jumping to freedom?

That isn't a jump, Rosie.

That's not even a lady-like walk.

And I call the shots while Dom turns sheepdog.

It's tough and dirty work.

But someone's got to do it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I'll be with you in a minute.

Yes, of course, I'll tell them

I'm at Tiggywinkles in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

Of course, I'll tell them that it's reported to be

one of the world's largest animal hospitals. Why wouldn't I?

Look, Dom, I'm going to have to go, there's only four seconds left

before the video starts introducing today's teams.

Yes, OK. Bye.

The short, fat, little hairy chump.

What? Oh, yes, sorry, darling. Run VT.

Meet brothers Zac and Finley.

Finley would love to get his hands on a pet, but they're off limits.

I really like animals,

but then all my family except me are allergic to animals.

We had a pet dog for a week before wheezing and coughing and sneezing.

We got a cage and everything and then we had to give to our nan.

Finley is fighting a losing battle. A shame, because this family

have real animal pedigree going back generations.

My granddad was an RSPCA inspector and he wrote this book

and it's called The Animal Man.

Finley would love to follow in his granddad's footsteps

so this is his lucky day.

BOYS CLEAR THEIR THROATS

Would you keep the noise down, please? I'm trying to read.

Ah, Zac, Finley. How's it going, boys?

-Your granddad was an RSPCA inspector and you want to be one too?

-Yeah.

Zac, you don't get close to pets often, then?

No, I'm too allergic and I get all snotty and everything.

-Looking forward to getting close to British wildlife?

-Yeah.

-You've come

to the right place to do that, so let's go and explore Tiggywinkles.

This place proudly calls itself the world's busiest wildlife hospital.

They specialise in hedgehog medical care and it's on the hog ward

that vet nurse Claire is waiting for our helping hands.

Hi, Claire. Thanks for having us today.

-You're very welcome.

-These are your two able assistants, Finley and Zac.

-Do you think we can help them out?

-Yes. Let's start with hedgehogs.

Around 3,000 poorly hedgehogs are taken in

and patched up here each year.

And first up for fixing today is a real one-off hog called Spud.

-There we go.

-Woh.

If you think he looks different now,

check him out when he arrived here 12 months ago.

He had no spines at all

and he did just look like a potato, hence the name Spud.

After a year of constant care, Spud is getting his spikes back,

but he still suffers from an unsightly skin condition.

-Do you think he's handsome?

-No.

No? Not one of our more handsome hedgehogs?

He looks a bit flaky.

Quite flaky skin.

Spud needs daily hands-on care

and our boys are now his personal groomers.

Guys, what I need to do is get him all brushed off,

get the flaky skin off.

Not a job to attempt unless you have an expert with you.

He's liking that, don't you think? Look at that.

-It's like dandruff.

-It is like really, really bad dandruff.

Spud's loving it and with the dry skin removed,

the boys apply a bit of soothing moisturising cream.

I know celebrities that don't get treated this well.

He looks much better now.

He just looks pale and you can't really see the flakes.

-Does he look more comfortable?

-Yeah.

-You've done a good job with him.

-It's like a private spa for hedgehogs.

Private spa treatment? Oh, we'll give you spas, but how will our

new wildlife assistants deal with hedgehog swimming lessons later?

But first, Dom drops into an animal sanctuary with a couple

of determined helpers willing to do the hard work bit, thankfully.

So here we are at Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary

where they look after and re-home loads of different types of animals,

from dogs... WOOF-WOOF! >

..cats... < MIAOW!

..sheep... BAA-AA! >

..and ferrets. ASSORTED ANIMAL SOUNDS

Does anyone actually know what ferrets sound like?

No? Hmm.

Meet football fanatics Alex and Josh.

Alex isn't too fussed about felines.

Cats are a bit boring.

They either go to sleep or they run away.

But he does want a pet.

I said what do you want? He said, "A chicken?"

Josh doesn't mind his mum's dog. So a dog lover, right?

It's all right until she tries to jump on me and lick me.

He's not a pet person.

These two footie lovers aren't massive animal fans,

but I bet they are up for tackling this place.

Josh, Alex, welcome to Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary. Are you all right?

We're going to find you some animals

that are connected with your real passion in life,

-which is football.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So I think we need to find a cow, a cow called Wayne Moo-oo-ney.

-Do you like that?

-Yes.

-All right, let's go that way.

-Cool.

I'm disappointed in myself.

OK, we haven't got cows, but we do have cats.

This place takes in and re-homes as many moggies as it can.

There are 250 here at the moment.

Most have been abandoned

or their owners could just no longer look after them.

12-week-old kittens Ruby and Ridley were dumped here in a cardboard box

when they were only a few days old. The kittens here need socialising -

that's lots of human contact - if they're going to find a new home

and manager Neil Martin is head of handling.

Are there different types of species of cats?

There are lots, but most of the cats that you see

are what we call domestic short hair.

They're domestic cats and they've got short hair.

Do you want to hold them?

There you go.

That's Ruby for you.

There you go, and Ridley for you.

That's not very sociable.

Ruby's made a run for it.

A good catch, Neil, I see why you're head of handling.

The boys weren't big on little kittens before this,

but they're looking after the homeless moggies marvellously so far.

And Alex and Josh get backstage passes to the cool cat house later,

but will they brush up to the cats' expectations?

Zac and Finley are helping heal hedgehogs at a wildlife hospital

in Buckinghamshire. Next up is synchronized swimming, hog style.

Why are we teaching hedgehogs to swim?

We use it as a form of physiotherapy

to get their legs moving and improve their circulation.

First out of the changing rooms is Hoggy, who's got a broken pelvis.

Highly specialised treatment this. Don't try pet aqua exercise at home.

Hoggy's pool partner is Hopalong,

who lost a foot in a mystery accident.

-Can you see?

-Eeurgh!

So just slowly drop them down. There he goes.

The vet is hoping to operate on Hopalong's wounded leg very soon,

so this water workout is to test his other legs are working properly.

And they're off and they're enjoying it so much

they've had a little pooh.

Ee-ew!

Not something to try at your local pool!

Why did they decide to pooh

when they're in the bath and not in the cage?

-They just pooh whatever they're doing.

-The water's yellow.

Can you guys see their legs are going really well, they're very fast?

They're doing doggy paddle.

I think this is the strangest thing I've ever seen.

There is one job that nobody wants.

-Which one of you guys is going to clean the bath out afterwards?

-You!

Grand effort, chaps. Unusual, yes, but excellent work all the same.

We're not finished with animal swimming lessons yet,

not by a long shot. But how will the ducklings

handle with getting their feathers wet for the very first time?

-We talk like ducks and make them go where we want them to go.

-Quack!

We've lost one!

Josh and Alex are connecting with cats at the animal sanctuary.

With the kittens cuddled, it's time

to enter a special place purr-fectly designed for the OAP cats here.

Here we've got our older cats.

It's a bit like an old person's home for cats.

With them having problems, they're harder to re-home

so we try to make this area here more like a home for them.

In fact, it's the way a home would be if a cat designed it,

so this is designed like a cat's home.

This is a unique private home, normally only cats are allowed in,

but our boys have special permission to go behind the scenes.

So where do all these cats come from?

They come from lots and lots of different places

for lots and lots of different reasons.

We've got one here. This is Puddycat.

Isn't she lovely?

This is Puddycat.

She's 15 and a bit. She's not telling us how much of a bit it is.

It's unladylike to give her age. She's quite an old lady.

She lived with people who felt they didn't want to look after her

now that she's got problems,

a bit incontinent and things like that, so she came here.

Do you know if any of these cats are going to get re-homed?

Our older cats are far harder to re-home than the kittens you saw,

but we do aim to get homes for them.

And one of the things they enjoy most is being groomed.

Grooming is a great way to form a bond with your cat.

You have a go, very, very gently.

Most love being brushed, but you have to be careful and very gentle.

This is a different brush.

See if you can tell which one he prefers?

It looks like Josh has truly warmed to his cat called Chilli.

I think he likes this one best.

Yes, I think you might be right.

Alex is only a whisker away from becoming a cat lover too.

The lads must dig in later when mucky Mack the pony

requires our stable mates to clean up his house.

Will they handle the heavy load?

Less pooh, more new straw, happy pony.

Before that, I'm a shepherd, Dom's a dog and we get groovy with hooves.

Round them up. Round them up.

Round them up.

Round them up. Round them up.

Come back. Come back.

Come back.

Urgh!

So remind me why we're going this again.

Some sheep can get bacterial infections in their feet

so we've got to check their hooves regularly.

Oh, right. Just remind me again why you get to be the shepherd

and I have to be a dog.

Because I'm wearing the flat cap.

-Oh, yeah, of course.

-Come back!

Yes.

These domestic sheep need our help,

but first we need to get them under control.

Time to bring in sheep expert Helen Smith.

Oh, I see. That's how you do it. Just a big bucket of food.

Why are you still doing that?

HE YELLS

Shall we take one over to him to stop him doing that?

-Right, hoof inspection time.

-You have your knee in the left shoulder

and the other knee in behind her bum

and then you are going to pull her face around quite tightly.

-That doesn't hurt, does it?

-No.

Then you're going to spin really quickly round so she loses balance.

All right. Go.

Oh, hey. Look at that!

Once they're on their back, they don't struggle.

It looks simple enough. Dom's turn.

Right.

I've now got it under my control.

Knee in the bum.

Knee in the shoulder.

Head round.

Now, don't even think about trying this yourselves.

We have a highly skilled expert with us.

And it isn't Dom!

Helen, can we get another one on its back, please?

Then Dom can do the hooving, cos he can't do it.

Helen, what's he putting those on for?

Because he is going to have a little look in between Timmy's toes,

and there might be some unpleasant stuff in there.

If the groove in the hoof stinks, it could mean that Timmy has a dangerous infection.

Where do I put my finger? How old can it be, this matter in here?

Ah, it is greenish.

Time for a sniff.

Not as awful as I thought it was going to be, to be honest.

-If it is just poo, that's fine.

-All clear. Sort of.

We're going to pop a little anti-bacterial spray in there.

Is it true that sheep follow each other around and copy each other?

They are not the most intelligent animals, so they do copy each other.

BOTH: How about that then?

Zac and Finley are working behind the scenes at a world famous wildlife hospital.

Lovely weather, isn't it, boys? Nice weather for ducks.

What's the next animal we're going to meet?

We're going to move the ducklings

on to the big pool because they've grown up now.

These ducklings arrived here a month ago after being separated from Mum.

They don't even know how to swim yet.

We have got to be like sheepdogs and shepherd them.

We're not going to touch them. We're just going to talk like ducks.

-Is he being serious?

-Uh-huh.

-No problems.

-Can you talk duck talk?

-Quack.

Yes, they can, Les. Let's do duck herding.

Dick and I are going to walk them out. Come on, kids.

Move in a bit on them. Move in, on a bit forward. Come forward.

-'And it isn't as easy as shepherd Les predicted.'

-They've legged it.

This could take quite some time.

Keep going. Keep going.

He is a grown man talking to ducklings like they are his pets.

Come on you. Keep going. Keep going.

Keep going. Come on, keep going. Keep going.

Stage one, complete and that was the easy bit.

Quack. Quack. Quack.

That way! Go that way!

-Just keep them going.

-Onwards and upwards.

We've lost one. We've lost one.

It's all under control.

Yes, Les, we seem to have a bit of a problem here.

Got him!

Good catch. You have lost your friends. That way. Come on.

All seven ducklings reunited, now the difficult bit.

Will they sink or swim in their new pool?

There is a duck under the bench now.

This is quackers!

-Here!

-I

-do the jokes!

-We've got it under control now, boys.

-You're doing brilliantly.

Keep them together.

Come on.

-Yes.

-Get in!

This is the ducklings' first ever swim.

Look at that. These ducklings are swimming for the very first time.

Zac and Finley have coached them perfectly.

It looks like they have taken to it like ducks to water.

Top effort.

You can put duck herding down as one of your new-found skills, boys.

And rewards aplenty coming up for Zac and Finley when they are allowed

special access into the private wing of the birds of prey hospital.

Watch this.

Alex and Josh were more into football than fur balls,

but they are coming round to the idea that animals can be rewarding.

I bet you can't guess what kind of animal you'll be working with next.

-Dolphin.

-Don't get cheeky. No, it is a horse.

Look at this beautiful horse. Oh, no, it is Neil! Hello, Neil.

How are you doing, fellas?

Oh, dear. A little bit scared of me.

No wonder Mack isn't pleased to see me - I've just called him a horse

when he is in fact an Exmoor pony. I'll give him a mint.

-He's your friend now.

-There you go.

-He is anybody's for a chewy mint.

Mack came here to be looked after because he has sweet itch -

an allergy to flee bites that makes him itch.

-How on earth does that horse scratch himself?

-Turn round and have a look.

Whereabouts?

That's him scratching his neck. If he were in a field with wire -

which we don't use - he would scratch himself on barbed wire.

Ponies are basically shorter, fatter horses with more hair.

They poo up to 15 times a day

and the boys can smell a dirty job coming!

Well, Mack has gone.

But his poo is still there, but not for long,

you're going to get rid of it.

Nothing fazes these two, does it?

It stinks.

I'm doing my best to be supportive.

Put your back into it!

It is like a tennis ball size.

That's more like it.

Big shovel load.

Otherwise it means more journeys.

Once the poo is all cleaned, the boys make Mack's bed

with some nice, fresh straw.

This job needs doing every single day.

To be honest, you are doing a really good.

Less poo. More new strew, happy pony.

They are right into their stride now.

Mack can come back to his nice, clean home

all ready to muck up again.

Thank you, boys.

Alex and Josh are show-jumping later with a lady British bulldog.

-It is different.

-Come on, Rosie. Come on, Rosie.

First, Dom has a chip on his shoulder.

Actually, it's in his hand.

This chip doesn't go in here, it goes in you.

This tortoise needs a microchip.

Basically, if it gets lost or someone else finds it

then on the microchip

is its name, its phone number, its address, its favourite colour...

Yes, OK, OK, I get the idea.

It is like a barcode kind of thing.

-Jason.

-Right, boys. I'm going to need some help with this

because it is actually quite difficult.

The chip actually goes in the back leg.

-Painful?

-No, I don't think it is.

Hopefully it is quite quick as long as he is well held.

-Where is the chip?

-In this needle here.

In she goes.

I mean look how slow this is as well.

What is the point of micro-chipping them?

Alex and Josh have been helping pets with no homes to go to

at the animal sanctuary in Lancashire.

Next up is Rosie, a British bulldog

who arrived here three months ago with a nasty skin condition.

A bulldog is a very, very gentle dog.

She is fantastic. There is no aggression in her whatsoever.

She was found abandoned and tied up

and nobody knows why she was left here.

You nearly knocked me over!

Oh, right, OK.

She is big and slobbery all right, but she has a lovely nature.

A little overfriendly, but harmless.

She is a big ball of puppy fat fun.

A big day for Rosie this. There are new owners sniffing around

and could be heading for a new home,

if she can be taught to behave herself.

Oh no. Here we go again.

Alex and Josh have stepped in to complete her training exercises.

Surely they can't be making Rosie jump over that?

This is going to be breath-taking, viewer.

This isn't so much about Rosie needing to act like a horse,

it is about trying to show her who is boss.

Alex, you're going to run with her.

Josh, you will be at the other end waving treats at her.

You'll be saying, Come on, Rosie. Come on, Rosie.

Get really excited, so between you I bet you two can do this.

-Yes.

-Forget horses, get ready for the jumping bulldog.

Ready. Rosie.

-Rosie. Rosie.

-Run. Run.

Come on, Rosie. Rosie.

Right, easy does it, old girl.

That isn't a jump, Rosie. That's not even a lady-like walk.

Come on, Rosie.

These boys don't give up that easily, Rosie.

Come on, Rosie. Rosie.

Rosie.

One more go.

What they've got to do, Dom, is team work. Josh is in charge.

-What are you, Josh?

-In charge.

-What are you?

-In charge.

-Alex and I are going to get her excited.

-Yeah.

-You let her go you're ready, when she is pulling. Are you ready?

-Because you're the boss. Can you be the boss?

-Yes.

-Confident?

-Yes.

-All right, let's do it.

-Come on, Rosie.

-Come on, Rosie.

Look at that.

Rosie, the flying dog.

Did you see that? Here it is again in slow motion!

Learning to jump over a pole doesn't mean a thing, does it?

What it does mean is that she has learnt that

-she is not actually in charge, and who is in charge?

-Us.

-Your jobs are done. Well done, boys. Have you enjoyed it?

-Yeah.

-What has been your best part of the day?

-Teaching Rosie how to jump.

You were very good at that and now Rosie has a new home.

-What about you, Alex?

-I liked holding all the kittens.

-Do you think you might like one as a pet?

-Yes.

-OK.

-Less football and more horses!

-No.

-It was worth a shot.

Zac and Finley are flying through their work

at the wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire.

So boys, you been having a good day?

-Yeah.

-I heard you like birds of prey.

-Yeah.

-Before we go today, we have one last special treat for you.

Wow!

This area of the hospital,

where birds of prey are nursed back to health, is closed to the public,

but the boys have been given special permission to enter.

-I will get the red kite out if the boys would like to see it.

-Yeah.

-Come on.

-Cool.

Crimson, the red kite, is five months old.

He arrived here after he was grounded by heavy rain

and couldn't hunt for food.

-He is still playing dead now.

-Yeah.

Wow.

Young red kites play dead when they feel in danger

or threatened by a possible predator.

She is playing dead.

-A dead bird.

-No need to try it on here, Crimson, we're here to help.

Put your tongue away.

He is now dried out, built his strength up and will be

ready to spread his wings and fly free from here in a month or so.

-Fingers crossed.

-Woah!

That is massive.

You see those talons, there is one at the back

and if they get hold of an animal they are really powerful.

Watch this.

I'll tell you how sharp they are. Are they sharp?

Yeah.

All right, all right, all right, I bet you would have jumped too!

-That is sharp.

-That is sharp, isn't it?

On to the next patient.

Tony the tawny owl is not overly pleased to see us.

Can you see his feet? Now he is wanting to attack.

Tony was brought here after being found caught up in a fence.

What an owl can do, which you can't do,

he can turn his head right round.

Oh, my god.

Yes, great technique, and that 270 degree turn allows owls

to spy prey or spot predators super quick.

If he can fly then we can get him back

to where he came from and release him. Let's give him a go.

Time to test him out.

This long corridor makes a perfect lift off and landing area.

Right, this is it boys. Test flight here we come. Three, two, one, fly.

Ah! Into the wall at the end.

A little out of practise, but a result and Tony is just fine.

-He flew.

-Yeah.

-It flew.

Oh, yeah.

That's something you'll never see again,

an owl being test flown down a corridor.

-Do you think he is ready to go back into the wild?

-I think he is.

Test flight, sorted.

Boys, we're back where you began.

You looked after hedgehogs, you herded up ducklings.

-How was your allergy?

-Good, because there are no furry animals.

-What about you, do you still want to be an RSPCA inspector?

-Yeah.

Good. Job done and dusted. Thank you.

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