Episode 8 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

This show features highly skilled professionals

working with dangerous, and unpredictable animals.

Do not try this at home!

Did you know that right now there are people right 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 as the busiest vets, wildlife sanctuaries

-and rescue centres.

-You're free!

On today's show,

Rachel and Kal relocate orphaned owlets and tattoo a badger's belly.

But can they get these grounded gulls flying?

Oh! I thought it was going to hit me on the head!

Kaiser and Yusuf deal with what a dog has dumped.

And help Lolly leap her way through a mutt masterclass.

That's it. Stop in the middle. Good girl.

And Dom gets totally immersed in helping out alien creatures

that have grown too big for their boots.

Argh, got it. Got it.

It's tough and dirty work.

But someone's got to do it.

I'm in the South West at Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre.

It's not a secret and it's not the whole world.

But thankfully, they do a good line in rescuing animals.

And today they have two extra helpers.

Meet duo Kal and Rachel who are warming up for some wildlife work.

Kal loves her pets.

I've got two dogs called Harry and Buddy.

And two fish and they're called...

Mr and Mrs Fish. Love their names.

Rachel's less lucky. Animals are a no-no in her house.

I am jealous because I see my friends

with all their rabbits, dogs, cats and stuff like that.

I go to the zoo so I can see pets but don't have to clean them up.

No pets! What's that all about, Mum?

She is such a busy girl. She is always out at clubs.

And activities. So I think it would end up me doing it.

How will these well-groomed girls

get to grips with the grubbier side of animal care?

I am least looking forward to picking up poo if I have to.

I'm actually looking forward to it.

Right, I think it's time to show Rachel's mum what you can both do.

Ladies, Rachel, Kal, how's it going?

Welcome to Secret World Wildlife Centre.

-Rachel, you don't have much experience with animals?

-No.

My mum doesn't let me have any.

-She thinks they'll mess up the house and garden.

-Boo, mum!

-Kal, you quite like animals. Do you look after them?

-Yeah.

-So you are the back-up for Rachel today?

-Yeah.

You are going to help her out if she gets nervous.

Ladies, let's take our journey through Secret World.

This place is a rescue centre, hospital and orphanage for wildlife

that's set up in a converted Somerset farmhouse.

Animals in real need of assistance are brought here by rescuers for

emergency help and are given time and space to recover

after injury or illness.

Privileged backstage access. We are in the Secret World parts.

-This is Zara. Hi, Zara.

-Morning.

-And this is Kal and Rachel.

What have you got them doing first?

Today we are going to be moving some patients

that we have had in for a while.

Little baby barn owls.

These three beautiful barn owlets arrived here five weeks ago

after their mum was hit by a car while she was out hunting.

Before the girls can help the babies move house,

they need to fix the chicks some breakfast.

This morning, bits of dead chicken are on the menu.

And as it is not something you'd want to see while you're eating,

we'll spare you the close ups.

Have a look at that.

Yes, a squeamish job, this.

But Rachel and Kal are well up for it.

In the wild, the owl parents would deliver

up to five small mammals per chick every day.

And then break them up into bite-sized chunks.

Today, this is the girls' job.

There's a pair of scissors.

There's a pair of scissors.

It already looks like Kal and Rachel might cut it as wildlife wardens.

Now Rachel isn't even a big bird fan.

So it's dedication of the highest order, this.

Oh, disgusting!

Breakfast might be sorted but there's still oodles

of owl action lined up later.

Will our girls get these hissing hooters into their new home?

But first, over to Leeds where Dom is in the dog house.

Today I'm here at the Dogs Trust in Leeds. I'm going to be taking

the ROUGH with the smooth.

Ha-ha, rough!

There are 17 trust centres around the country.

And they handle on average over 300 new homeless hounds every week.

So there is always loads of work stacking up here.

See what I did there?

Meet Kaiser and Yusuf, two best mates from Leeds.

Kaiser is the one doing cool things with cups.

And Yusuf enjoys the outdoor life.

He plays cricket, tennis and football.

But, obviously, not at the same time.

One thing they are less than keen on is big, smelly honking hounds.

I think dogs are dirty.

You walk near them and something invades your nose.

I don't get along with dogs.

I don't think they get along with me.

I think they are stupid because they run around randomly

and start barking for no apparent reason.

They bark. They are really noisy.

They stink and their poos are horrible.

These ball boys are not convinced dogs are man's best friend.

In their own words...

BOTH: We hate dogs and we hate dog poo!

Amanda is going to be looking after you for the day.

What is it about dogs then?

I don't like them.

Hate them.

Dog haters, this is going to be a little bit troublesome.

Do you think we can turn them around by the end of the day?

-I think so, we can try.

-You think so?

-You ready?

-Lead

-on.

Puppies, mongrels and mutts are all welcome here.

Till the right type of owner can be found.

And there's more than one dozen dedicated vets

who are committed to caring for canines.

So, there's no time to waste. Come on, scrub up.

Let's join vet John Wallop and our first patient of the day.

This our dog. Our patient.

This is Bailey.

Who is a little American cocker spaniel.

And he's a lovely little guy.

Cute Bailey came her because his owner could no longer look after him.

He needs an operation that will make sure

he doesn't become a dad to unwanted pups.

-Who's going to take his lead?

-Yusuf.

Come on, then.

Onwards an upwards.

We have him up on the table.

So what we're going to do, this is his pre-med.

Small amount in there.

And I am going to give this in his bottom.

Bailey's given a pre-med injection to make him feel sleepy.

Come on, then.

Let's go find somewhere to put you.

Around five minutes later, it seems to have done the trick nicely.

BAILEY SNORES

Pardon you, Bailey!

Now, vet John can nip in with an anaesthetic injection.

And Bailey is out for the count long before he reaches the surgery.

OK. Come on then, guys.

See you soon, mate.

And Kaiser and Yusuf join John at the operating table later

as Bailey undergoes his delicate medical procedure.

Will he be up and running before the day is out?

Kal and Rachel are at a rescue centre in Somerset.

These keen carers have prepped an owl breakfast

and are about to help them move to a more spacious home.

Here is our first little chap.

So if I pop him in there, will you close the box?

Oh, it is exciting stuff, this!

-But the young owls sound nervous.

-HISSING

Can you hear them hissing?

-Barn owls really don't give a

-hoot,

-you know.

They hiss like snakes when they feel threatened.

They're even called hissing owls in some parts of the world.

Excellent!

The young owls are now big enough for Rachel and Kal

to move them to a new, more roomy outside enclosure.

This is were we are going to let them go.

Grab some chicks.

Go on, you can do it.

And it's breakfast time.

The girls have to spread their chopped chicks around the aviary.

If you just pick up some pieces of chick and drape them

on some of the perches.

And put some in the box and some on the ground.

Searching for chicken bits will help the young owls learn

how to go hunting for food in the wild.

That's great, lovely. They'll find that.

Rachel might not be a bird of prey fan but she's having a real go

at helping the young owls settle into their new home.

-There we go.

-Come on, guys.

Don't just stand around. It's a perfect new pad this. Enjoy it.

Well done.

Awesome owlet action, girls.

I can say that I've actually chopped chicken up and fed owls.

And Rachel and Kal move onto medical matters later,

as they try to get to the bottom of a badger's mystery illness.

We're not sure what the problem is, but we think that

something's just not quite right when he was born

and he's just not growing properly.

Kaiser and Yusuf have joined John, the vet, at a dog rescue centre

in Leeds.

Bailey the cocker spaniel is about to undergo surgery

to stop him having unwanted pups.

In to there.

Now then, if we get him on to some gas fairly quickly.

The neutering operation is not a big job but as with any surgery,

there are risks.

So the boys join vet nurse Vicky who is monitoring Bailey's health.

-MONITOR BEEPS

-What's the beeping noise for?

The beeping noise is called a... it's a pulse oximeter

and you see the numbers on the top there,

that tells me how many times his heart is beating in a minute.

So I can keep an eye on that and if I'm worried about it,

I can change his anaesthetic to make sure he stays nice and sleepy.

Right, what we're going to do is make a couple of cuts in here.

We put that on there to stop any bleeding.

It's not actually that bad, because there's not much blood, is there?

-No.

-I thought there was going to be blood squirting out,

but there's nothing really.

Yeah, the operation is over in a snip

and Bailey is being stitched up in no time.

Finished. So when he wakes up, he'll be back in his kennel.

-So, lads, how was that?

-It was great.

-The operation was nothing like I'd expected.

-Really?

-Was it worse than you expected?

-No, it was better.

The boys get mixed up in a proper mess later, but will they be able

to scrub the stink out of this doggy kennel?

-Kaiser, what's it like? Yeah, is it good?

-No.

But first we enter the strange world of alien life forms.

-What's erm...what's that?

-I found an alien.

Found it in a pond a few miles away from here.

Oh. Let's have a look.

No, that is not an alien. This is a tortoise.

Nearly. It's a terrapin, and it is an alien.

Terrapins are bought from pet shops

because they don't normally live in Britain,

which means they're an alien breed here.

Now we, or Dom, have a job to do. These 24 rescued terrapins

have algae growing on their shells and we're here to clean up.

Hee-hee! You can't see anything!

No, neither can I.

DOM SHRIEKS

These are called red-eared sliders,

because they slide away at the first sign of trouble.

Oh, and because they have red stripes on their heads.

They can grow to the size of a big dinner plate,

and as a result they become unwanted pets and are often dumped in ponds,

which is a bit of a nightmare, because these fellas love

noshing tadpoles, fish and even ducklings,

which is why they find themselves at sanctuaries like this.

-Yes!

-Yeah!

-Got it!

Right, put it in the bucket and scrub it nice and clean.

Now, when it comes to helping clean terrapins,

I have particularly high standards,

especially when I'm not doing the scrubbing bit.

-Clean enough?

-Hmm...missed a bit.

Yep?

-Well, am I going to pass?

-Nope.

-Why?

Because I asked you to get 24 terrapins out and scrub them clean.

You found two and screamed like a parakeet throughout.

Well, I suppose the good solid message in this

is if you have one of these, don't release it into the wild,

because you'll have trouble finding it.

Funny you should say that, because there's a pet that was released

into the wild that's getting a bit unruly.

THUDDING

ROARING

I'm not cleaning that!

Kal and Rachel are in the middle of mending poorly wildlife

at a Somerset rescue centre.

The girls have already re-homed and fed orphaned barn owls,

but now there's another youngster in desperate need of help.

Six-month-old badger cub Bumble was brought here four months ago

after being found all alone and underweight.

The centre is now running out of options to help

this seriously ill badger.

We're not sure what the problem is, but we think that something's just

not quite right when he was born and he's just not growing properly.

Poor Bumble has lost most of the fur on its tummy

and its paws are in a really bad way.

So what do you think is the matter with his claws then?

They're just not growing properly and some of them are falling out,

some of them have actually become deformed

and badgers really, really need their claws because they dig holes

to live in, that's how they find their food.

So in the long run, it's not looking very hopeful that he would ever

be able to survive on his own.

This is the sad part of animal care -

working with animals that are so unwell that nothing can be done

to help them any more.

The only option left for the terminally ill badger

is to quickly and painlessly put Bumble to sleep.

You have to think if they're able to survive on their own

when we let them go and if they can't, you have to...

-OK?

-Yeah.

It's sad, but this really is for the best.

But the girls are going to get a chance to try and help another cub.

This is six-month-old Flora who lost her mum in a car accident.

She's doing well and Sarah's hopeful she'll make it back into the wild.

-Oh, it's cute. Oh!

-It's very cute.

She's been given a sedative, so she can have an identification tattooed.

Why are you going to tattoo her?

We're giving her a tattoo so that in the future, if anyone finds her

once we've released her, we can tell exactly who she is by the number,

which is 52 because she's the 52nd cub that we've had in this year.

All Flora's details are kept on record here.

The tattoo will identify Flora if she's eventually released

back into the wild and is unlucky enough to need human help again.

What a top treat!

The girls are helping out Britain's largest land-living carnivore.

I think she's really cute,

and I like badgers. I think they're gorgeous animals.

It's always good when you see them close up,

you can see how big their paws are and how long their nails are that

they can dig in the ground.

Badgers are very sociable animals.

They like living in groups called a clan,

so once Flora's woken up from the anaesthetic,

she's taken in to meet her new room-mate.

And it looks like they're friends already.

Yeah. They're having a good old sniff, aren't they?

Flora and her new pal can settle down and do what badgers do

so very well - curling up, snug and warm, safely snoozing the day away.

-They're falling asleep.

-Badgers will spend all day sleeping

-and then they're running round at night.

-So they're nocturnal then?

Very good. I'm very impressed.

Kal and Rachel get netting recovered birds later,

and we all get a privileged pass out to release them back into the wild.

Ooh! There you are. Told you, told you! Check it out! Yes!

Kaiser and Yusuf are up for helping out at a dog rescue centre.

The duo arrived here doubtful about dogs, but after helping with

Bailey's operation, they're coming around to canines.

And somebody else has come round.

Bailey is already on his feet after his surgery.

He's fine. He's all ready to go.

How does it feel to see him looking so happy again?

It feels nice, actually.

It feels great just knowing that you're helping an animal

get back to normal and feel better even.

Well said, boys, but Bailey's just one of 16,000 dogs

that arrive at the trust centres every year,

and lots of dogs means lots of poo, and our vet volunteers

have moved on to mastering mess. Amanda, over to you.

OK, guys, this is where you're going to clean this kennel now.

You're going to go in and get the poo up

and then we're going to clean inside. Who's going to do the poo?

-You.

-No, not me.

-Oh, come on, guys, it's the good job.

-I'll do it.

-Excellent.

-I hate you.

-Don't care.

-Are you ready?

Kaiser's up for getting down to it first.

That's it. That's all right. He'll scrub the rest. That's it.

Kaiser, what's it like? Yeah, is it good?

-No.

-It's a good stink, that's what it is!

But this lad just keeps working through the pongy pain.

That was horrible.

-Do you still think dogs smell?

-Yep.

-Right.

-Well done.

And with the poop scooped, it's time for a wash and brush up

-to get the kennel looking spic and span.

-Keep scrubbing.

That's it.

That's it, guys.

-Is it good fun?

-No.

-Oh!

We do this every day. Do you want to come and work for me?

-No way!

-Let me think about that.

-No.

DOM: 'A monster effort but they haven't finished yet.

'They've only moved into the long-term residents' enclosure.'

I'm noticing the smell of poo in here.

-Amanda.

-Hi.

-How are the boys getting on?

-Really well.

They've done a really good job. Don't think they were too happy

about the poo but apart from that they've done a great job.

-The kennel's looking clean.

-Are you finished? Oh, what a shame!

-I was just going to come and help you. BOTH:

-Yeah(!)

-Enjoyable experience?

-Um, better than I expected but not very enjoyable.

Oh, Really? So might want to do something you'd enjoy a bit more?

-BOTH:

-Yeah.

-I've got the perfect thing. Come this way.

And later, our kings of the kennels get the chance to train

a homeless hound.

It's opened a path that now I actually like dogs

and I might get one myself actually.

But first Dom pops himself into a prickly situation.

-1,057. 1,058. 1,059.

-What are you doing?

Ssh! Ssh! Ssh! Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me.

I'm trying to count the amount of prickles on Nigel's back.

One thousand and...? Yes, 1,060.

-Oh, right. I get it. Sorry.

-1,061. 1,062.

Did you know that a hedgehog's prickles, right,

they act as a suit of armour

so they can wrap up into a sharp, spiky ball for protection?

1,091. 1,092.

They also act like shock absorbers so if they ever fall from

a great height that acts as protection as well.

-Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

-I think you missed one.

Calm... Calm.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...

Rachel and Kal have dug in deep

at the wildlife rescue centre.

They've sorted all kinds of animals out.

Birds were Rachel's least fave form of creature,

but after helping owls she is a little wiser now.

Which is great because this flock of 50 herring gulls

need help. They arrived here as orphaned chicks but they're now

up for a return to the wild.

SEAGULLS MEW

Some people think gulls are common, cheeky scavengers but these

are precious sea birds and are protected here in Britain.

So the girls will be helping a species in real decline

if they can free the flock today.

So what we've got is an awful lot of herring gulls in an aviary

and we're going to catch some of the ones that are flying

cos they're ready to go. So one of you is going to have the net.

You're going to catch the bird in the net, I'll pick it up

and the other one's in charge of the box or the carrier - bring it over

and we'll pop them in and then we'll take them to the sea.

-Right, who's having the net?

-I will.

-Good girl. Well done. OK.

That's it! Over the top! Go on.

Get in there.

Nearly! You've got to be quicker than that.

They're off to a flyer!

-Yay! Well done!

-The back of the net, Kal!

One down, 53 to go.

Rachel is keen to have a crack now.

Go on, I'm right behind you. We can do it.

Right. Go on, you've got loads in there. Nearly. And again. Yay! Whoo!

Well done.

No messing around with these two.

Well done, Rach.

I can't believe I managed to do it.

Dudes!

Looks like you've done a splendid job.

-Rachel, how did you feel?

-All right.

-Good work. Are you proud of her?

-Yeah.

-Were they good?

-Yeah, they did brilliantly.

-What will we do with the birds now?

Take them to the sea just up the road

-and let them go up in the sky and let them go.

-Come on then.

'A day at the seaside, you can't beat it.'

Looking forward to the ice cream.

This isn't the seaside(!)

It's close.

Right, why are we here in the middle of nowhere?

It's quite remote and so the birds won't get disturbed by anyone

and there's plenty of space for them to fly

as opposed to sitting on a seafront.

-But there's no battered sausages here.

-Just round the corner.

OK, they'll find their way then.

Right, as good a place as any. OK.

-So just open the boxes and...

-Go on, bird.

'Time for the big release.

'Fly my feathered friends! Fly! Fly!

'Or just settle down on the ground. Your choice.'

Right, give her a little flick up.

-THEY CHUCKLE

-Ooh.

'These birds have lived in captivity since they were young chicks.

'It's a little bit confusing for them at first.'

I'm naming this one Dom.

Go!

Oh... I thought it was going to hit me on the head.

-LAUGHTER

-My turn. This one'll fly.

Whoo! There you are. I told you!

I told you! Check it out!

Yes! I name you Dick.

'At last, they're all up, up and away!

'Yeah!'

Really amazing.

'Time for us all to say goodbye to our giddy gulls.'

-Goodbye.

-Bye-bye, Rachel.

Bye-bye, Kal.

'Rachel and Kal have completely thrown themselves into wildlife work

'and it looks like birds are now

'a firm and flighty favourite with both of them.

'Mission accomplished.'

DOM: 'Kaiser and Yusuf

'are converted canine carers

'at a dog rescue centre.

'Our keen comrades have transformed a pound full of poo

'into a dazzling doggy dwelling.

'Now it's time to really appreciate their own handiwork.'

-It's really nice.

-I know.

-They're so cool, aren't they?

I really want this dog now.

DOM: 'Oh, woah, woah! Did Kaiser say what I think he just said?'

I really want this dog now.

-'He did, you know. Get in!'

-How'd you get so big?

-When I arrived here,

I wasn't sure about dogs but now

it's changed my mind. I need to see more dogs in action.

'Your wish is my command, Yusuf.

'You remember the kennel you so kindly cleaned out earlier?

'It belongs to an eight-year-old crossbreed called Lolly.

'She came to the Dogs Trust because her owner

'was struggling to cope with her large family and lots of dogs.

'Three months on, Lolly is still waiting for a new home.'

In we go. Hello, guys.

This is Lolly.

'A bit of behaviour training might make Lolly more lovable

'and that could bag her a new owner.

'Our lads are well up for doing their best to help her.'

When we train our dogs, we reward good behaviour. When she's good,

we give her lots of praise and lots of nice things.

If they do something a bit wrong, we just ignore it.

We don't shout at them or anything like that. lots of positives

and that way they learn a lot faster.

-Sit!

-Do you want me to show you?

-Yeah.

-Sit, Lols. Come on. Good girl! Just like that.

-Sit.

-If you want, you can hold your hand flat - just like that.

-Put it on your fingers.

-Sit. Sit. Sit.

-Sit.

-Just ask her once. That's it.

That's it.

'Natural born dog trainers, these two.

'Dog discipline done! Lolly, time for a well-earned run around!'

Lolly! Lolly!

'I'm not sure actually who's enjoying this the most.'

Lolly! 'For two dudes who detested dogs at the start of the day,

'this is a right turnaround.'

That's it. Good catch.

'Not only are they now enjoying canine company,

'they're really helping too. Well,

'teaching an old dog new tricks.'

That's it. Stop in the middle.

Good girl!

'Thanks to Kaiser and Yusuf, Lolly is well on the road

'to finding a new home.'

I'm really pleased actually

that I've come here. It's like a new beginning, isn't it?

Now I actually like dogs.

I might get one myself actually.

At first when I came here,

I thought, "This is going to be a terrible day,"

but it's turned out really great.

Yusuf,

Kaiser, how about this?

A couple of dog dissers have now turned into dog lovers.

What's been the best bit of the day?

Meeting Lolly and having a good time with her,

teaching her, training her.

And you, Yusuf? What's been your favourite part of the day?

My favourite part was lolly as well because

she's really playful and I like playful animals.

DOM: Good. Well, listen guys,

well done. I think we've done our job here today. You guys have been

absolutely fantastic. You've done a great job. Well done. Good stuff.

MOO!

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