Episode 19 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

This show has professionals

working with potentially dangerous animals.

So do not attempt to do anything you are about to see yourselves. Yes?

Did you know that right now there are people all around the UK

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

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

to get stuck in at the busiest vets,

wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres.

-Rats!

-It's tough and dirty work but somebody's got to do it.

On today's show, Jasmine and Steph work with some woolly jumpers.

There you go. Wha-hey!

Ha, ha, ha.

Malachi and Matthew are helping rescued animals of an exotic nature.

And Dom needs a leg up from Buster the Boxer.

Quick!

Aren't you meant to be...?

Yes, I know.

Not here, in fact, miles away from here helping some animals.

It's too late. I'll never make it. We'll have to cancel the show.

Don't be daft. I'll use the power of modern day

special effects to transport you there.

Duck down, then.

Right, you're good to go. See you in a bit.

Today on Dick 'N' Dom indeed Go Wild, I'm at Wood Green,

the animal charity.

With these two - wannabe vets, Jasmine and Steph.

Jasmine wants to get her hands on a playful puppy.

But it's strictly hands off poorly porkers.

I don't like big, massive pigs. They're smelly and messy.

Pigs are messy oink, oink, oink.

Steph's not keen on stingy scorpions or hissing snakes.

This girl is also desperate for her own pet pooch.

Al my mates have a dog. I just want one really bad.

Yes. Both are fans of all things furry.

Rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils.

-Hamsters. Gerbils?

-No, they're horrible.

Glad you're not too "tyred" girls,

because you're being posted to a massively busy animal shelter.

So Jaz and Steph. How are you?

Lovely to have you. Super to have you on the show.

-Are you excited?

-Yes.

-Of course you are,

because you two would like to be rocking vets one day.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

OK. We've got lots to do today, plenty of stuff.

We've got some very lovely outfits for you to change into.

There you go. Enjoy that.

See you later. Go and get ready.

This is one of the largest animal rehoming centres in Europe.

So it's a smashing opportunity for our pair to show vet, Charlotte,

their assisting skills.

First up for their attention is this adorable hound.

This is Phoebe and she came to us when she was a puppy.

She'd been bought as a present for somebody,

but unfortunately that somebody didn't want her.

Sadly, Phoebe's story is a common one.

All too often people buy pets without realising how much effort

it takes to look after them properly.

But there's potential good news here,

because Phoebe could be in line for a new home if, that is,

the young bichon frise can pass our team's health check.

So start off just by looking at her eyes.

They look nice and bright. That's good. That's fantastic.

Also, have a look at her nose. Does it look nice and moist to you?

-Wet or dry?

-Wet.

That's a good thing. It should be slightly moist.

Phoebe's conk is a finely-tuned instrument.

A dog's sense of smell is up to 100,000 times better than ours.

Have a little look in her ears. What can you see?

-Hair. Lots of hair.

-Yes, lots of hair.

At some point, it'd be a good idea for her to have some of that hair

plucked out very gently just to keep them nice and clean.

Now, we're going to have a little listen to her heart.

So would you like to pop those on your ears?

Can you hear the lub dub of the heart beating away?

I hear it.

Well done, you're proper vets now.

Lovely. That all sounds good.

Phoebe's passed the health check

and the chances of finding her a new home are pretty promising.

Things get even prettier later when Jasmine and Steph spruce up Phoebe.

-Hooray!

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

-That's it!

But first, Dick and his team deal with more unwanted pets

of a very different variety.

AmeyZoo is home to lots of exotic animals, many of them rescued.

But these aren't your average pets, no, they need total commitment

and lots of specialist equipment in order to survive.

Today I've brought along two critters

and they'll be the ones who will have to show the commitment.

Let's meet them.

Meet Matthew and Malachi.

Matthew loves walking his dog and is cool chilling with his cat.

But he really dislikes hissy snakes.

I held one at the safari park.

I squeezed it and it hissed. I think they're just disgusting.

Malachi doesn't rave about reptiles either.

And stinky beetles certainly don't do it for him.

Dung beetles, I wouldn't go near them.

They pick up dung and it will be like you touch it

and you could get lots of germs.

So how do you find British wildlife compared to other places, boys?

If you went to Africa, there's lots of different coloured animals,

you could get chameleons that change colour,

lions and zebras or giraffes.

OK. How about if we sent you to a place full of animals

from every corner of the world? Charming!

Malachi. Matthew. Welcome to Go Wild. This is AmeyZoo.

-Now, you've got some pets of your own.

-Yes.

-Yep.

-But today you want to see some more wild ones?

-Yes.

We'll find out shortly what we're going to meet, but first,

put these on and let's get going.

Believe it or not, all of these animals were once unwanted pets.

Each year thousands of exotic animals are discarded

when they become too hard to handle

and that's when people like dangerous animal expert, Mark,

need to step in and save them.

Today he's allowing our boys special behind-the-scenes access.

And they'll see for themselves the scale

of the unwanted exotic pet problem in the UK.

Do you want to look inside and tell me what you see?

-Tortoise.

-Tortoise, yes.

This big lad is Sultan, the giant African spurred tortoise,

that arrived here after outgrowing his previous home and owner.

I'm not surprised, he's as wide as a dustbin lid!

These tortoises can live for over 50 years.

They really don't make very good pets

as they could easily outlive their owners.

So today we are going to give them a little bit of a scrub

and then I'm going to put some special oil on their shells

and help to remove and get rid of parasites.

Flies can lay eggs on tortoises like Sultan.

The eggs hatch into nasty grubs that can eat away

at the tortoise's flesh and are potentially deadly.

I'm going to come over and get him into his little bath.

So our lads are going to give Sultan a scrub and polish

to prevent this from happening.

We're going to put a little bit of cleanser on him.

Scrubbing brushes. OK, come on. All this side as well.

Good. Ready for the underneath.

Give him a good scrub under there.

That's where it's the dirtiest, isn't it?

Inside of the legs and in the armpits and things like that.

Good grafting. Now let's give Sultan an oily polish

and this isn't about making him look lovely.

This oil will protect Sultan

from a potentially deadly fly or tick attack.

I'm going to put some into your hands

and then if you could do the bottom part of the shell for me.

Give it a good rub in so the oil's covered everything.

Put some on his legs as well, please.

That's it and the back legs.

What's in the oil that the parasites don't like?

If you smell it, you might be able to smell it.

It's actually clove.

It's a natural way of deterring parasites

from actually coming onto the tortoise.

It also gives him a nice shine at the same time.

Thanks to Matthew and Malachi, Sultan is sparkly clean

and, more importantly, parasite protected.

And later, the boys eye-up more rescued critters.

-Whoa!

-Whoa!

Steph and Jasmine are helping out homeless animals in Cambridgeshire.

Abandoned bichon frise, Phoebe, has undergone a thorough health check.

There's a chance of a loving home on the horizon,

so the team need to make her look her very best.

Sounds like, yep, bath time.

Good girl. We'll get her coat nice and wet.

Good girl, Phoebe. Give her a good massage, very gently.

Have a little blob of shampoo.

-Massage it in.

-Is this a special shampoo?

This is just a special conditioning shampoo.

It will make her coat nice and soft and it's good for her skin as well.

That's a great job.

It looks like she's had enough for now, girls.

I think it's time to get her out and give her a dry.

Look at that immaculate coat.

How often should dogs have baths?

Only if they get smelly and dirty,

because dogs' coats stay quite healthy without bathing.

But otherwise you can bath them about once a month

and they usually quite enjoy it.

Well done, Phoebe. You look gorgeous.

'Phoebe clearly loved that.

'And the spruced-up pooch

'can't resist working that floor and showing off her new hairdo.'

Yeah! That's it.

How often do you get a dog in here under Phoebe's circumstances?

We have dogs come into us every day, Dom, that are looking

for really good homes and the good news is we find homes

for most of them.

I suppose the message is, don't buy a dog

unless you know you can look after it.

Yes, yes, yes?

'Good luck with your rehoming, Phoebe.

'And later, there's a real pig of a problem for Jasmine and Steph.'

Come on!

I'm trying!

Back in Hertfordshire, Matthew and Malachi are helping rescued critters

with dangerous animal expert, Mark.

Mark works hard to rehome as many homeless and exotics as possible

and this place serves as a safe house for unwanted critters.

Next up is Tommy, the Florida soft-shell turtle.

When I originally got him he was kept in a fish tank

about that size and he wasn't far off the size he is now.

The situation was, he couldn't even turn round.

He had loads of shell rot problems.

Life is so much better for Tommy now.

This big tank might not be the wild waters

where a turtle like Tommy really belongs,

but at least he's got his own spacious tank to cruise around in.

Mark provides Tommy with a nutritious weekly diet

of fresh worms and prawns.

Today, the boys need to give him vitamin-packed pellets.

If you put about that much in.

Just drop it in the water.

Look at that snout.

Not mine. That one.

Tommy's long hooter is used as a snorkel

so it can stay safely submerged and take sneaky breathers

in the wild without encountering dangerous predators.

I've got another turtle we need to feed.

Come this way and we'll look at that.

That way, fellas, you'll be busy lads today.

Soft-shell sorted and now a very hard shelled turtle.

-What kind of turtle is this?

-This is an alligator snapping turtle.

This guy sits here and waits for his food to come to him.

In the wild, these cunning critters from North America

use their worm-shaped tongues to attract prey.

The unlucky prey mistakes the tongue for dinner

and swims right into those powerful jaws.

This is what would happen.

Mark demonstrates with the help of a dead rodent.

-Whoa.

-Whoa!

-That's cool.

-How big can he grow?

-This is just a youngster.

They can get to about that wide by about this big.

They live for many decades.

This guy here is about 15 years old and he's just a little baby.

And later it gets fiercer

when our boys face up to feeding a king-sized rescued snake.

-Would you guys like to help me feed the snake?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

But first we go wee, wee, wee all the way to a lamppost.

I've been thinking you always lie to me

about what's happening on this show, so I've designed and made

this new-fangled lie detector machine.

-That looks brilliant. How does it work?

-Whenever you tell a lie,

-it will buzz.

-Fire away. I'll crack this easily.

MACHINE BUZZES

-Oh.

-Do you like my hair?

Yes.

MACHINE BUZZES

Ha! Do you think I'm funny?

Yeah.

MACHINE BUZZES

-Ha! One final question...

-OK!

-Do you always give me the dirty jobs?

No, I mean yes, I mean no...

MACHINE BUZZES REPEATEDLY

Stop it!

So there we are, Mr Dominic Wood, my little fruit cake,

-that means today you'll be doing the dirty work.

-I'm excited.

MACHINE BUZZES

Shut up!

You're going to get this big dog and make it pee.

Catch its pee and then Jason is going to send it off to be sampled.

Dear old Buster has a bit of a problem with his bladder.

Vet Jason wants to see if the old lad is suffering

from an infection and needs a wee sample to confirm his suspicions.

Hang on a minute. How do I do this?

Basically, when he cocks his leg, catch it.

Sounds simple enough. Messy and horrible, yes. But simple.

Listen.

Dom is stepping up to the plate in this challenge.

It's a pity Buster isn't.

A lamppost, surely bursting Buster can't walk past a post

without wanting to wee?

I'll just entice him. Buster, like that.

So, Jason, is there anything Dom can do to bring it on?

Just got to keep walking him about. Patience is the name of the game.

OK. Come on, Buster.

Ooh! Quick! He's doing it.

He's spilt half of it.

Mum, it's the proudest thing I've ever done for you.

-Look what I did for you!

-Perfect.

Now Jason can test the sample, confirm Buster's illness

and treat him.

Look at that. All golden, warm and lovely. Well done, Buster.

Hopefully he'll be OK now.

-Well done, Captain Kiddler of Piddler Mountain.

-Thank you.

-Shall we go and get a hot wet brew and a cream horn?

-Why not?

Let's do this.

METAL DISH CLANGS

Ah. And maybe a pint of water for Buster.

Buster?

Back in Cambridgeshire, Steph and Jasmine

are really mucking in at the animal shelter.

But now it's time to muck out.

-Ah.

-Ooh.

-What are they?

-Pigs.

Pigs. What kind of pigs are they, Sonia?

-Disgusting!

-They are kunekune pigs.

Kunekune pigs. There could be a bit of an issue here.

I don't like big massive pigs.

Kunekune cross pigs, Horace, Boris and Maurice,

came here after their owner left them behind when he moved overseas.

-Are these the ones that need mucking out?

-Yes.

We'll muck these out and give them some lunch at the moment.

-Ugh.

-OK.

Girls, what do you think about that?

-Surely that's as cute as a kitten, isn't it? Look at it.

-Horrible.

Look at the majestic way it stands there

-wobbling its eight, nine, ten bellies.

-They look pregnant.

Yeah, they do, don't they?

Kunekunes live in New Zealand.

These hairy hogs may look grumpy, but apparently they have

a very friendly nature and love human company.

You smell that?

I've smelled worse.

-Worse, like what?

-My dad.

-Charming!

And with the pigs packed off to a holding pen,

our girls get scooping the pig stuff.

-Come on.

-Pooper scooper!

You missed a bit. You missed a bit more.

-Come on!

-I'm trying!

I'm doing my best to help. Honest.

Chocolate log! Come on, get it.

Ah, it's a beaut. Lovely. The pig pen is pristine.

It's nearly lunchtime for Horace, Boris and Maurice.

So the girls are filling up these strange-looking objects

with bits of sticks.

Actually they're tasty pig pellet snacks.

What do they actually do with the food?

Instead of giving it to them in a bowl, they finish it in seconds,

so this just keeps them moving around a bit longer.

How many times do they get fed a day?

Twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.

The food-filled balls are spread out around the pig pen.

That's first course sorted, then.

Second course are these lovely veggie kebabs.

Hang it nice and low so they can reach them.

-They look really hungry.

-They are, bless them, aren't they?

Finally, a nice side salad gently thrown all over the place.

-Now the food's ready, shall we let the pigs out?

-Yeah!

Right, you three, get in here and snuffle up your grub.

They might not look it but pigs are really brainy beasts.

They're loving this lunch-time challenge set by the girls.

Well done, you two, but did you enjoy it?

I don't really like these pigs either.

They're fat and their bellies touch the ground when the walk.

People are like, "They're ugly." No, they're not. They're cute.

Crackling. Sorry, I mean cracking.

And later, Steph and Jasmine

get into the zone as they prepare for a sheepish challenge.

Go away! Shoo!

Matthew and Malachi are working with rescued exotic animals

in Hertfordshire.

Mark has recently taken in this poor pet snake that was left behind

when its owner moved house.

Casper, the Californian king snake, is due a feed

and Mark is hoping our boys are up for helping.

Just one little problem here.

I don't like snakes. They're slimy and horrible.

I think they're disgusting.

OK, Matthew, Casper may look a little scary,

but he's no danger to a human.

What kind of animals does it eat?

In the wild, this type of snake eats a lot of other snakes.

It wouldn't be unusual for this type of chap

to eat something like a rattlesnake.

What does he feel like?

Well, everyone thinks they're wet and slimy.

He looks wet and slimyish. You have a feel.

What do you think? Is that wet and slimy and horrible?

-No, it's quite dry.

-Quite dry.

-Soft.

-And soft. You're right.

-Would you guys like to help me feed the snake?

-Yeah.

Feeding a snake? Did they both just say yes to that question?

Brave. Feeding a snake a dead, defrosted rodent? Very brave.

Just pop that on the floor.

The boys give Casper his meaty treat

and he gets to grips with it straightaway.

King snakes aren't venomous. They are constrictors

and kill their prey, often other snakes,

by squeezing the life out of them and then swallowing them whole.

Our rescued king snake has just completed the swallowing whole bit.

Does it dislocate its jaw to eat the mouse?

The bottom part of the jaw doesn't connect, so that can open this way

and that bit can open up that way so they can get the food item in.

Then they use their muscles to pull it in and into the stomach.

Whoa! There's a big lump going down.

-You see it going down?

-Yeah.

These snakes only need to eat once a week

and take days to fully digest a meal.

Mark puts Casper back in his house so he can do just that in peace.

How do you rate snakes now, boys?

I like the snakes. I like handling them.

The way they move is interesting and I like the colours of their skin.

I would like to have a snake as a pet. I love them

cos they're really cool and I think they would change my experience.

From snake hater to snake lover in one feed.

Now how's about that for a turnaround?

And later, the boys put rescued bird of prey Barney

through his flighty paces.

Woohoo! And...yes!

But first, piranha pretenders...

DICK WHISTLES

Don't move! Your arm is surrounded by piranhas.

-Don't look them in the eye.

-What's wrong with you, pilchard features?

You're going to get eaten to death!

No, these are pacus. They're nicknamed "vegetarian piranhas".

They might look like their meat-eating mate, but they're not.

Ah, vegetarian. What do they eat? Lentil chowder?

No, bananas and grapes. In the wild, they also eat nut-like plants.

They have got very strong jaws.

All right. OK. If they're vegetarian... Fine, dangle away.

What about Toothy McGinty over there?

Hey?

HE YELPS

Back in Cambridgeshire, Steph and Jasmine are behind the scenes

at an animal rescue centre.

These sheep were rescued four months ago after being found

underweight and not in the best of health.

They've come on leaps and bounds but need regular checkups.

Today, Sonia needs our girls to help round them up

and check their hooves.

OK. We're going to get the sheep in. We're going to walk behind them

and make sure they stay in a nice herd.

If they get too close, put your hands in the air

-so they stand out of your space.

-Go away! Go away!

-Shoo!

Yes, just like that, girls(!)

Let's go.

Sheep flock together if they feel under threat

and this is why they can be herded as a group.

We'll shut those gates. If you grab the right, I'll grab the left.

Nice one, girls. Every sheep is safely rounded into the holding pen.

While the girls catch their breath, I've volunteered to get hold of one

so we can get the hoof trimming under way.

All right. Come on, you lot.

OK. Round one.

Here we are, I've got his one. Here we go. Got it! You little...

Useless!

Come on, which one? It's going to be you.

This is harder than it looks.

Dom, we got one.

Phew. Saved by the bell. Or Sonia at least.

I think I'll hand back animal-helping duties to the girls.

Come on, then. Jaz, round here.

Jasmine holds the foot steady while Holly helps trim the hoof.

Important work this.

Sheep can easily become lame if trimming isn't tackled regularly.

-This is just like cutting your fingernails?

-Yes, it doesn't hurt.

It's like cutting your toenails to stop them growing over.

We do this every four to eight weeks depending how bad their feet are.

One done. Round two.

Here we go.

Here we go.

-Come on, Dom!

-You can do it!

No, you...

If you were trying, you'd have caught one by now.

Yep, you guessed it. This is not fair.

-Sonia's on it. All right then...

-You OK?

-Clever clogs.

I've been asked to keep a firm hold

while Steph assists Holly with the trim.

-At least the sheep's not being any bother.

-No.

Hold on!

SHE LAUGHS

Stupid thing.

OK, let's go again.

Final round, round three.

Come on, Dom!

And at last, against all the odds...

..Wood wins a round.

Well done, Dom!

Jaz, what do you think of the hooves? All right?

Great job, girls. That's our last sheep hoof

smoothed and clipped. Good job.

-What was your favourite bit?

-The dogs, when we had to wash them.

-You liked it?

-Yeah.

-Nice, clean smelling dog,

-off to its new home. Well done. You?

-At the vet, looking after the dog

and checking out all its body parts.

The one job that we've got left for you budding wannabe vets

-is to release these sheep out onto this field. Shall we do it?

-Yeah!

After three... Three.

Wa-hey! Wa-hey!

HE LAUGHS

Matthew and Malachi have been working with dangerous critters

that were once pets in Hertfordshire and there's one more to help.

-What's it going to be?

-Owl?

-Correctamundo.

This is a barn owl with the clever name of Barney.

Wicked. Barney was found hanging upside down in a bush.

The poor fellow was tangled up with a leash attached to his foot.

-He might have been someone's pet?

-Yes. Or tried to keep him as a pet

and did it unsuccessfully. These are very specialised creatures

and they do require an awful lot of expertise.

The smaller the bird, the trickier they are

and the more skill you need.

Luckily, he's under the protective wing of expert Mark now.

Will Barney ever be set free into the wild?

No, cos he's been born and raised in captivity

so he wouldn't survive well in the wild.

He can stay here and I'll look after him for the rest of his days.

Barney gets his daily exercise in the open fields nearby.

But today, the boys are giving him an extra stretch right here.

The owl's got razor-sharp talons

so our boys put on special gloves and goggles.

Put the piece of meat on. They can see it.

Here he comes, Malachi. Woo-hoo!

And yes! Flight test complete. Enjoy your meaty treat, Barney.

-Has he eaten it already?

-It's gone, look.

Is the bird up for a return flight to Matthew?

I think he's got the meat. Right, Malachi... And let go.

-Yes, of course he is!

-Whoa!

Good lad. Well done.

Excellent. Matthew and Malachi have got Barney's wings

working hard today. Great work, chaps.

Finally, this is Solomon, the tawny eagle.

Have we accomplished your dream of seeing more British wildlife?

-Yeah.

-Yep.

-Matthew, what's been your best bit?

-Flying the owls.

-Cool. Malachi?

-Handling the killer snake.

-Nice one.

I would say it's mission accomplished,

don't you think, Solomon?

You know that lie detector thingymajig whatchamacallit?

-What about it?

-Can I have a go?

-You can't.

-Why?

-I've lost it.

BEEPS

All right.

Can I have it?

Aww, Richard McCourt, you are my bestest friend in the whole world.

BEEPS

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd