Episode 1 Pet School

This is Pet School, the best school in the world

and it truly is a dream for anyone that loves animals.

'Two unforgettable weeks...'

Oh!

'..nine pet-crazy kids...'

I'd like a dog.

I'd really like a scorpion or a snake.

I would like a rabbit.

'..and 51 hungry mouths to feed.'

'But can Pet School give our nine Pet Heads the skills

'to become responsible pet owners?'

Sit, Kiki, sit!

'And when term's out, will they persuade their parents

'to get them a pet of their own?'

Is he going to get a pet?

'Over the two week term at Pet School there'll be the cute...

Awww!

'the cuddly, and the creepy.'

Oh!

'We'll have amazing highs...

Get in!

'..and extreme lows.'

If you can overcome that fear, you might be able to get a hamster.

'There'll be tantrums...'

You can try cleaning up the poo and the feathers!

'..traumas...'

KIDS SCREAM

'..and things will occasionally get downright dirty.'

Oh, my gosh! Oh!

'Famous peeps will also be popping in to surprise our Pet Heads.'

'But will our nine kids make the grade?'

I don't think I'll last a week.

'And after two weeks at Pet School, change their parents' minds...'

I don't think they should have a pet, because to be honest,

I don't like them.

'..so they end up getting a pet of their own?'

I really want a dog.

Mum, is that possible?

Pet School's about the size of ten football fields - huge!

So here's a really cool map so we can all see where everything is.

It's home to 51 animals that all need to be fed, watered,

cleaned and cared for every single day.

Most of our Pet School residents are rescue animals

who've had a tough old life,

so they're here to help our nine kids become top pet people

and not make the same mistakes of their previous owners.

The school is ready and waiting.

All we've got to do now is meet the kids!

KIDS CHEER

Nice to see you, guys. My name's Aaron, and this is Pet School.

Well, get in there, then!

Parents, I will keep you informed on everything that's going on.

There will be a big decision to make very soon. All the best.

Bye!

It's straight into morning assembly

so our Pet Heads can get down to some hard graft.

Now, every day, in the morning, you will be assigned to a pet practice.

You'll get to work with different animals

and find out what their needs are and how to look after them.

You're going to be split into three groups.

Group one, Christopher, Rachel, Giulia, stockroom.

'This is where we keep all the grub for our 51 peckish pets

'and there are some surprises there, too!'

Oooh, oooh, oooh, shoobee-doo.

Now, group two, Sophie, Sam and Liam,

you're going to be with the goats.

'Ah, they're not so baaaaad.'

Group three, Ysabel, Tej and Micah,

you're going to be going into the ferret enclosure.

'Oi, wake up, guys.'

Well, I hope you're all ready for some hard work,

and you're going to get stuck in.

KIDS: Yeah!

Off you go!

'Over the two week term, the Pet Practices will sort out

'our top of the class from the must-try-harders.'

'And because there's so much work to do at Pet School,

'each team only has 45 minutes to complete their chores.'

'Sophie, Liam and Sam head off to the goat enclosure for

'their first ever morning Pet Practice with Primrose and Pickles.'

'Our goats once had loving owners, but sadly, things changed,

'and they were sent to an animal rescue centre.'

They came to us because their owner had ill health,

so needed them to be re-homed.

They enjoy climbing up on tables,

and they love coming out for walks on the lake.

Goats can make good pets for people.

They just need to understand their behaviours.

These guys like to head-butt and have a bit of a rough-and-tumble,

and if you give them the time to do that, they make rewarding pets.

Right. We've got some goats to clear out.

The goats need to be fed and watered

and their private goat pad needs cleaning out.

Oh, and all their poo needs picking up, too.

Lovely(!)

Excuse me, Mr Goatee.

OK, let's see the shed. It smells horrible!

OK, we need to get all this hay out.

Yeah. It says, "Put new hay in".

Sophie gets straight down to mucking in.

She's desperate for a pet to join her family.

Sophie lives at home with her mum.

I like karate, horse riding and eating pizza.

But there's one other thing you should know about Sophie.

I'm mad about animals!

But sadly, she hasn't got any.

It would be nice for Sophie to have a pet.

She hasn't got a brother or sister,

so it would be nice company for her.

I'd like a dog because they're really cute and cuddly.

Dogs can be very expensive.

You'd have to think of the funding, really.

I might have a hamster or a rabbit instead,

but you can't really walk a hamster.

You could try.

Sit, Mr Tibbles!

I think the Pet School will be really good for Sophie,

because she'll get to see how to look after a pet,

and probably see how much it costs.

'Back at the goats, Liam's not mucking in like Sophie.'

-We need to get all this hay out.

-Yeah.

Oh, my gosh!

What?

Look, look in there! Oh!

Oh, my gosh!

Can you pick that up?

OK, I'll get the shovel.

You can carry on!

OK.

I really can't look at that poo.

Well, we've got to clean it out soon.

I'm just going to go... Oh, my gosh, it's gone in my foot!

15 minutes in and Liam's gone nowhere near the poo.

Oh, my gosh!

Ysabel, Micah and Tej are heading over to the ferret enclosure

to start their 45-minute Pet Practice.

They've got to put harnesses on the ferrets,

and then get this, they've got to take them for a walk?

Unbelievable!

Awww!

Look at the baby ferret sleeping!

-How do we wake them up?

-Erm...

How are we going to do this?

-Ferrets, wake up!

-Oh!

Einstein and Kitts had a great start to life,

but then sadly it all went wrong

and they ended up at a rescue centre.

They actually came in, unfortunately,

because their owner was evicted from his house,

and arrived at the centre one day with Einstein and Kitts.

They've always been really well socialised, and they love

coming out and being handled and going out for walks as well.

They need loads of space.

They love having tunnels and hammocks, and they need lots to do.

I really hope Einstein and Kitts had a brilliant time at Pet School.

I think they're going to really keep the children busy,

and they're going to be able to have lots of fun and adventures.

'Now the ferrets are waking up, time for walkies.'

I'll turn him round.

The ferret's just literally laying there, like this.

Like, "What are you lot doing?"

Give me the harness and put it on him. He's calm and he's nice.

Ysabel, you're going to have to put it on him.

OK.

'Einstein's not having any of it.'

-Oh, come on.

-That's why I said hold him.

Why do you keep running?!

That's beautiful, Tej, beautiful.

I'm getting good with ferrets. He's nice.

-Put it on!

-Yes!

Oh!

'15 minutes in, and this pet practice isn't going to plan.'

Oh, no!

Look at all of this!

'Welcome to the stock room, the hub of our Pet School site

'where all our pet food and supplies are stored.'

Guinea pig food mix.

Rabbit treats.

It's not that bad.

'They've got to organise and measure out all our pet residents' meals

'for the entire week.'

'Part of successfully keeping a pet is all about the planning.'

'There are a lot of hungry mouths to feed,

'so this lot need to get a wiggle on.'

Guinea pig food.

Got apples, we know we've got carrots.

Gerbil food.

Birds.

Birdseed.

Oh, I saw this over here somewhere.

"Snake, two mice once a week."

Two mice? That's frozen mice.

Oh! I'm really scared!

No, I don't want to see!

KIDS SCREAM

(MUFFLED SPEECH)

'Not something I'd want to eat,

'but I know someone who would gobble them up.'

OK. There are the mice. What's next?

"Bearded Dragons. 12 live locusts."

Oh, what? No!

You check.

Maybe the locusts are actually dead. Maybe there's a mistake.

KIDS SCREAM

'Back in the goat enclosure, time is ticking away,

'and Primrose and Pickles still haven't been fed.'

Got the food.

'Sophie's been left doing some serious poo clearing...'

Pickles!

'..whilst Liam's doing some serious poo avoiding.'

'In the store room there's ten minutes to go

'to prep this week's food.'

Dog food. Where's the dog food?

It looks like some big, slimy... Oh, my gosh!

That's just not right.

No, it needs to be... yeah. No, it's...

'Interesting way to mash a banana, Chris.'

OK, I need a spoon. That's what I need.

What's going on?

'There's one job they seem to be avoiding, though.'

'The Bearded dragon's lunch.'

What's that, there? What is it?

-Live locusts!

-Don't open it!

It's alive, don't open it!

Guys, this is part of the task. Every animal needs to be fed.

Now, let's have a look. It's not as bad as it looks like.

There you are, look.

They're really alive!

They won't hurt you.

Whoa!

There he is, look.

'Time's up, task completed, with one lost locust.'

Tell you what, for your first time, you've done very well.

There's only four animals and my bacon sandwich left at the bottom.

So I reckon you should all turn to your right and pat on the back.

'Knowing what and how much to feed animals is a pet priority.'

'Top job, team!'

'Over with the goats Liam's back in the game.'

'Seconds to go, and the goat pad's looking clean.

'Another really important part of pet care.

'It seems like Sophie's done most of the hard graft, though.

'At least Liam's managed to avoid the poo.'

I think that's it.

Hooray!

'Team Ferret, however, is still struggling.'

'They just can't seem to get the harness on Einstein.

'Meet Reena, Pet School's pet expert.

'Or Pets-pert, as I like to call her.'

All right, guys. What's going on in here?

OK, that's basically what we're looking at, right?

The head, belly, lead on top.

If you work as a team, you'll be able to do it.

Come on! I'm not going to fail this task!

Neither am I. Got one bit on. One second, sorry.

Yes!

Well done with the first one.

'Result!

'Just one more to do, but time's almost up.'

Oh!

Let's just take one for a walk and hope for the best.

Good idea, Tej, given it's taken you so long to put on one harness,

which usually takes a few minutes.

Oh, that's how you do it.

'So that's task failed, unfortunately.'

I never knew walking a ferret would be so hard.

Only Einstein's getting a walk.

But better one than none, hey.

KIDS SCREAM

'A thorough hand wash for our Pet Head team,

'and Pet Practice is complete.'

'Our Pet Heads' skills, strengths and weaknesses

'are starting to show.

'Which of our Pet Heads have shown flare for pet care

'and which need to buck up their ideas?

'And who's looking likely to get a pet of their own?'

I think that's it.

'Pet School is about getting up close and personal

'with our animals, and our Pet Heads need to start forming

'a closer bond with the pets on a more one-to-one basis.'

We're going to issue you guys with your own pet buddy

that you're going to look after for the rest of the week.

At the end of this whole experience in Pet School,

your families have got a very big decision to make, and that's whether

or not you guys are responsible enough to have your own pet.

Now, and to tell you what pet you're going to get.

-Tej.

-Yeah?

It's a dog.

Look at the face on it!

Yeah?

Ysabel, you're getting a hamster.

Cool.

Sophie, ferrets.

I think my mum will probably think

"Oh, my word! What is Sophie doing with ferrets?"

Sam, you're getting a corn snake.

-Yes!

-All right?

Giulia, do you like Ratatouille?

Oh, no!

You're getting rats!

Chris, goats.

Yes!

Boo-ya! OK.

Rachel, you're getting a Bearded Dragon.

I have never seen a Bearded Dragon before.

I actually got it slightly confused

with a Komodo dragon at first,

and accidentally assumed it would be really huge.

Micah, you're getting rabbits.

OK. Liam, you're getting a dog.

Yes! I got a dog called Molly. My challenge

is to make her do tricks.

SIREN

There we go. That noise means break. Scarper. Off you go!

'Coming up, some famous faces of human and animal variety

'pay Pet School a visit.

'And Ysabel struggles with her pet buddy.'

I don't think I'll last a week.

'It's break time, and a chance for our Pet Heads

'to bond with their buddies.

'Liam wants a dog, and he's been given Molly the Cocker Spaniel

'as his pet buddy.'

Come here.

'But he's got a huge hurdle to overcome first if he wants a pet.'

I really can't look at that poo.

Who'll be picking up the poo at home?

Go get it!

Here's Liam with his mum and two sisters.

Maybe's it them?

Liam likes running,

playing football,

and eating snails.

Mmmm!

Not garden snails, big ones cooked in garlic.

A busy house. No room for pets then, Liam?

I've got three cats. I've got Bella.

Jennifer, my oldest sister, got Blue, and then Melissa got Paddy.

Some of the cats like our parents more.

I do play with the cats and comb them, but I can't clean the poo,

because the sight of it and the smell makes me sick!

That's definitely my job.

I'm definitely the one cleaning after any pet that anyone

gets inside this house.

I know loads about cats, but I don't know too much about other animals.

Hopefully, when I'm at Pet School, I can learn a lot more.

I would really like to get another pet, like a dog,

but it would have to get along with my three cats.

Are you being a good girl?

Come on!

Molly!

TOY SQUEAKS

I feel overwhelmed, because I love this dog,

because it does most of the things you say.

Molly!

Go get it!

'Go fetch, Molly! Or don't, as the case may be.

'In the exotics room, Rachel's meeting our Bearded Dragon,

'an unusual pet that needs specialist care,

'so Reena's on hand to help.'

Now, this Bearded Dragon is a boy, but he doesn't have a name yet,

so maybe you and your friends can name him.

OK. What do you reckon?

It's very scaly.

'Marilyn, Rita and Shauna, this is Giulia, your pet buddy.'

I can't take it out!

It's just the red rat that kind of creeps me out, and the white one.

It creeps me out, it's got red eyes.

Giulia's not too keen on her new buddies, unlike Sam.

I've always wanted a snake, and now I've got one in my hands,

and it feels awesome.

'Over in the Furries room, Kit Kat is meeting her new buddy, Ysabel.'

"Our hamster is a girl called Kit Kat, and she is six months old."

Before being enrolled at Pet School, poor old Kit Kat was an unwanted pet

and was taken care of by an animal rescue centre.

Kit Kat came to us because her owner was pregnant,

and Kit Kat had actually been trying to break out of her cage.

The owner was finding it really quite difficult to maintain

a hamster that wanted to be escaping all the time, and obviously

with the responsibility of now being pregnant,

so she contacted us for her to come in and hopefully find a new owner.

Kit Kat is a really lovely hamster.

She's really sociable, she is often out and about

exploring her cage, so we've been able to handle her a lot.

She is nocturnal, so they don't tend to actually wake up normally

until about six o'clock in the evening,

so really, they'll need to make sure that, actually, she's awake

on her terms, and wants to come out and play when she's ready.

I think you'll really enjoy it at Pet School,

and hopefully the children will benefit from her.

Hello, Kit Kat.

Please.

Come here.

'Ysabel's bonding's off to a shaky start, she seems a bit wary.'

Wow, I can't put my hands round you.

One, I don't want to drop her.

Two, I don't want her to bite me,

and three, I don't want her to bite me!

'Hang on, scared of being bitten?

'We need to know more.

'Here's Ysabel with her mum, dad and brother Oscar.

'Ysabel likes watching movies,

'playing the flute,

'and zooming around on wheels!

I already have two pets.

One of them's a dog called Brandy,

and the other one's a hamster called Rocky.

'Two pets? Lucky you.

'But you're afraid of hamsters?'

I want to go to Pet School

because when I used to have my other hamster, I went into the cage

to try and hold it, and then it bit my finger, and it made it bleed.

Since then, I've been quite scared going up to pets that I don't know.

It wasn't anything major, it just bit her on the finger,

but she dropped the hamster, and ever since then, she's been

really uncomfortable and a bit nervous, which makes me nervous,

because I'm always frightened that she's going to drop her.

If I could have another pet, I would have a guinea pig.

If she gives me the confidence and shows me that she can look after

the pets she has, then possibly she can have another pet in the future.

When I'm at Pet School, I think I'm most looking forward to getting

my confidence up, and then coming back home and being able not to be

scared of going up to animals or holding my actual hamster.

'Right, come on, Ysabel. You can do this, mate.'

Stop moving!

You need to have some patience with the hamsters.

Please come out. She doesn't like me.

'You two have only just met. Come on, give it some time.

'Looks like Tej and Kiki will bond quickly.

'Tej is desperate for a dog, but has zero experience with them.'

I'm so happy that I've got a dog.

I absolutely love Kiki more than any animal

I've pretty much seen in my life.

'Ysabel, however is not so happy.

'How will she manage to feed and care for Kit Kat

'if she's nervous of being round her?'

Oh, I nearly got you there.

I don't think I'll last a week.

'Our Pet Heads have been working their socks off all morning

'but afternoons are always something to look forward to at Pet School,

'especially when famous people drop in.'

Now, I've got not just one,

but two celebrities coming to say hello today.

Who watches Britain's Got Talent?

It's only Ashley and Pudsey!

KIDS SCREAM

-Hello, how are you doing?

-I'm good, thank you.

Hello! Look at this, guys, what do you reckon?

'Ashley and Pudsey rose to fame

'after becoming the winners of Britain's Got Talent 2012.

'17-year-old Ashley is already one of UK's top canine trainers

'and Pudsey is one of the world's most famous performing pooches.

'They're the ultimate pet and Pet Head team.'

I can't believe it. I'm touching Pudsey. Can you believe this? Wow!

Who would like to see some tricks?

Can you show a trick?

Yes, we can.

I can't see, I can't see!

Now, take note, take note.

Back. Good. Back. Close.

Close, close.

Ready, come up to me.

Feet, Puds, feet. Feet. Good.

Feet. Walk.

Feet, walk.

Feet, walk.

Over. Over.

Good. Forwards. Forwards. Walk, walk.

Good!

Ready, Puds, go over.

Sit.

Left. Good boy.

Ready, both. Both.

Walk, walk, down. Good boy, well done.

That is unbelievable! Wow!

'We'll be seeing more of Ashley and Pudsey at Pet School

'as they meet our resident pets.

'We'll have a chat with a rat...'

This is my first time actually being around a rat.

'..and Tej's dreams come true as he gets top tips

'from the nation's premiere canine carer.'

Good!

Good boy. Good lad, well done!

'It's the end of the day.

'How's it going with Giulia's rat buddying?

'This morning, Giulia couldn't even get them out of the cage.'

I can't do it. I can't get it out.

'Whoa, wait a minute. Is that her holding a rat?

'Now that's what I call being a real Pet Buddy.'

At first, I thought rats were horrible.

I thought they were dirty, disgusting creatures

with a really long tail.

But when I got to hold Marlene...

'Er, Marilyn.'

-Marlin.

-'Marilyn.'

One of that. She was so nice. She's so friendly!

I love these rats. They're really nice.

'Our Beardy seems friendly too,

'and he and Rachel are best buddies already.

'Bearded dragons have become popular pets in the UK,

'but sadly, our Bearded Dragon has had a really tough life.'

This Bearded Dragon was dumped in a box

with four others outside a vet's.

They were in a terrible state when they came in, very dehydrated.

We gave them a bath as soon as they came in.

They are desert animals,

and they were gulping water out of the bowl,

which I've never seen before,

so they clearly hadn't had any water for a few weeks.

As you can see by this guy, he's very, very calm

and generally very placid, so they are good to handle.

'Poor little fella, he didn't even have a name, until now!'

I think I've got a name.

Brett, because he seems very... I don't know.

He seems like a Brett to me.

'Well, so far, the bonding with Brett the Beardy is going great.

'Keep it up, Rach.'

If someone had told me before I came to Pet School to bond with

a Bearded Dragon, I probably would have just laughed at them.

It would have sounded really silly.

But actually, even though I've only known Brett for a little while,

I can kind of see how you could bond with him.

Because he's very tame, he's very sweet.

Well, I think Brett likes you, Rachel. Pet buddy success.

Ysabel's frightened of Kit Kat

because she was nipped by her own hamster at home.

Please come. I really want to hold you

and this is the first time I've actually wanted to hold a hamster.

Now, please... Thank you.

You're quite sweet, actually.

'Ysabel conquering her fear of hamsters

'is what Pet School is all about.'

Oh, please get off. Thank you.

I feel relieved about not holding her.

'Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

'Well done, Ysabel!'

While I was holding her, all I was thinking was just

"Please don't bite me, and please don't fall."

Now I think I actually could last a week.

Night-night, Kit Kat. See you tomorrow.

'So, it's success for Ysabel on day one, and for Giulia.

'Brett's got a new best friend and Tej has met the pet of his dreams.

'But will Liam ever overcome his poo problems

'to get the dog he's always wanted?'

That is the end of day one at Pet School.

The children have settled in very well,

but there's still loads and loads of tasks ahead of them.

They've got to keep up the pace, cos they've got to convince

their families they've got what it takes to be real pet people.

There's less than two weeks left to go until that final decision.

Sleepless nights!

'Next time on Pet School, an extreme pet drops in.'

Oh, my gosh!

'Ashley and Pudsey get to meet all the Pet School residents.'

She's not going to poo on me, is she?

'And is trouble brewing with the team?'

What is there to do?

Come round the back, look at this!

'Sam gets worrying news about his dream pet.'

We've had a bit of an activity go on in here.

Plus, every pet-tastic moment right here on day two of Pet School.

If you've got a pet at home, are you looking after it properly

and being a responsible Pet Head?

Check out our Pet School website for all the essential advice

you need on pet care.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd