Episode 7 Pet School

Welcome back. This is Pet School, and it's day seven.

Two unforgettable weeks...

Ooh!

..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!

'When term's out, will they persuade their parents

'to get them a pet of their own?'

Is he going to get a pet?

I'm Aaron Craze. Four days to go. Boo-ya!

'Previously on Pet School...'

Are you ready for this, guys?

'..the Pet Heads were given brand-new pet buddies...'

-You've got the chickens...

-Cool!

'Tej got the goats.'

I was literally gutted...

Sit! Good girl!

'Liam was sad to lose Molly.

'He wanted to prove to his parents he could handle a dog.'

Oh, my gosh!

'And Molly's new pet buddy, Micah, was scared to touch her.'

-DOG BARKS

-Calm down!

'Here at Pet School, we kick off the day with a morning assembly,

'and today, there's a big surprise in store.'

There's four days left. That's it.

That's all you've got to prove to your families you can do the job.

Right, guys, who wants to see what happens

when a cute little puppy grows up?

-Yeah?

-Me!

-Me!

Aww! A cute puppy belonging to our Reena...

and look what she's grown up to be!

Oh, wow! That is a...

This is my doggie, come to see you.

-Hello!

-This is Piper.

Her name's Piper, she's three and a half years old.

-Three and a half?

-She looks like a tiger! She is huge!

-What breed is she?

-She's a mastiff cross.

Right, guys, let's not forget,

it's the beginning of another beautiful day here at Pet School.

And we start the day with Pet Practice, yeah? Here's your groups.

Are you ready for this?

You are with Piper the dog.

-Yes!

-All right, Piper!

You're in the Exotics.

'That's home to our bearded dragon, Brett.'

-Yes!

-OK.

-All the horses at the stable today.

-Yes!

Off you go!

Mornings at Pet School are spent working on pet skills,

with the aim of turning our team into top pet owners.

Each group gets just 45 minutes to complete their tasks -

not long at all.

Oh, no!

Chris, Micah and Liam all want a dog as a pet.

Reena is on hand to see how they are with hers.

-Yes.

-Yay!

Today they need to...

Micah's off to fetch some poo bags, just in case.

With a big dogs, this is an additional tool to help you.

So this goes round her nose...

This looks too small!

I don't get this.

Liam, keen to impress Reena, takes the first turn with Piper.

-You still can't fit it.

-Yeah, go on, just a little...

-That's cos it's on her ears.

-Don't get her ear get caught in it!

It's a bit tricky, but Liam's done it.

I've got plenty of poo bags.

-Walkies!

-Oh, good girl. OK, let's go.

Chris, do you want to take the lead?

Chris has always longed for a dog of his own.

What's your first impressions of Piper, then, Chris?

Cos it was such a big dog, it couldn't move, like, fast.

We also controlled it by its head,

so it couldn't, like, charge,

and, like, pull us along, because it was a really strong dog.

It's time to let Piper off the lead,

but the lads will still have to keep her under control.

OK, just loosen it for her now, around the nose.

Is it off? Lovely.

Now, we've got to have really good control of the dog,

cos there's nothing holding onto her. Come on, Piper!

Piper.

Oh, my gosh! She actually does what...

Chris is getting on well,

but will Micah be able to overcome his fears with the help of Piper?

Rachel, Sophie and Tej arrive at the stables

to meet horse handler Barbara.

-Hello.

-Hi, guys.

-Hey, Barbara.

Right, let's find out what this Pet Practice is all about, then.

And if they complete the Pet Practice in 45 minutes,

they'll be able to ride the horses as a treat!

Wow, what a Pet Practice perk!

Barbara demonstrates on Dobby first.

Like that. So this...

I hope they're paying attention! It looks quite complicated.

Barbara's finished in five minutes.

Our lot have 40 minutes to get Muddy ready.

Should be plenty of time, even for beginners. Right?

OK, so I've shown you what to do.

Now it's up to you guys to go and do Muddy, OK?

-Whoa!

-Watch the back!

You sort out this side, and I will go round to the front...

-Me too.

-..and have a look.

Rachel, yeah, she's taking a lot in and she knows what she's doing,

better than me and Tej, I think.

Come here, Muddy.

Muddy, come here. Muddy!

Tej gives it a go, but he's struggling a bit.

Can I have your face, please?

We were doing really well,

because we got the saddle cloth on and the saddle,

and that's when it got hard...

That's it, good boy.

Try and grip the horse's head. Not too tight.

..because...we couldn't get the bridle on.

That's what took up most of our time.

-If I hold one hand on the bit...

-Yeah.

-..and then you can hold the other.

-Yeah, two fingers.

Getting the saddle on, getting the reins on and all,

that was a bit... That was well hard.

Have we done it? Yeah?

-Not quite!

-No, we haven't done it, guys.

Just a couple more straps to go, but time's running out.

-We've done it!

-What do you think, Barbara?

A ten-minute job has taken you almost an hour,

so there won't be any riding today.

Not a good result.

It was a bit of a disappointment, and we were all like,

"Oh, all that hard work, and we don't get a reward for it."

Despite completing their task,

they've taken so long to get the horses ready,

there's no time to ride them.

That's NEIGH good, is it?

Let's hope things go better for Sam, Giulia and Ysabel.

I wonder what's in store for them.

OK. Pet Practice.

They've got to feed Brett the bearded dragon live locusts.

So you'll be taking a back seat on this one, Sam,

like last time?

When I was told what we had to do with the locusts,

I was really petrified.

Well done, Rachel. Really well done.

Oh, they are horrible.

I wonder if Brett's hungry?

ALL GASP

Careful, guys! That's Brett's lunch!

Do you want to have a look?

Don't pick the big one, because that will freak me out.

Oh, my gosh, she's going for it.

I couldn't do this.

We all had different roles.

I didn't nowhere near put my hand in that bag,

because I hate locusts.

-Go down.

-Go, go, go, go! Shut the bag, quick!

Dunk it in the calcium!

The calcium dunky dip helps keep Brett's bones nice and strong.

-Brett, you've got your first live meal of the day.

-It won't hurt you.

Good... Eww!

Shut the cage.

Bearded dragons prefer to eat moving insects.

-Yuck, that's disgusting.

-I know, right?

I have lost my appetite.

Brett!

-You've got a locust in there.

-Oh, nice one! No, let's watch...

Let's see Brett get it.

THEY EXCLAIM

So Brett's got a full belly. Task complete.

And Sam avoided the insects again!

Outside, Reena's called me over to see how Micah will cope with Piper.

Wait!

Out of our Pet Heads, Micah's the most nervous around our pets.

-It's been a big problem since day one.

-Oh, Milly, you licked me!

She's already down, so that's fine. Ask her to wait there.

-Wait!

-She's got to watch you now. She's got to see where you go.

-Wait!

-At whatever distance you want...

-Hey, stop! Sit!

Micah's doing a great job getting Piper to obey him.

-Now call her. Say, "Come!"

-Come!

-Finish.

-Wait till she's there. "Finish," that's it.

Wait till she's...bums down.

-Good girl!

-Good girl!

-Yay!

-Well done!

Still keeping his distance a bit, though.

Great result, but Micah's still a bit cautious of animals.

Despite this, Micah, Chris and Liam

ARE becoming more confident around dogs.

Sam is still avoiding insects,

and this lot missed out on riding at the stables

because they couldn't complete their chores.

'Coming up, CBBC's Chris and Dodge get a VIP pass to Pet School...'

High-four!

'..Tej struggles to take Pickles and Primrose for a walk...

'..and I have a chinwag with Micah's mum about his pet problems.'

Reena's very concerned...

Yeah, just cradle him in your arms.

Every day, the Pet Heads spend time

getting to know our pets up close and personal.

This week, the chickens are buddied up with Rachel

and their enclosure is a right old mess,

so today she's roped in Sophie, Chris, and Micah

to help her clean it up.

-What is that?

-Poo.

-On the roof?!

-On the roof.

-They jumped on the roof and pooed.

-Eurgh!

I will be in charge of making sure that you get everything done.

-What?

-What?

-You're doing it as well.

-Why?

-Because it's your pet buddy.

Exactly. I have to do this every day this week.

As always, Sophie is straight down to work...

but the same can't be said for Rachel.

-You are the pet buddy.

-Agreed. I'll do most of the work.

-I don't clean.

-Well, then, you'll be a terrible pet owner.

Get out! Get away! No! There's a chicken in that corner!

For goodness sake!

I mean, it's her pet buddy and everything,

and then she's scared to clean it up.

And she's running around screaming, when it's her pet buddy.

She's got to clean it up for another three or four days.

Rachel can't chicken out.

She needs to stop winging it and get working.

On the other side of Pet School,

the stick insects are under the watchful eye of Sam.

The stick insects are really boring.

Really, what am I supposed to do with things that look like sticks?

I don't know who would want these as pets.

Sam's dream pet is a snake,

but because Dad hates them, Sam can't have one.

There's no snakes coming in this house.

I'm absolutely petrified of snakes.

Because Sam doesn't want to stick with the stick insects,

he's called in Liam to help him find another potential pet buddy.

How about a bearded dragon, Sam?

He's a bit like a snake, I suppose.

I mean, they've both got scales.

-Oh, my gosh!

-What?

Its face! Oh, my gosh, that's so funny.

Dude, let's have a staring contest. Three, two, one, action!

My money's on Brett.

Blink. Blink.

It's like he knows I've said that.

-I know, right?

-Oh, he blinked, I won!

So, Sam, is a bearded dragon a potential pet?

-I don't think I'd want it as a pet.

-He's not that fascinating.

Probably for the best, eh?

Sam can't bear to touch insects, so Brett wouldn't get fed.

Next stop, the furries room. How about mice?

-Oh, my gosh, that is so cute.

-Aww!

-It's got red eyes.

-Wow.

Mice are a maybe, then.

How about Giulia's favourites, the rats?

-That's huge!

-There's three of them.

-Their tails look like a rope.

-They're so big!

It smells in here. Anyway, let's go see the hamster.

That would actually be pretty cool.

A little bit messy.

I wouldn't mind the hamster. But there's, like, loads of other...

But we'll think about it.

Nothing like a decision.

And that was nothing like a decision.

Back at the chicken coop, Rachel has started to help.

The boys are getting rid of the old chicken feed.

Is this herbivore? What are they?

I think they're herbivores, because they don't eat meat.

That's it, put it in the right bin.

Lads, you forgot to shut the gate!

I smell trouble...

SCREAMS: Oh, no! The chickens escaped!

The chickens are definitely on the run.

SHE SCREAMS

Screaming at them is going to make them run away even more!

Come on, Chris. Show them how it's done, mate.

These chickens are just toying with them now!

After ten minutes of chicken chasing,

they're all back in the coop.

Even though it's day seven,

some of our Pet Heads are still struggling to grasp

the skills they need to be a good pet owner.

SHE SCREAMS Chicken poo!

Celebrities Ashley and Pudsey, Daniel Roach,

and Strictly Come Dancing's Artem

have all dropped in to Pet School to meet our team,

and today it's the turn of CBBC's Chris and Dodge.

Hi, man. Good to see you.

High-four!

Straight from the CBBC office,

Chris and Dodge are the perfect pet and Pet Head partnership.

Chris is a massive Dr Who fan, who's always up for a laugh.

Dodge loves spending time with Chris,

almost as much as he likes hanging out at the bins.

When it comes to a pet and his buddy,

no-one knows more than these two.

Welcome to Pet School, Chris and Dodge!

Do you know what? Micah really likes dogs. Come and have a little pet!

Oh, Micah, come and see me.

HE GROWLS

Micah, stay back! That's bang out of order.

-Watch yourself, Dodge!

-Well done, Micah. That was very brave.

I told you he's petrified of dogs.

If he ever gets out of hand, all you have to do is this. Dodge? Sit!

There we go.

I want to meet Kiki.

THEY LAUGH

Let's roll.

So, Chris and Dodge, this is the dog room,

and it's where Micah and Sophie spent most of their time

with their buddies, Molly and Kiki.

So, guys, do you want to tell them a bit about your pet buddies?

Well, Kiki's a really nice dog.

She's a terrier, and she just really likes eating a lot.

-What does she like to eat?

-Just treats. Normal dog treats, really.

-Carrots, carrots.

-Oh, and carrots.

Yeah, you know, I like to eat all the usual things too,

like burgers, pizzas, Chinese takeaway...

Not those treats. Dog treats.

Oh. Oh, I see.

Now, Dodge, I've got a question for you.

Micah's got a little bit of an issue with nerves around new dogs.

-Oh, really?

-Now, as you are, obviously, a dog...

-Yeah.

-See, he's a bit nervous already?

-Don't be shy!

-Have you got any advice for him?

-Yeah, you just need to play it cool.

You need to put your shades on and stroll down the street, saying,

"Yeah, I'm not scared of no dogs!"

-See? I told you.

-I've heard...

-Your dog told me that you don't like to pick up his poop.

-No, I love...

-I don't mind picking up poop. Kiks!

-Well, I heard differently, actually.

The dog told me that he does a little dog egg

-and you just go, "Oh, look at that," and walk somewhere else.

-Dog egg?

Well, I've left you a little task, and I've left a dog egg down there.

-Oh, come on!

-Come on, son, once I leave, just put it somewhere safe.

What would you prefer - picking up a dog egg,

or giving Dodge a cuddle?

-Dodge a cuddle.

-Give me some love.

'Micah and Dodge are bonding,

'but can Micah do the same with Molly later?'

Here at Pet School, we like to show our Pet Heads

some amazing animals that aren't for everyone,

because they're extreme pets.

Right, guys, it's extreme pet time.

It's an opportunity to find out about an animal that's really cool,

but not necessarily best for a beginner

in the world of pet-keeping.

Right, guys, this is Danny.

-Hi.

-Hi, you guys.

Danny, what extreme pet have you brought in for us today?

I've brought in for you today an African flat rock scorpion.

-Ooh!

-OK.

It's a dream come true for Sam.

I'd really like a scorpion or a snake,

but my mum's too scared to have one.

There is no way Sam can have a scorpion,

because I'm absolutely petrified of creepy-crawly animals.

Unlucky, Sam! You'll just have to enjoy this one.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Oh, my days!

-Scary.

He's called Mr Pinchy.

Are you feeling a bit scared?

-Is this the closest you've ever been to a scorpion?

-Yeah.

I've never actually seen a scorpion in real life before.

I've only just seen them on TV.

When people think about scorpions, they think about the sting.

How, you know, dangerous is the venom in Pinchy ?

Not that that bad at all.

But you do have some that are extremely aggressive,

and their venom is extremely toxic.

Micah's about to find something other than the sting to worry about.

You know the pincers? Can they hurt you?

The pincers are extremely powerful.

The larger varieties - believe me,

the pinch is far worse than the actual sting.

Micah's keeping his distance from this one.

What do scorpions eat?

They come from an order of animals that are insectivores.

So these guys would eat things like locusts and crickets.

Feeding them locusts?! Might not the best one for you, Sam.

You're fine, you're fine. She can't jump, you're OK.

What's a scorpion's closest relative?

-Spider.

-Really?

-They're the same family, they're arachnids.

-Wow!

-Interesting or what, guys? Did you enjoy that one?

-Yeah.

-What an afternoon. Danny, thanks for coming in.

-Thanks very much.

Cheers, thank you. And thank you, Pinchy!

As Scorpions are dangerous,

none of the team can touch it.

Lucky escape, Micah!

-Did you guys like it?

-Yeah.

I thought the scorpion was quite cool.

-It was a shame we couldn't hold it.

-I didn't want to hold it.

Neither did I. I don't want to get stung.

Over in the reptile's room,

Ysabel has brought Giulia and Sam to see her new pet buddy,

Elvis the corn snake.

Let's do it!

Because he's still not shed, she's not been able to touch him,

and Elvis' previous buddy Sam only held him once.

Feels good!

Well, listen up. I don't want to alarm you,

-but we've had a bit of an activity go on in here.

-OK.

What's happened... He's started to shed his skin.

Elvis hasn't eaten since he got here,

so the Pet Heads are going to find out if he's hungry.

-Let's go feed Elvis.

-Yeah.

-Uh-huh!

-Oh, there he is.

-Cool.

Hello, Elvis!

-What's that? Tongs?

-Tongs.

-Oh, wow, that's...

-Big scissors.

Yeah, I think you get it by the tail.

Sam knows Elvis the best, so he takes the lead.

Wobble it round. Wobble it round.

Because he is shedding, Elvis may not be hungry...

None of them are tasty, in my opinion.

..but offering him the mouse won't do him any harm.

We've got the mice all ready for the corn snake to eat.

The thing is, it won't take the mice,

even though if we pretend and trick the corn snake

into thinking it's alive, it still won't take it.

When they are shedding, it's best not to feed snakes.

It's really interesting, I've never seen that before.

Well, Elvis may not be hungry, but he is thirsty...

It's like the hamsters when they eat.

Yeah, and their little pouches.

..and lying in water also helps snakes to shed.

-Well, at least we've seen him drink.

-Yeah, I guess it's something.

-Yeah.

Bye, Elvis!

Have a nice shed!

Over in the goat enclosure, Pickles and Primrose

have the pleasure of Tej as their pet buddy for this week.

Hey, Pickles.

Hey, Primrose.

Oh, gosh, she's shy.

I think Pickles and Primrose are really sweet, but...

I think it's going to take a while to bond with them.

But they're really nice, so I enjoy playing with them.

And I kind of want to take them for a walk now.

It seems Pickles and Primrose might have other ideas.

Pickles! Primrose!

Stop running!

Do you guys think I'm playing?

Why am I asking you? You're goats...

Looks like Tej is struggling to bond with his new buddies.

Come on, I don't want to hurt you!

Last week, Tej was buddied with Kiki,

and they were the perfect pair.

I absolutely love Kiki more than any animal I've ever seen in my life.

But it just ain't happening with Pickles and Primrose.

How about the help of an experienced animal wrangler, Tej?

So here comes...Micah?

-Hey, Tej!

-Hey, Micah!

-'Sup?

-You all right?

-Yeah, I'm good.

These goats hate me, like, so much.

You have to stroke them until they're all calm,

then get a hold of their collar and then just....

Yeah, I know, but they, like, run away.

Interesting technique - state the obvious,

and then watch Tej do all the work. Nice!

-I don't know if I...

-Just stroke it for a bit!

I don't know if I can hold him by the collar or anything.

What you have to do, when you get them,

is just grab onto their collar.

Yep, steering well clear of the goats there, Micah.

I'm losing my head with these goats!

-Just grab the collar!

-Oh, my gosh!

-Just grab it!

-I can't, though. They keep...

I'm not very strong, you know?

You just have to put all your strength into it.

I think you need your own superhero, Tej!

And here comes...

Super Liam.

HE YELLS

Liam!

Don't worry, citizens, I'm here!

So what's your technique, Liam?

Just keep him. Keep him, mate. Quick, quick.

Done! Woo!

It's worked for Pickles. How about Primrose?

Hold this. Hold it, hold it, hold it.

Ooh, so close.

If we had digestive biscuits, it would be so much more easy.

-We're going to need some help.

-No.

-Shall we call someone else?

Here comes Giulia!

These goats, they're driving me crazy.

Getting Primrose and Pickles out.

Guys, I don't think it's going to work.

Good approach there, Giulia. Slowly and steadily.

That's not going to work, because we don't...

-She won't come.

-Tej! Tej!

Micah's watching from sidelines.

Slow down. Calm!

The goats do like to run around,

but you have to be careful not to scare them.

Time to give up now, guys.

It's a good idea to leave the goats on their own now.

I kind of really want a new pet buddy,

but I really don't want a stick insect or the bearded dragon.

Pretty much anything else, I... might probably be OK with.

It's just those goats!

They're so hard to work with. Good.

To take Pickles and Primrose for a walk,

Tej needs to get some top tips from their old buddy, Chris.

Approach them slowly, give them some food and then it's walkies time.

Good luck, Tej!

Micah's not getting on with his pet buddy, Molly.

He still hasn't touched her.

Come on, you're going to go for a walk. Stop. Sit.

Sit. Hey, Molly!

Good girl. Stop.

Yes! Come, Molly, let's go!

I just put the lead on Molly,

which is the first time I've done it.

I was nervous, but I got through it.

I know he's got the lead on, but he's got to get more hands-on.

-Come, Molly!

-HE SQUEAKS

Come, Molly.

After this morning's Pet Practice with Piper,

Micah's moving forward,

but he's still got a long way to go, so I've called in his mum.

Reena's very concerned. At the moment, you know, she's like,

"I don't even think he's ready for it."

How does that make you feel?

A bit disappointed.

I tried my best to be a bit more...

-confident around animals.

-Confident, that's the exact word.

So, Mum, how do you feel about Reena's feedback,

on maybe the nerve and the fear factor,

that he's not ready for an animal?

He's not been around a lot of animals.

We had two budgies a couple of years ago,

and we looked after a puppy for about two nights or so.

I can understand, but I think if you just get stuck in there a bit more,

take a bit more of a lead, you know, you can do it.

-Yeah.

-If you really want to do it, you can do it.

-If you really want your dog, you can do it.

-Yeah.

Bottom line is, you've got three days to prove you can do it.

-Can you do it?

-Yes.

Sit.

Up! Up!

Yay! Good girl!

After my chat with Mum,

Micah's determined to make it work with Molly.

Good girl!

Look, he's even stroked her for the first time! Result!

Molly is my ideal pet buddy, because I really want a dog.

I've really got to show my mum and dad

that I am responsible to take care of a dog.

This is really good experience.

What an achievement.

Micah's done so well to come so far.

He may be overcoming his fear of animals.

And will he and the rest of the team be able to prove to their parents

they've learnt enough to be responsible pet owners?

Let's face it, it looks like it's more likely for some than others.

Next time on Pet School...

there's celebrations for the team as Elvis sheds his skin...

everyone holds their breath

as the Pet School best pet carer is announced...

I'm nominating...

..and it's all change AGAIN with the pet buddies.

He has shown, the last couple of days, a bit of improvement...

If you've got a pet of your own,

are you looking after it properly and responsibly?

Check out the CBBC website

and click on "Pet School" for essential advice on pet care.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd