Episode 8 Pet School

Day three of week two, here at Pet School already,

and it's getting tougher and tougher day by day.

'Two unforgettable weeks.'

CHICK CHIRPS

-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! Can you 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?

I'm Aaron Craze. You ain't going to want to miss a minute.

Previously on Pet School...

Sam came unstuck with the stick insects...

What am I supposed to do... with things that look like sticks?

There was chaos in the chicken coop...

and Micah really wants a Staffordshire Bull Terrier,

-but he's been struggling...

-Calm down!

I think it's the type of dog that he wants.

I think they're too big.

'For the last seven days,

'our Pet Heads have been put through their paces on our ultimate

'Pet Care Challenge.'

We're making it tougher and tougher, day-by-day.

Can they stand the pace? Who knows?

SHE SCREAMS

And today, it's our Pet Heads' turn

to make a big decision,

as they'll each be voting for Pet School's Best Pet Carer.

With just three days left, it's time to find out

who's put in the extra effort to take the title.

They've all worked a steams on daily pet practices...

-Sit.

-Can you actually pick it up?

Sometimes they rose to the challenge...

Yay!

-..and sometimes they struggled.

-Are you serious?

They had the ultimate responsibility when they were given their very own

Pet Buddies to look after.

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

I've always wanted a snake.

Now I have one in my hands and it feels awesome.

Some Pet Heads showed they can look after a pet,

no matter what the animal was.

-Even if, at first, they weren't too keen on it.

-She doesn't like me.

Phh!

Others didn't always rise to the challenge...

-They're quite boring.

-Oh, my gosh!

I am not picking that up!

Only one person can take the Best Pet Carer title,

and the final decision will be in the Pet Heads' hands,

as they'll be taking a secret vote later.

It's day eight of our Pet Heads' journey to prove to their parents

they can be responsible pet owners.

'And I've got an awesome surprise for them.'

This morning we'll kick off with Pet Practice.

But it will be multiple tasks.

Before that, we have a guest coming in.

A special guest.

I think it's time to call on...

Reena... and Leo, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

ALL: Yes!

Leo is a rescue dog who was taken off his previous owners

because they wouldn't get him treated for an injury.

'Leo's recovering well and has come to Pet School

'to help our kids learn about looking after dogs.'

-This is the dog of Micah's dreams.

-I knew that, yeah.

-Hello!

-They are very boisterous and need a lot of exercise.

People get Staffies as they think they look good on the end of a lead.

So, Micah, you're at the point now

where you're trying to deal with your nerves around animals.

He hasn't been around a lot of animals. He can do it.

If you really want to.

How will you deal with having a Staffordshire Bull Terrier?

I'll try and get it as a puppy, to train it.

Liam, you wanted a dog that was a bit more active.

Obviously, it has a lot of power, this dog.

'Liam's made real progress picking up Mollie's poo,

'but how will he be with Leo?'

Are you up for a challenge?

I'd love to do that.

I'd literally run all day if I could.

Starting to rain.

We've had a great time. Let's take the dog inside now.

Before we do, I need to tell you the Extreme Pet Practice teams!

Oh, my goodness!

I'll read it like this.

Going with Leo, we have...

You're inside.

The guys outside with the animals is...

You'll clean up the whole outside. You'll clean up the whole inside.

Today, keep your eye open,

cos at the end of the morning,

you'll have to pick your favourite Pet Carer. OK?

'I can't wait to find out who they choose as best pet carer.

'What a day!'

Mornings here are spent working on the pet skills our kids will

need to become perfect pet owners.

The teams are given just 45 minutes to complete their tasks.

Tough stuff.

It's Pet Practice eight, and Sophie, Rachel and Tej

are going to be taking care of the outdoor animals.

All of them.

Right, guys, we need to read the task.

"Today Pet School is stepping up a gear

"and giving you more responsibilities in your Pet Practice task!

Right...

All the animals outside.

Say we're on the same area, we can help each other.

We each take one different enclosure.

That's a really good idea.

Tej gets the chicks...

I want to put you all into there, so I can clear up this, OK?

No, don't peck me!

-Rachel picks the guinea pigs...

-That's already the food done.

Sophie takes on the rabbits...

Remember, we can't spend too long with these.

We have to do ALL the animals.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

Yep, loads to do in just 45 minutes.

Some more fresh hay back in here, OK? That's that done.

That's as much poo as I can clean up, literally.

-Me and Sophie are done.

-Already?

-Yeah.

We'll go to the cockatoos and budgies first.

-You do the chickens here.

-I have a fear of chickens.

Chickens aren't his favourite animal.

He's a bit slower than Rachel, for example.

We can't afford for you to have much longer.

-I'll be two-to-five minutes more.

-Fine!

So, you handle the cockatoos

and I'll get going on the budgies.

Hey.

There we go.

-Is Tej still doing the chicks and chickens?

-He's taking ages.

I did say to him! He told me two-to-five minutes.

-It looks like we have a leader here. That's good, isn't it?

-Who?

-What d'you mean, "Who?"

-Who's the leader?

Rachel, obviously.

Poo, in the yellow bin.

-Not really.

-Tej, you can't still

be on the chicks, surely?!

I'm on the... I'm done.

You need to sort out the chickens, Tej.

I'm not going near those chickens.

'Let's leave them to cool off

'while we see Giulia, Ysabel and Sam in the dog room.'

"Extreme Pet Practice fact sheet info."

'For their Pet Practice, they have to...'

'Another tough task!'

-That is five animals.

-Hello, Mollie!

How will we do that?

We need to clean their water out.

'I've spotted some dog wee on the cushion.

'This needs to be dealt with.'

They could put another fish in there!

'It wouldn't last long swimming in wee, though!

'I wonder who made that piddle puddle?

'Someone hasn't let him out for a walk. Big mistake, Pet Heads!'

They had to do a wee, didn't they?

'It's not their fault, Giulia.

'You need to soak up the wee with paper towels,

'then wash the cushion with non-smelly washing powder.

'Not the best of jobs, girls.

'Reena may have something to say about this!

'Sam's going to sort out Layla and Misty.'

What have you two been up to?

A complete mess.

I'm almost done.

Layla's making MORE work for Sam.

Giulia and Ysabel have already moved on to the small furries room.

I'll have to put this down cos I'll have to clean it.

-You need to get it down?

-Don't tilt it!

-I won't tilt it.

Wait! The rat, the rat, the rat!

Someone wants to explore.

Guys, I've got the disinfectant.

Rodents have sensitive noses,

so make sure the disinfectant isn't strong-smelling.

-OK.

-Wait, we have to put the lid on.

Wow! Top teamwork,

and ahead of schedule.

I think we should tidy up.

Yeah. You HAVE made a bit of a mess, Pet Heads.

Reena won't be happy.

In the woods, Liam, Micah and Chris are meeting Reena

and Leo, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

I bet you guys are excited to spend this time with Leo?

ALL: Yeah!

What's this Pet Practice all about?

Leo!

Liam's confident, he's straight in there.

-Sit!

-High-five?

Well done!

Micah? Not so much.

I wasn't really that scared. I may have looked it.

Why are you pulling your hand out the way? That's not fair.

Time for some exercise, then.

The amount of exercise a dog needs depends on its age and health.

It also varies on the individual dog.

Just because it's bigger,

doesn't mean it needs more walking than a smaller dog.

Back at the coop, how's Tej coping with the chickens... and Rachel?

They haven't got long left.

We've now almost completed two animals each...

and he's done one animal.

Rachel, where's the chicken food?

I said I'd help you.

I didn't say I'd be at your beck and call every time

you can't find something.

I'm not your slave,

to do your work for you when you can't be bothered.

Rachel, Rachel! Rachel!

Rachel's always saying, "Tej, you have to speed up.

"You're going so slow - look how fast we're going."

I've never had a pet before.

Good point, mate.

It's not just Rachel losing patience with Tej today, though.

Do you know how this works?

One, you have it the wrong way...

Ah!

What you do is, you fill it up,

upside down,

and then you fold it on top.

Tej?! Are me and Sophie the only people trying?

You're not trying at all!

Thanks for that(!) I'll take that on board.

Poor Tej. He's having a rough old time on this one.

Back in the small furries area,

Reena's come to inspect Giulia, Ysabel and Sam's work.

How did this even happen?

Did everything get cleaned? ALL: Yeah.

Did all the animals get cleaned

and fed? ALL: Yes!

So that part got done...

but you've just left an absolute disaster zone...

It's fair to say she's less then happy.

Sam can do the dog wee.

I will come back and check... in ten minutes.

In their attempts to get the Pet Practice done super-quick,

they have made a pig's ear of it all.

No offence to pigs!

With a bit of elbow grease, the team finally

complete their Pet Practice... properly, this time.

Back in the woods, Chris is doing OK with Leo the rescue dog,

but Staffordshire Bull Terriers are strong

and he could easily lose control.

Leo? If you get him, he might go through.

There you go, look! Spoke too soon!

The dog jumped the fence and he tripped over!

I smashed into the fence and I've dropped the leash.

-I got the leash again!

-Well done, Liam.

This is why we had to keep hold of that lead really tight,

because if he slipped it - you're lucky you caught him that time.

Every single time we gave the dog to somebody else,

the dog will go, "Right, I've got somebody else,

"he doesn't know my power - let's go run."

Holy-moly, this is a very powerful dog!

I've been looking everywhere for you lot! So, who reckons

they'll be able to handle Leo as a pet?

I just feel like the Staff has got too much power

-for me to handle.

-Really good point, isn't it, Aaron?

-It is.

That we get a dog that's appropriate for what we can give him.

-Liam? Honesty...

-I was handling the dog when I was walking it.

I was giving it the treats when it did something well.

I think the lads did OK, but they need to think hard about whether

this kind of dog is right for them. Chris didn't think so.

-He's got his sensible head on.

-At the moment,

I'm feeling very confident now that I'm sitting next to a Staff,

or like a dog, so close to me. I know that if I had a Staff,

I'd definitely get along with it now.

And i know I'm capable of handling it and stuff.

Pet practice complete, but I still think Micah and Liam

have a long way to go before they can handle a dog.

With 10 minutes to go, Rachel is determined to finish

the pet practice, and has moved on to the goat enclosure.

Go fetch it!

Whilst Tej is still with the chickens.

Whoa!

In your face, chickens!

Perfect. Two even portions of goat food. Goats! Food!

Primrose and Pickles are all good for grub.

Sorry, Einstein and Kitts - I'll get the food sorted out for you, lads.

At least we've done like five animals.

Really, Tej needed to roll his sleeves up

and actually just, you know, stop fiddling around in the background

-and do something.

-I tried my best. I admit I wasn't as fast as them.

I don't think I could have gone any faster or done any better.

I did my utmost best.

So, who's put in that extra bit of effort in the final pet practice

that could win them the title of Best Pet Carer?

'Coming up - the tension builds as the big announcement is made.'

And I'm quite happy to tell you that the person you voted for

is...

'Pet Heads find out if Elvis has finally shed his skin.

'Another top TV star pops in with their pet.'

-Oh, my gosh!

-'And Chris gets feisty about the ferret enclosure.'

Litter boxes everywhere!

Right, it's time for our Pet Heads to enter the Diary Room

and nominate who they think is the best pet carer.

I'm just a little bit excited.

I'm nominating, for Pet Carer of the Week...

is...

-Sam.

-Sophie.

-Liam.

-I nominate Chris.

She made an effort and she really persevered.

Erm, sorry a sec...

-Let me just think about it.

-And I think he wondered a lot with...

-with Leo the dog.

-Erm...

She's really calm and she's good with animals.

I will vote for Tej as Pet Carer.

-I'm nominating...

-Sorry, Sam, we've run out of time.

Who's it going to be? It's close, very close.

We have called this assembly for one reason, and one reason only.

You guys have been voting for who you think

is the best pet carer. Your votes are in, they've been counted

and verified, and I'm quite happy to tell you

that the person that you voted for...

is...

Sophie.

-APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

-All right!

Well done, mate. You get the power to choose

who gets what pet buddy.

Now, Sophie, with that power comes big responsibility.

You've got to think sensibly about this, who you're going to buddy up.

Two days left to go to prove to your parents

-that you can be true pet buddies, OK?

-Yep.

-Off you go.

I wonder who Sophie's going to choose to buddy up with Elvis?

Before Elvis joined Pet School, he was looked after

at a rescue centre after his previous owners moved house

and left him behind - you've got to consider your pets

when you're moving.

This corn snake came in.

The owners decided they didn't want it any more.

They were moving house and they couldn't take it with them.

Erm, so, er, he's in quite good health,

and he's been as good as gold. Corn snakes tend to be very, very calm,

so they're good to handle,

and they also come in a variety of different colours.

They're not venomous, and they kill their prey by constrictions,

so they just stop the prey from breathing.

They eat mice, so you have to have dead mice in your freezer.

And they're defrosted, and they're fed every week, so you have to be

comfortable with handling dead mice.

It would be really nice if one of the Pet School children

took a liking to this corn snake.

Sadly, Elvis the corn snake hasn't been able to bond with our Pet Heads

as much as we'd like.

He found his perfect buddy in Sam, but because at the time,

we thought he's started to shed his skin, he couldn't be touched,

and Sam had to change buddies.

But look, he's shed his skin!

Breaking news - the snake hath shed!

-Woah!

-Ooh, wow!

-What do you reckon?

-That's awesome.

-Yeah?

-He's changed!

-Finally you can see his face.

-He's actually alert.

-Yeah, finally!

-Shall we get his skin out to measure it?

-Yep.

-Mm-hmm.

Any guesses on length?

-Er, corn snakes are about 4-5ft...

-Yeah.

-Ugh!

-You have to be really careful with it, because it's fragile.

-You want to bring it out in one whole piece.

-I'll try...

-Ugh! I wonder what that is in its skin?

-What is that?

What do you think? I think you'll be able to work it out.

-Is it his old skin?

-No.

-It's something in the skin.

-Is it blood?

-No.

-No?

What do we deal with a lot here at Pet School?

-Poo!

-Poo. Yes, it's poo.

-He uses that to...

-Guys, it's started to smell.

-OK.

Lay it down so we can measure it. Straight as possible,

to get the most accurate measurement. What does it feel like?

Wet and soggy.

It is a bit soggy, isn't it?

So, what's its total length?

Erm, 184 centimetres.

184 centimetres - 1.84 metres

Hmm, that is long.

Now he's shed his skin, Elvis is a lot happier.

He is no longer a shy snake!

Yay!

Will Sam ask Sophie to make Elvis his buddy

and give us a happy ending?

Right, you lot, go and wash your hands.

Now she's been voted Best Pet Carer,

everyone's eager to speak to Sophie about the pet buddy they want.

When I found out that I'd been nominated as Best Pet Carer,

I was really, really happy.

But when I found out that I had to pick everybody's pet buddies,

I was really, really worried.

It was going to be really hard to pick

who was going to get a certain animal.

No prizes for guessing which pet Tej wants.

-You can see that I love, love, love him to bits, can't you?

-Yeah.

I really, really want Mollie.

If I could really care for a dog like Kiki or Mollie,

-I could show them that I really can care for a dog...

-Yeah.

..and if I can care for a dog, how hard can a rabbit be?

But Rachel, don't you already have a dog at home?

I can't put everybody with dogs, because lots of people want the dogs.

No wonder - dogs and cats are two of the most popular pets in Britain.

My first choice would be KitKat the hamster.

Ysabel made brilliant progress with KitKat, especially after her own

pet hamster chomped on her finger and made her scared of them.

I would like a hamster because I want to get more confident,

so I can actually...

properly, like, get used to them, and pick my hamster up at home,

and get proper confident.

One by one, the Pet Heads state their case.

There's only two days left for everyone to convince their parents.

I want something that I can look after. A rat, in particular,

because she doesn't think that I can look after my dog.

I really want a dog, like Mollie.

You weren't keen on her when you were buddies, mate...

At the start I wasn't thinking about it, and then all of a sudden,

something changed, and I saw the other side of Mollie,

-and how good she was...

-Yeah.

..and how I really wanted this pet.

I wouldn't mind either of the dogs.

It's like my turn to show my mum and my dad that I deserve a dog.

Smart thinking - whatever's going to help the parents make that decision.

I wouldn't want the corn snake, because that's just

shedding its skin - I just saw it.

Micah - Mum hasn't been convinced so far,

so this could be your last chance.

I really want Mollie as a pet buddy,

because she's really playful, and I really want to prove to my parents

that I'm able to look after a dog.

I'm still not entirely sure, but I've got a really good idea

of who I'm going to give the animals to.

Well, Sophie, as top pet carer, I'm sure you'll make the right choices.

Because they fell behind on pet practice, the team didn't get round

to cleaning the ferret enclosure.

Einstein and Kitts' pet buddy Chris has come to check it out.

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, dear. It was Rachel, Sophie and Tej's task to clean this up!

There's towels on the floor,

there's litter boxes...everywhere.

There's ferret food all over the floor!

This is...

Wow, this is bad!

Chris is well miffed about this.

-Who was in control of the ferrets today?

-We were.

For some reason, we didn't actually finish.

There's like ferret food everywhere, and then there's like litter,

and I didn't know what happened. It's my pet buddy,

but it was, like, your responsibility this morning.

We ran out of time, but we'll come and sort it out now.

If you look at what I mean...

-It's pretty messy in there.

-Yeah.

Ferrets...?

They're inside, they're sleeping.

You don't want to wake them,

otherwise it'll make our job, like, so much harder.

-Have you got the brush?

-Yep.

-Brilliant.

-And a rainbow?

-Yeah.

-Nice!

Oh, hello! Hi, little guy!

-That's a ferret...

-Rachel, Rachel, we're here to clean mess up.

Well, Tej, you'll need to muck in on this one, too!

I'll do it, it's fine.

The lads are just happy to watch!

-Sure you don't want any help, Rach?

-Sure - thank you.

Ferrets would be a really cool pet...

-to have the space to have a ferret enclosure.

-I wouldn't mind

-having a ferret as a pet.

-Thanks, guys, I could never have done this

-on my own.

-It's fine.

-No problem.

-It was our fault that they didn't get cleaned up, so...

-That's true.

Rachel did really well there, and now their digs are sorted,

Einstein and Kitts can settle down for a nice kip - again.

As our Pet Heads are learning,

owning an animal is a big responsibility.

When pet owners don't take this responsibility seriously,

bad things happen, both for humans and animals.

We call this "petty" crimes.

Earlier, we met Leo the Staffordshire bull terrier.

Leo is a friendly dog who really enjoyed bonding with Liam.

Sit, high five...!

Unfortunately, breeds like Staffies have got a bad reputation.

This is because some people keep these dogs, and other powerful

breeds, like mastiffs, just so they can take them out

and intimidate people - they're known as status dogs,

just as Rena explains.

They've got a bad rep, but dogs only behave

as they've been taught to behave.

It's important always to remember that the problem is with the owner

and not the dog - any dog could be taught to be fierce by a bad owner.

But if these powerful dogs are looked after properly,

like Rena's lovely mastiff Piper, and time is spent training them,

they can make great pets.

Our Pet Heads have been really grafting this morning,

so, seeing as top celebs love to visit Pet School,

I thought I'd get another one in for a chat!

Klariza Clayton's popping by, and she's brought in

-her four-legged friend.

-Look at that!

The biggest dog I think the guys have seen.

Squeeze!

Klariza Clayton is best known for her role as Sam in Dani's House.

Sam is an animal lover, who worries about endangered species.

In real life, she has an Alsatian called Maxwell,

and she's brought him in today to meet the gang.

He's so cuddly!

Maxwell...!

Right, Klariza, let's meet our brilliant pets!

-Try and keep up!

-I think she may want some help!

Want to give our goats a tasty treat?

Is this all they eat, or do they eat other stuff?

-No, this is just a treat.

-Oh, OK.

-So this is like their version of ice cream.

-Yeah.

Next, it's the exotic room - how does Brett feel?

It doesn't feel how I thought it would feel.

I thought it would feel more like a snake.

-Ooh, he's looking at me!

-They feel very scratchy.

Our one-week-old chicks need to stretch their legs quickly -

fancy giving the guys a hand, Klariza?

-And the newborn chicks are in here.

-I'm so excited!

Third finger and thumb, then just close all your fingers around it.

Gently does it!

Oh, I'm holding a chick!

-This is Florence.

-That's Florence...

Flo, can I call you Flo?

Something bit me!

-His friends are in there.

-Quickly, quickly!

Time to get those chicks back to the safety of their warm shed.

Thanks for popping into Pet School, Klariza and Max!

Sophie's listened to her fellow Pet Heads' pleas,

and now it's time to make some important decisions.

You've got to think from the heart who deserves it,

and who's going to get one at the end of Pet School?

-He's obviously a good pet carer anyway.

-Yes, he has shown,

-the last couple of days, a bit of improvement.

-I'm wondering,

-is a dog the right pet for him?

-At this point, his dad

isn't convinced.

It's not the pet they're looking for.

She loves KitKat.

He's had a go at three different dogs - four!

-I think she just really wants the rats.

-Not a chance

that snake - or any snake is going in his house.

She asked for a dog, and that really confused me, because

she wants a rabbit.

Is she going to be bored of her hamster at home?

He really wants Kiki, but is it time to give someone else a chance?

-He just needed time with dogs to build confidence.

-Yeah.

-He might be nearly there.

-That's it.

Done. Now we've got to tell them. So, Sophie's made her choices.

Our Pet Heads won't find out what she decided until tomorrow.

It's going to be a long night.

That's the end of another day here at Pet School,

but hang around, because things are going to get a lot more exciting.

Next time on Pet School...

Aw! Kittens!!

Some fluffy kittens pay us a visit.

They're so cute!

Elvis the corn snake smells lunch.

Oh, a big moment...

And Sophie's new pet buddy teams are announced,

but not everyone's happy. It wasn't easy,

-but I think she's made the right choice.

-Yes!

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