0:00:03 > 0:00:05Pets. Don't you just love them?
0:00:07 > 0:00:11In this series, we're going to meet plenty of people who really,
0:00:11 > 0:00:12really do.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15It's like having more children. It's as easy to have two
0:00:15 > 0:00:18or three as it is to have four or five.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Our obsession with them has even turned some pets
0:00:20 > 0:00:22into celebrities.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25The internet love her. She always gets loads of compliments.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27We would have a sort of core following.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28The ones that read it every day.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Our love for them appears to have no bounds.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Coming up on Pet Island, we're in Belfast with a former model
0:00:37 > 0:00:39who is being tormented by his Chihuahuas.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42This is where a lot of the damage would be done.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46We travel to West Cork to meet a man who can talk to the animals.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50I've a small amount of cat, and a small amount of pigeon.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53But first, we're in Dublin with cat lady Roisin Mills,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55as she prepares to move house.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Merlin, come on.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12In Lucan, County Dublin, lives Roisin Mills and her two cats.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17My two cats are Merlin and Morgana, but they are endearingly
0:01:17 > 0:01:20known as Mr and Mrs Mills, because
0:01:20 > 0:01:22they are actually married.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25In the respect that, you know, I couldn't have them living in sin.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27We did a very small, little ceremony with a couple of friends of mine.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30And we had tea and wine and some cupcakes. It was lovely.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It was a lovely little ceremony.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Roisin plans to move house and is scared of upsetting her cats.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Last time I moved them, which was two years ago,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41that was from the UK to here,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43and it's just very different,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45because they know that they're moving.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48They know that it's a long journey, but because this time,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51they're only moving 25 minutes down the road,
0:01:51 > 0:01:52it's a much shorter car journey.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56It's not quite defined as being, we are absolutely moving house,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00so I have asked for a specialist to come along, just to make sure
0:02:00 > 0:02:02that I'm doing the right thing
0:02:02 > 0:02:05because I don't want my little puss cats stressed.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Jim Stephens is a pet behaviour counsellor who works
0:02:09 > 0:02:10throughout Ireland.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11- Hi, Jim.- Roisin.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. Come in, come in.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Welcome to my humble home.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Ah. Very cat-friendly, I can see.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20If the owner doesn't take the precautions to help settle
0:02:20 > 0:02:23the cat securely into its new environment,
0:02:23 > 0:02:24ultimately, the cat will leave.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Cats want to feel safe in the environment.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29If they don't feel safe in their new home,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31they will find somewhere else, where they do feel secure.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34So, the cats have moved before?
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Yes, but it was a much easier move,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- because it was actually from the UK to here.- Are you moving far?
0:02:39 > 0:02:43We're moving from here to into town, into a smaller house.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45OK. Well, that also can be a bit of a problem.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48If they're used to larger spaces, it's much more difficult
0:02:48 > 0:02:51for them to start to cope, but there are ways of getting over that
0:02:51 > 0:02:53and helping the cats settle in.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56We might look at, firstly, if you have access to the house,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59making sure it's cat-friendly, so, tucking away any loose wires,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03- or filling up any holes that the cat might try to get out of.- Yeah.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Also, looking at settling the cats into their new area, which is
0:03:07 > 0:03:09by scent.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11So, we might use something like the pheromones,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14or we might be looking at the simple things of a clean cloth,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17rubbing over the cats and then rubbing onto the surfaces
0:03:17 > 0:03:19that they're going to be moving into.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21I don't know if you've heard this old wives' tale about
0:03:21 > 0:03:24putting butter on cats' paws, when you're moving house?
0:03:24 > 0:03:26And this is meant to do what, exactly?
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Well, apparently, it's the last thing you do with the cats.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31So, you've moved everything else out,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33you put them into the crate and before you put them
0:03:33 > 0:03:34into the crate, or the carrier,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37you put butter on their paws,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39and they wash the butter off,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and because of the grease in the butter,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43it picks up dust mites from the old house,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and by the time they get to the new house, they've washed their paws.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The minute they step out into the new house, it picks up
0:03:48 > 0:03:51the new smell from the new house, and stops them from wandering.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Have you heard of that?
0:03:53 > 0:03:54I can't say I have,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58but I think it probably has a little basis in some science.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00But technology's moved on now, and with the use of pheromones,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02I think it can be a lot quicker
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and a lot more guaranteed to be successful.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Pheromone is a synthetic version of what the cat actually rubs
0:04:09 > 0:04:12when he's rubbing against you, or against furniture.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14They put their own scent down.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17So, really, just at head height, just a little spray over.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Great. And it doesn't stain or anything, no?- No.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Time is the biggest thing with cats to help them
0:04:24 > 0:04:27settle into anywhere, or a new situation.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Don't be tempted to just open the doors and say, well,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31this is your new area. Go.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- Work at their pace. - So, no butter on the paws?
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- No.- Go on, just for the laugh. Could I try it?- You could try it.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- Yeah. Or peanut butter. - Peanut butter?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42No, but then I might end up licking their paws for them.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Jim has one final piece of advice which Roisin must keep
0:04:47 > 0:04:50when she and her cats arrive at their new house.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Really, to successfully settle a cat into a new home,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56it's about restricting the area to a safe,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00maybe one room, and gradually, over a period of up to two weeks,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02allow the cat to explore further,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and if you are moving into an open-plan area, it's going
0:05:05 > 0:05:09to be slightly more difficult, I would suggest.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10I think it will be all right.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I have a really good feeling about the house, but we'll see.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17For all I know, it could just erupt into a volcano of stress levels,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20but I'm hoping not.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Next, we're in Belfast to meet former model Chris.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Hello, you two.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34What have yous been up to? Come on. I'll get you some food.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35Chris and his cat, Tyler,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38are being terrorised by his two Chihuahuas,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Bruiser and Parlow.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44So, this is Bruiser. This is Tyler, the cat.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46And this is Parlow.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Where are you going? Are you coming up?
0:05:49 > 0:05:53So, this is Parlow. He has about three teeth left.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57He's about... What are you now? You don't want to look.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00He's about ten years old.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Having had a successful career in London, Chris has recently
0:06:05 > 0:06:07moved back to Belfast
0:06:07 > 0:06:10and wants to establish some new rules in the house.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The house in London was destroyed.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Furniture had to be thrown out, most of it,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18because it was just eaten away by pee.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19It stank.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So, when I moved back to Belfast, I didn't want that to happen.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I got a lovely new house here, and I just didn't want it
0:06:24 > 0:06:28to be the same thing, of it just turning into
0:06:28 > 0:06:29a cesspit, really.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32The cat has to eat his... Even though it's very unhygienic,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and I'm constantly getting shouted at by my parents,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36for letting the cat eat off the work surfaces.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Like, they have them tortured.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Mainly, I would have a wee sort of barricade across here, to keep
0:06:44 > 0:06:48them in this area, and this sort of leads down to their wee bedroom,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50that they sleep in every night, now.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I can't have them in the bed with me any more, because whilst
0:06:53 > 0:06:55I'm asleep, they just go crackers,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and I don't get a good night's sleep.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59So this is the hallway where they spend a lot of their time,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02with their water and their biscuits, and things.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Then, this leads on to the living room.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09As you can see, under the dining-room table,
0:07:09 > 0:07:10that is just from one day.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So, you see the new curtains that I had put in,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16down right at the bottom, there's a definite yellowy tinge,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19that is gradually creeping up and up and up. You proud of it?
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Are you proud of yourself?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23There's a lamp I have here, that is
0:07:23 > 0:07:26now all rusty in one corner of it.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Luckily, the lamp is meant to look old and battered,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32so it kind of adds to it, but at the same time,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34you can just see the damage is done.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36There's rust. And also, it's electric.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39If they peed on it when it was on, they could get electrocuted.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42I nearly have to mop the floors every night I get in
0:07:42 > 0:07:45before I can get my dinner, before I can sort things out, because
0:07:45 > 0:07:49in London, I didn't do that and that's why it got into such a state.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Then when I did have to do it,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53things just kept falling apart in my hands.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56There were bits of skirting board, as soon as I touched them,
0:07:56 > 0:07:57they fell off the wall.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01They were like dust... I don't know what is they pee,
0:08:01 > 0:08:02but it's very acidic
0:08:02 > 0:08:06and it just seems to destroy things, doesn't it, Bruiser?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10In London, it wasn't my house - I was renting a house and things
0:08:10 > 0:08:11and I didn't mind.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15I had friends over and stuff, but it didn't bother them,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17but when I moved home, Mum and Dad would come round
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and I have a new niece now and I don't want her coming into an...
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Well, I don't think my brother and sister-in-law
0:08:24 > 0:08:27would let her in the house, frankly, if there's...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32It's just an animal toilet.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I don't want friends coming over or something
0:08:34 > 0:08:40and just thinking that I'm a filthy animal in a stinky house.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Chris has decided that it's time to call in an expert.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47My dream would be that it would just be a nice, clean house.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49It smells nice, that would be it.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50That I could come into the house
0:08:50 > 0:08:54and it would not be this odour of dog toilet.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Next, we risk life and limb by travelling to Cape Clear Island
0:09:01 > 0:09:04which lies nine miles off the Cork coastline.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Here we meet Ed Harper,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12a goat farmer who was left blind after a childhood accident.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We have my guide dog, Izzy, who is a German Shepherd.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19We have three cats and we've also got the goats.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22You can work a guide dog over pretty well anything
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and I used to have the balance.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Oh, I got that one wrong!
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Ed's cats are surrounded by beautiful scenery.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34If only they could enjoy it.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Occasionally, I will sit down on this water trough
0:09:36 > 0:09:40and I'll listen to the scenery because there's the birds,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42there's the sea, there's the wind.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45There's all that kind of things and the animals.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The years spent listening to nature has taught Ed
0:09:48 > 0:09:50to speak to the animals.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51HE BLEATS
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Come on, then. Come on, kid.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59There's several different calls that goats have
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and it depends what you want them to do.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05There's a noise that mothers make which means "stay close".
0:10:05 > 0:10:07They go, eh-eh, eh-eh, eh-eh.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Like that. And it works. If you do that, they'll stay close to you.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16But the general call command from a distance is basically
0:10:16 > 0:10:18something like...
0:10:18 > 0:10:19BLEATING
0:10:19 > 0:10:22I have a small amount of cat and a small amount of pigeon
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and, actually, they're very related.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Oh, and a tiny bit of raven, as well.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31It pays to keep in with the people who are liable to kill your kids
0:10:31 > 0:10:33if they are born outside
0:10:33 > 0:10:35so you have to be able to talk to the ravens, as well.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37They go, sort of...
0:10:37 > 0:10:40HE IMITATES BIRD CALL
0:10:40 > 0:10:43But pigeons, they go something more like this...
0:10:43 > 0:10:45HE COOS
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But again, it's a long time since spring,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49so I'm not speaking fluently at the moment.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51And the cats, it depends on the cats.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I notice it's a thing they do and especially,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56they do it to the kittens.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57They sort of go...
0:10:57 > 0:10:58HE PURRS
0:10:58 > 0:11:02It's a funny noise because it's not like the usual meow they do at us.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04It's a sort of broken...
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It's a bit related to pigeon, funnily enough.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08They sort of go...
0:11:08 > 0:11:09HE PURRS
0:11:11 > 0:11:13It tends to work.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19When not listening to the sounds of the sea,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22the goats are serenaded by Ed.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25# Well, good friends, one and all
0:11:25 > 0:11:28# I just thought I'd make a call
0:11:28 > 0:11:32# For I love to see a crowd of happy faces... #
0:11:32 > 0:11:34You'd like all the goats
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and obviously occasionally you like one more than another,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39but I'd say the one I cared about most
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and who cared about me most was a goat called Elsie.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45She died in 2010, sadly.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It all started one morning, I was really, really upset
0:11:48 > 0:11:50but I had to go milking, so out I went.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54That's the first time that Elsie suddenly seemed to twig
0:11:54 > 0:11:55that I was really upset.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57When we'd be in the milking parlour,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01if I was sad or upset or whatever, she'd put her head out
0:12:01 > 0:12:03and she'd rub my cheek with her cheek.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It was a very deep, emotional attachment.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Yeah, I'd go as far as saying that the two of us loved each other.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I'm going to have to get out of farming sooner or later.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I can see what's going to be happening really is,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I'll be spending more time on the mainland,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21less time on the island, but I don't see me not coming back here.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26I've spent 36 years here now and that's more of my life
0:12:26 > 0:12:28than I've spent anywhere else.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29I just love the island.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34# I'm a member of that multitude of labour... #
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Roisin Mills has been planning a house move along with her two cats
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and it is finally time for them to leave.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51This is the case I'm going to take them in.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54It's nice, it's big, it means they can see around them.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57I've just got to remember how to put it back together again.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Because I forgot to keep the instructions.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06There we go.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Then what I'm going to do with this is put it into the car
0:13:10 > 0:13:13and then grab them and put them straight into it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Ta-dah!
0:13:17 > 0:13:18Open Sesame!
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Right, I need to go and get a blanket and put that in.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Ah, yes, my domesticity comes out in me.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Oh!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47So, I'm going to get Merlin and put him in.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Right.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52No, he's going to go down.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55That'll be a no.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Right.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Yes, you stay there.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Merlin, come on.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09It was the only place they could be.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14There was nowhere else for them to hide so it's just a case
0:14:14 > 0:14:18that they're obviously a little bit more freaked
0:14:18 > 0:14:19than I thought they would be.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Merlin.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Relax. Relax. Relax.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28In you go.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34He's calling for you.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Look who's coming, Merlin.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Yes, are you going to make room?
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And in. Right.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46I've decided to calm then down a bit, to give them a bit of cover.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So I'm going to give them my coat - the sacrifices a parent makes
0:14:49 > 0:14:55for her cat kids - just because you can see Merlin is still quite upset.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59A cat's natural instinct when they are fearful is to go undercover
0:14:59 > 0:15:01so when they're dying, as well, they do the same thing.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04The reason they both went underneath the dresser is
0:15:04 > 0:15:06because it was cover and there was no other cover in the house
0:15:06 > 0:15:08because everything's moved out.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09As you can see,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Merlin is already burying his head down into the blanket.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16OK, kiddoes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Are you ready?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Start your engines!
0:15:21 > 0:15:23We're going to the new house.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Merlin, don't worry, you'll be fine, pet.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Let's open the window a bit and get some air
0:15:29 > 0:15:30and get me some water.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32All good.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37So, are you all relaxed in the back?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42No, of course, Morgana is wanting to look out,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45to see what's going on in the world.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52- Roisin and the cats have arrived at their new home.- Where are we going?
0:15:52 > 0:15:55The inelegance of cat travel.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The outside world!
0:15:57 > 0:16:00God, you do weigh a ton!
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Cat carriers would be so much easier.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06No, Morgana, don't stick your head right against the bars, you numpty!
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Not the coolest way to arrive, but, hey, you know what?
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Better than me trying to carry you and bumping you all the time.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Cat travel at its best, right?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Come on, baby boys and girls.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30That's one door open.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Morgana is the more curious of the two, so she'll be out first.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39And then I'm just going to leave them to wander as is.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42And close the door.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Morgana is straight out of the cage
0:16:45 > 0:16:49because she is nosey extraordinaire and Merlin will take about
0:16:49 > 0:16:52five minutes to come out and then he'll do a little potter about
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and work out where the dry food is and there's the water.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I know Jim said a week or two but I was like, yeah,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00that's never going to work for my two.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I'll leave them until they start scratching at the door and go,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05right, we're bored with this space now,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07we want to see what else -
0:17:07 > 0:17:10especially considering they came in in a cage so they could see
0:17:10 > 0:17:12there was another area to explore
0:17:12 > 0:17:14so it'll take them a while to settle in.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16There will be a lot of yowling, which is just their norm.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19They're like bats with sonar testing to find out where Mum is,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22but this is a lot shorter drive than the last one
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and I have promised them that this will be the last move
0:17:25 > 0:17:28until I buy somewhere because it does stress them quite a lot.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35In Belfast, former model Chris is being tormented
0:17:35 > 0:17:37by his pet Chihuahuas.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41There's signs of them everywhere around the house.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Little puddles.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47I would just like to come into a nice, fresh house
0:17:47 > 0:17:48and these two sitting there.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Obviously I want them to be happy too,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53but I would just like to be able to live in a house
0:17:53 > 0:17:56that you don't live in danger of standing on something
0:17:56 > 0:18:01and the curtains aren't about to disintegrate from uric acid
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and where your dogs don't eat the cushions either
0:18:03 > 0:18:05because that would just be nice, as well.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Just two well-behaved dogs.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Chris has engaged the services of dog behaviourist Elaine Power
0:18:14 > 0:18:17to see if she can change their behaviour.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18Come on in.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Yes, this is generally where they would spend a lot of their time.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24This is their wee bedroom.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- Do you mind if I have a wee look? - Of course, fire away.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- How cute!- I know, it's their own personal wee space.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34This is generally where they have their breakfast.
0:18:34 > 0:18:40The cat's litter tray is also a very popular spot for them to pee on.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43They literally would lift their leg in it all the time.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So it's one of the areas that I just have to mop and mop.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Around the table legs, places like that.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52- Just anywhere they can lift their leg, they will.- Right.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Do they do a proper puddle in the house?
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Only if they have couldn't get outside and then you would see...
0:18:59 > 0:19:04- So it's not really a house-training issue, it's more marking.- OK.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It's working out, is it house training or is it just marking?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Like when they used to sleep with me, it would be, because
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I always have white bed linen, just a yellow spot
0:19:13 > 0:19:17or a little jet, so that would be them marking the bed?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Yes, that's not a proper pee.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21OK, I'll show you the living room.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24This is where most of the damage happens.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26If you want to come in here,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29this is generally where they would spend a lot of the time.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33This is where a lot of the damage would be done.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37You can see there's rust on the legs of the chairs and stuff.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This is only the furniture that made it back from London.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43There was thousands of pounds worth of furniture I had to throw out
0:19:43 > 0:19:45because it was just destroyed.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46You can see there on the carpet,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49they've already left me a little accident.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52It is just anything they can lift their leg on and I'm just worried.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54This is a laminate floor
0:19:54 > 0:19:59and I'm just worried it will get under it and lift it up.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04- Have any of them marked on you? - Always on my clothes and shoes.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06I have had pairs of shoes that are destroyed
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and they will sometimes sleep and if my jeans are beside the bed,
0:20:09 > 0:20:15and I get up in the morning to pull my jeans on and they'll be damp.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17So that would generally be my stuff.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19There's an order of the pack.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21I'm not at the top of the pack.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- No, they are trying to find out where they belong.- Oh, OK.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29The most relevant things at this moment in time are hormones
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- and habit. There is an implant you can get.- OK.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Which, again, doesn't mean neutering,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38but it's a little bit like a microchip.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It's an implant that goes underneath the skin and it lasts... I think
0:20:42 > 0:20:46there's an option for six months and an option for 12 months.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50If that does show a definite improvement in behaviour,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54I would then be thinking about neutering - especially Bruiser.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58The fact that they're bit older, because now it's habit.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03You see, the testosterone may be irrelevant at this point,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- it could be pure habit. - Just doing it for the sake of it?
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Yes, and we'll do some work on that
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and we can do a little bit of training with them.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Instead of being his pride of place, Chris's living room
0:21:14 > 0:21:19is his hall of shame, but Elaine thinks she can change all that.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23She hopes to devise a programme for the dogs that will transform
0:21:23 > 0:21:27their behaviour, but first, they need to understand who is leader.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31If you want to go in and just turn around and watch what I'm doing.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Out!
0:21:33 > 0:21:35I just want him to make eye contact.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Out!
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Come on, in you come. Good boy! Right?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I think the problem is me. It's not the dogs, actually.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50The problem is me because I'm far too soft with them.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54So, it'll be more me having to be more dominating with them
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and I can do it. I know I can, so I'm pretty confident.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I will see you in a couple of weeks' time and call back out
0:22:00 > 0:22:01and see how you're getting on.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Just try to implement things as best you can.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I'll send the information out to you by post
0:22:06 > 0:22:09and if there's anything that you're not sure about or that concerns you,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11please give me a ring in the meantime.
0:22:12 > 0:22:18Later in the series, we find out if the Chihuahuas become Chiwow-wows!
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Roisin Mills and her two cats have now spent three weeks
0:22:27 > 0:22:28in their new home.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33They've settled in really well, actually,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37considering it's a lot smaller. It took them about two or three days.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39They were running around, sussing stuff out.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Of course it took me a while to get everything where it needs to go.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44But they settled in pretty quick.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Merlin was doing guard duty on the end of the sofa,
0:22:47 > 0:22:48so he's quite happy with that.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51When he's not doing that, he's asleep on the beanbag,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53making sure everything is going on.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56According to my neighbours, Morgana sits up in the window
0:22:56 > 0:22:58quite a lot, staring out and watching the world go by.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00So they know where everything is,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03they know where their litters are, they know where their food is.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06When I've moved before with cats,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09having pheromone around the place works, but with these guys,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12especially because they have quite a strong relationship with me
0:23:12 > 0:23:15because I'm the only person who lives in the house.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18If you're living in a house with a lot of people or kids,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20it's better to have that kind of thing around,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23so I didn't use it, I'm sorry to say.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27But they settled in really well, actually, and considering we are
0:23:27 > 0:23:29so close to town, it's actually very quiet
0:23:29 > 0:23:31and the neighbours are lovely, too.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36I do like my neighbours. Very chatty. A bit like me, really!
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Shannon Locke and her assistance dog, Poppy, live in Bangor.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Recently, the pair became world-famous after Shannon
0:23:47 > 0:23:51uploaded a video of Poppy assisting her during an epileptic seizure.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56I started having seizures about 17. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 18.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58My neurologist has told me it is idiopathic -
0:23:58 > 0:24:02there's no known cause of it, it can just happen.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03It's one of those things.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08I was at college and the seizures became quite frequent
0:24:08 > 0:24:10to the point where they were every day
0:24:10 > 0:24:13so I eventually had to leave college because every day I was going in
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and they were calling an ambulance and I was having to go to hospital.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19I just couldn't focus on my work, I was getting nothing done,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23so that's when I became quite housebound.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I didn't really leave the house for a good couple of years.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29We got Poppy to keep me company while I was in the house
0:24:29 > 0:24:31and something to do, to train her and take her for walks
0:24:31 > 0:24:34and then I had to get out of the house.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36That's when I noticed her behaviour.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41When Poppy arrived, she wasn't a trained assistance dog,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45but soon Shannon began to notice some unusual behaviour.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49She would pace up and down, pant loads, just showing general signs
0:24:49 > 0:24:52of stress that dogs would show before a thunderstorm.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55She was doing this may be five minutes before I was having
0:24:55 > 0:24:57a seizure, so I caught on quite fast
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and my partner noticed it, as well, so I knew it wasn't just me!
0:25:01 > 0:25:05So then I got in contact with Neil Powell, who is her dog trainer.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09I brought Poppy up to meet him and she began her training.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13The signals that she might be responding to could be
0:25:13 > 0:25:15an auditory signal, it could be a visual signal, it could be
0:25:15 > 0:25:18a scent signal, but I suspect
0:25:18 > 0:25:20it's an electromagnetic signal.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24All I did was teach Poppy to paw Shannon.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27If Poppy detected the onset of a seizure,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31she would go and paw her leg and that would allow her to take
0:25:31 > 0:25:34safety precautions, basically, about her seizure.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39When Poppy alerts Shannon, she can now go somewhere safe
0:25:39 > 0:25:42where she will avoid injury during a seizure.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47When Shannon has a seizure,
0:25:47 > 0:25:52the dog clears her mouth constantly of anything that comes from her
0:25:52 > 0:25:55mouth and she will not leave Shannon's side until she recovers.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Shannon decided to film Poppy helping her during a seizure.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03It was heart-warming to see Poppy.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06People tell me that's what she does, but to see it with my own eyes,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08it just made me love her even more
0:26:08 > 0:26:10and I didn't think that was possible!
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Shannon had been talking to me
0:26:12 > 0:26:16quite a lot about the isolation that people with epilepsy
0:26:16 > 0:26:18experience in their lives.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19She has felt then that
0:26:19 > 0:26:23if she was to expose what happens in her life on YouTube,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27it might help people feel less isolated,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30knowing that there are others out there experiencing the same thing,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32but, also, giving them hope
0:26:32 > 0:26:34that perhaps there is a way of resolving it.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37And so what Shannon was hoping would happen
0:26:37 > 0:26:39was that people would contact her and say,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43what is it that you picked up on and perhaps I could do the same thing?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Within days of going online,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48the video had been watched by millions of people.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49I'm so glad.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52It was really, really overwhelming the first couple of days.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The amount of support, the message I'm getting from all over the world
0:26:55 > 0:26:58about how I have made them feel more confident in their epilepsy
0:26:58 > 0:27:00and they're no longer embarrassed, it's been amazing.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04It's so rewarding, knowing I've helped people in some way.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15Today, Shannon and Poppy have been nominated for an award.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20Just nothing more to say other than to congratulate Poppy and Shannon.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23First place.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Poppy is my seizure alert assistance dog
0:27:27 > 0:27:29and she has been alerting me prior
0:27:29 > 0:27:32to seizures from about ten weeks old.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35She has pulled me off roads before, she has alerted me
0:27:35 > 0:27:38while being in the bath, which has given me time to get out
0:27:38 > 0:27:40so I didn't drown having a seizure.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42She saves my life on a daily basis.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Everyone who voted, we really, really appreciate it. Thank you!
0:27:47 > 0:27:52I'm lost for words. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I'm just full of so many emotions at the moment.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57But I think she deserved it, she really did.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It's not me, I'm not concerned about me or the prize,
0:28:00 > 0:28:01it's Poppy deserved it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03She's a brilliant, brilliant dog.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11Next time on Pet Island, we meet a raccoon with impeccable manners.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Sometimes Laura likes to wash her hands!
0:28:16 > 0:28:18We make a jumper out of dogs' wool.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22I'm amazed that this was what it was before, his wool.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26And we meet a former agony aunt who dreams of being a Roman empress.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29What do you think of that?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Ah, that's great!