Episode 10 Animal 24:7

Britain's animals are under threat. All too often, our wildlife and

domestic pets are the victims of cruelty, persecution and neglect.

Fighting to save them is a dedicated band of people trying to protect and care for them around the clock.

This is Animal 24-7.

Today on Animal 24-7...

-Down here, they have wasted your time, they are causing problems for me...

-Not in my backyard.

Outrage at allegations of cruelty.

I've had environmental health, dog fouling, in my own back garden, which wasn't a problem.

-They are welcome to check it.

-Calm down, calm down, calm down.

Rescue for the ponies forced to live in a junkyard.

So much debris lying around with exposed nails, bits lying on the floor to trap their feet in.

It's just unacceptable conditions.

And it's release day for these feisty little owls.

They may only be little, by name and nature,

but they're really strong and they look like they mean business.

RSPCA inspectors go through an exhaustive two-year training period before they qualify.

They're taught to handle all manner of dangerous and wild animals.

But skills that are learned on the job are tact, diplomacy and patience.

Trevor Walker has been an RSPCA inspector for over 25 years...

patrolling the North East of England.

Over time he has gained an impressive array of knowledge and skills,

helping him to deal with animals and their owners.

Today Trevor is responding to a complaint that

several underweight dogs are being kept in cramped cages.

Hiya, you all right?

-RSPCA. I've had a call about two dogs.

-What's wrong with the dogs?

-Don't know. They just said that they are thin.

-Thin?

The owner is not pleased to see Trevor.

This isn't going to be just another routine call.

Trevor is led through the owner's house to a large, clean cage and some very happy dogs.

-Hello, you!

-Come and have a look at this.

The owner is keen to show Trevor a huge barrel of dog food.

These pets clearly aren't underfed.

-Are you happy?

-I'm happy, yeah...

I've got no issue with your dogs at all.

The irate owner explains that this visit is the latest

in a long line of unfair complaints which have brought the police and council to his door.

I've had environmental health, dog fouling, in me own back garden

which wasn't a problem, they're welcome to check it.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

I've got no issue with your dogs.

I like the conditions that you're keeping them in.

So if anybody rings me again in future, I will turn round and say there is no problem.

-Was it anonymous?

-I have got a name, but I will respond back to the person

and say that the allegations that you've made are totally unfounded.

-But you won't tell me who it is?

-No, I can't.

-Exactly.

-I can't.

But there's not a problem, and I cannae do nowt about it.

The RSPCA has to investigate all complaints, malicious or not.

They have wasted your time, they are causing problems for me.

I tell you what, I'll tell you on camera.

I will show you in the cupboard in there, I'm on tablets for everything, because I'm a hothead.

I've got tablets for to calm me down.

I haven't got an issue with you at all.

There's something wrong when someone makes a complaint but I can't know who it is.

Well, I tell you what we can do...

All callers identities are kept anonymous to prevent repercussions.

Trevor reassures the owner that if any further false allegations are made, action will be taken.

I'm more than happy with the way that you have dealt with them.

Trevor's calm assurances have defused an awkward situation

and given this dog lover some much needed peace of mind.

So, if I come back again, are you going to shout at me again?

No, no.

All right, Mr Gowan, thanks ever so much for your time.

There's no doubt about it.

This chap obviously looks after his animals really well.

And it appears as if he's been the subject of an allegation that

doesn't appear to have any foundation to it, really.

It's mid-afternoon. Trevor is following up a complaint previously investigated by a colleague.

16 Shih Tzu dogs are being kept in a small terraced house, far too small for so many animals.

The owner has been asked to dramatically reduce his numbers.

There's no suggestion of any barking.

Early signs are good.

The other purpose of the call was that the dogs haven't been walked for four months.

I suppose, if you've got 16 dogs, it's not surprising really, is it?

It would be like painting the Forth Bridge.

-Hello, are you all right?

-Once inside, Trevor is greeted by a single, lively Shih Tzu.

Hello, hello, hello, hello.

All right, all right.

Now he needs to find out if there are any more.

How many have you got now then, do you know?

I've got six.

The owner explains he's sold some of his dogs and now has just six.

How do you get on with your neighbours? Do they cause you any problems with the dogs barking?

No. They are not that bad, you know?

They do not bark that much. Just when people come, like, you know?

So, it is only, like, when I'm here that they are actually barking, is it?

-Yes.

-Can I have a look, then?

-Aye.

Hello, you. Hello, you.

I'm glad they are not Alsatians.

THEY BARK WILDLY

-How many have we got here, one...

-The kitchen is chaotic.

Trevor attempts a head count to confirm what the owner has told him but there's one dog missing.

Can I hear some barking upstairs?

Has one sneaked upstairs?

It's all right.

Well, we just need to have a look upstairs as well, then.

But before Trevor can go upstairs, the owner has a confession to make.

She's had puppies upstairs, like.

So there's more than these down here, then, isn't there?

There's one adult. How many puppies are there?

Numbers are climbing back up.

Can we have a look at those as well, then?

There's not one dog upstairs, but a mother and her five puppies.

The spare bedroom has been converted into a makeshift nursery.

They are big puppies, them, aren't they?

Trevor is relieved to hear the owner doesn't intend to keep the pups.

Once old enough, he is going to sell them.

-You need to make sure that they are going to the right homes.

-I do.

I would rather them go off to people that I know, who I can check up on,

rather than just a stranger out of the paper and you never know what's going to happen to them.

Leave her with the puppies.

Trevor's worried the dogs could continue breeding. And they are behind with their vaccinations.

If one of them picks up any kind of a virus, it will go rife through the lot of them, you know?

That is the purpose of having them vaccinated. It's there to protect them.

These dogs are living in completely unsuitable conditions. The kitchen floor has become damaged,

so it's dangerous and unhygienic, especially for such young pups.

You could do with to change this flooring.

It's clear the owner loves his animals but, with so many dogs, he's struggling to manage.

Trevor leaves him with an action plan.

We do need to sort out the environment.

We do need to sort out the bitches.

And then I'll come back and see you in a fortnight's time.

Thanks, mate. See you later.

This is going to be a tough job.

The owner has previously promised to reduce the number of dogs he keeps but if he continues to

ignore the advice, Trevor's patience may start to wear thin.

Later...

I've spoken to the vet recently.

And he hasn't been up to sort out the vaccination programme. So it may be

-quite interesting to see what he's got to say today.

-And I help these lapwings get back to nature.

Great to see them close-up,

but it would be even better to get them out in the fields.

Now, we're off to Preston and the story of 20 neglected ponies.

The animals are living in muddy fields and there are hazards in every corner.

They are about to be rescued but conditions are so dangerous, it's not going to be an easy job.

To anyone passing by, it looks like a typical scrap yard.

A mess of twisted metal and ramshackle huts.

But it's actually home to more than a dozen horses.

Now, after failing to persuade the owner to improve things,

a number of animal welfare groups have decided to take action.

Just try to get these vehicles moved then we can try to get the trailer in.

Chris Williamson is from World Horse Welfare.

Most of them are living in very squalid conditions.

Stallions with stallions, fighting.

Mares with foals at foot in containers.

Some of the field conditions, they are above your knees in mud,

so it's not ideal at all.

The owner's not being very co-operative with us.

He's been given the opportunity to correct the situation and, to date, he hasn't done so.

As well as the horses forced to live among this junk, there are another seven in a field nearby.

We've got the two in there and the foal in there to bring out.

Today, Chris is joined by the RSPCA and the police.

They're going to take the horses away from here, whether the owner likes it or not.

We have been trying to help him. We have in the past helped trim his horses' feet.

We have given advice and this advice has been continuously ignored

which has culminated in this operation today.

This is a huge task.

A fleet of horseboxes are on standby.

But the field is at the end of a narrow, single-track road.

The horses can only be moved a few at a time and many are wild.

This is intolerable conditions, isn't it? And it is just getting worse.

Before beginning the move, Chris needs to take a look at the hazards he needs to avoid.

We've got so much debris lying around - exposed nails,

metal bits lying on the floor to trap their feet in.

It's just unacceptable conditions.

All the ponies are in a dreadful state. Many are caked in mud and manure...

..and this one appears to be lame. It's vital it gets medical help.

Inside this old wagon trailer, conditions are even worse.

We have got a mare and foal here. Obviously been in this container

for quite some time, looking at the conditions that are in here.

You are not talking about weeks.

You're talking about months and more of debris, faeces, dumped in here.

You've got at the back here an old door, which is a recipe for injury,

and the conditions are just atrocious.

The team needs to get this pair out of their box.

But having been in there for so long, there's no way of knowing how they're going to react.

Both ponies appear bewildered by so much freedom.

They rush around wildly, narrowly missing the dangerous debris.

Eventually they're ushered into the waiting trailers.

Now, the officers will turn their attention to the two stallions.

They have been left to fight and breed at will.

In you go, you beauty.

The two stallions are successfully loaded into their transport.

The final job is to round up the rest of the mares.

The team now has to catch the other seven horses

left in a similar condition in the nearby field.

One is a heavily pregnant mare called Flo.

She could give birth at any time.

It is important not to get it too stressed up.

The sooner we can handle it and get it in,

the better for the mare as well. We need to try and catch and put a head collar on it if we can.

Fortunately the team manages to coax her into the box

and after another hour, the rescue of all 20 horses is complete.

I am quite pleased with it. I anticipated major problems today,

with them all not being handled, but this has gone better than I anticipated.

This is the worst field because it is so open.

Next stop is World Horse Welfare's recovery farm in Blackpool.

They will now begin their journey back to full health.

Although these horses have been rescued from immediate danger,

the long-term effects of living in such conditions have yet to be explored.

That's a good boy.

And with full vet checks yet to come on Flo and the lame pony,

it's too early to say how many of them will be fit enough to survive.

Coming up - uncovering the cause of Herbie's pain.

That's what he has in there.

A big piece of nail sticking in his foot.

And a final warning at the House of Shih Tzus.

It's not the case that I am meaning to harass you or anything like that but I need to make sure that,

what I ask you to do, you do it.

In spring, Ali Townshend's back garden is not just full of flowers -

it's full of orphaned animals, too.

Among the arrivals this year is a pair of plovers, or lapwings,

a partridge and a brood of little owls.

Ali has been playing mum to all of them. It's no longer springtime.

The leaves on the ground and one or two windfalls give you the clue that it's actually early autumn.

Some of these animals have grown up and Ali is now ready to release them.

-Here we are.

-Right.

-What have we got here?

-A few different things.

-We have. We've got two lapwings.

-A red legged partridge and a moorhen.

-How do you know these guys are ready?

Well, they are eating well, they are bathing and trying to flap their wings and

-what have you, now, so we're happy.

-How do we go about catching them?

Right. You can go in. If you like.

-How do I go about catching them is what I should have said, is it?

-Yes.

It is unusual enough even to see plovers across a field but, to actually, quite literally,

get my hands on them is very strange.

I start with the first of the plovers.

There he is, screeching away.

If you can put it in, I am literally going to shut the box in your hand.

The second one can run but there's nowhere to hide.

And the last one is the red legged partridge.

-The red legged partridge, is he going to be a bit more tricky?

-Yeah.

Ow! He's got sharp claws.

Great to see close-up, but it will be even better to get them out in the fields.

We travel to a nearby field specially chosen for their release.

-Ready?

-They have survived the journey.

They have. There you go. You can have that one.

I can feel them skittling around in the box. Both quite on the lively side.

There's plenty of safe ground-cover here and woods nearby.

First to go is the partridge.

Now is the moment our red legged partridge stretches his legs,

and maybe his wings, for freedom.

There we go. Nice and calm.

He looks a tiny bit bemused about the big, wide world.

With the partridge keeping his head down, things haven't exactly got off to a flying start.

-Now it's time to release the other two. Shall we go?

-Ready?

One heads straight for the trees, but the second is happy to reach for the clouds.

-No danger about him flying off. He just, phoof!

That shows you that natural instinct - he has been in a small cage,

-but he can still fly like that at the first attempt.

-That was amazing.

SHE LAUGHS

I seem to have got the hang of this, so it's straight back to Weirfield

and time for the little owls to leave.

They're in here.

They are very characterful animals, aren't they?

Great personality. Big eyes, and dodging about.

They were small in springtime and they are still little now, but that's just their way.

People always bring these in and say, "We have got a baby owl."

"No, it's a little owl." And they say, "Yes, we have got a baby owl",

and we say, "No, this is how big they are, this is their fully-grown size."

I have a feeling these little characters are going to make me look like a fool.

Which isn't that difficult anyway, but I think it should be particularly easy with these guys.

Ali sets off with a sense of purpose.

But I beat her to it. I have got one here.

Thankfully, they have kept their wild ways.

-I'm glad I've got the gloves on because he's having a go at my finger. You got one as well?

-I did.

Just straight in the box? Between us, that's half the job done.

And it's 2-1, to me.

Good catch.

They may only be little, by name and nature,

but they are really strong and they look like they mean business.

With all four now in the box, it's time to set this lot on their way.

We are hoping to take the owls back to a place where at least

one of them was found, in the hope they'll establish a new colony here.

Is this the kind of spot?

Yep. This looks OK. We have a nice big tree in front of us.

Is there a technique to release?

No, it's an open the box and sit back.

The first makes a early bid for freedom.

And one by one, the others happily take to the wing.

It is quite a big shock, remember.

Brilliant. And a few of them are just sat over there.

Very considerate - allowing us to film them!

I think that's just a case of them getting their bearings.

The birds I've seen today are the lucky ones.

Only about half of the springtime casualties brought into Weirfield make it through to release.

Certainly, you nursed them back to health and they are fine leaving you, as they say.

Yes, we do our best and it is up to them to survive, once they get back into the wild.

Just tear my eyes away from the little owls over there.

I don't want to miss them when they finally fly off.

It's been a great day today, releasing these and the lapwings and the red legged partridge.

And Alison makes a very good point.

You don't know for certain if they are actually going to survive when they are out and about here

but I'm confident she's given them the best chance.

Later, a new foal for Flo - the mare rescued from a life of squalor.

If the mare have foaled in those conditions,

I would say that the likelihood of the foal surviving would have been very slim.

Earlier we saw inspector Trevor Walker with a Shih Tzu owner

who was close to being overrun with the small and noisy dogs.

Trevor also discovered a litter of puppies upstairs and poor living conditions downstairs.

He's hoping for some improvement.

First, he's on his way to see an animal owner in unusual circumstances

with an even more unusual pet.

Sometimes a pet owner's life can change dramatically and this can leave their animals in trouble.

Trevor's latest call is from a member of the public. They're worried that Steve Hyssen,

a man with ongoing health problems,

has been leaving his parrot, two dogs and a snake unattended while in hospital.

Now then, what's happening?

-How is it going?

-Not so bad.

I've just got back from hospital, actually.

-Just this minute got back.

-OK.

-How are you?

-I'm not bad.

-I've had another call.

-Have you?

Yeah, about who's been looking after the dogs while you've been in hospital.

I've had somebody come over and stay while I was in hospital.

Steve explains that his animals have had a live-in carer.

The two German shepherds, Lennox and Khan, appear to have been well looked after.

-The dogs are looking all right.

-Oh, they're fine.

-Have you still got your other stuff?

-Yes.

-The, what was it, it was a...

At Ashton Grange, round the corner, at my friend's house.

They are keeping them until I've had everything done and I've come out of hospital, basically.

-You've still got the snakes, then?

-Yes.

-Are they at somebody's house or are they here?

The snake's here.

Trevor won't be fully satisfied until he's inspected all of Steve's pets.

This means checking over a female Burmese python called Rosie,

all 12 feet of her.

Despite being on crutches, Steve has little trouble handling the giant snake.

You're lucky she's shed her skin.

She's capable of growing a further 6 ft and could crush a grown adult to death.

The dogs are blissfully unaware.

There's no reaction from the snake towards the dogs and vice-versa.

She's used to them. She is so placid anyway. There's her skin.

Trevor's hoping Rosie will be just as placid with him.

Although RSPCA inspectors are trained to handle snakes, Trevor has to be careful.

Rosie is used to being touched, but if starved or threatened, pythons can attack.

Interested in the dogs, that's for sure.

Luckily for Trevor, this big girl is well-fed.

-She doesn't eat rabbits yet - she's still on rats.

-How many's she on?

Three a week.

Rosie is in excellent condition.

Trevor's satisfied that all Steve's animals,

despite his obvious difficulties, are being well cared for.

Before he leaves, Trevor offers his help, should Steve need it in future.

Just keep my number and let me know when you go back into hospital again,

so that, if necessary, I can come round and make sure everything's OK.

-Yeah. Oh - sorry!

-Did you hear that? THEY LAUGH

Although Trevor did not finish the job completely unscathed,

he leaves knowing the animals are in good hands.

See you later.

It's late afternoon. Time to revisit the dog owner overrun with Shih Tzus.

Trevor's hoping he's followed the advice given during his last visit.

He's got a very small property.

He's got a lot of dogs.

If he does continue to breed from the bitches then

it could quickly escalate from the six adults that he has at the moment, to lots and lots of additional dogs.

And if we do consider that the animals are at risk, they will be removed.

Trevor requested three things - fewer dogs, vet treatment and a new kitchen floor.

So, how's everything going?

At first glance, things don't seem to have changed.

There are still 11 dogs and it's chaos.

But in the kitchen, there are some signs of improvement.

That looks a lot better.

Is it just the Lino base?

Even that's a lot better than what you had.

No doubt about it.

The new floor gives the dogs a cleaner, safer environment.

-How old are the pups now then?

-Coming up for five-and-a-half weeks.

Are you just going to keep them for two and a half weeks, to sell, yes?

Shall we leave all the dogs in here and then we can just have a chat?

Though what's underfoot may have changed,

the owner has done nothing to reduce the number of dogs he has crammed into this house.

It's hard to be heard, but Trevor's determined to find out why his advice has been ignored.

-So, since the last visit, you've done the floor.

-Aye.

Have you thought about the neutering programme at all?

I am going to get them...

Are you? The three females?

Once the females are spayed, the breeding will come to an end.

This should keep the numbers under control in this overcrowded house.

But cash flow is a problem.

What we are depending on now

is you selling off the remaining puppies,

to do the vaccination programme and get the three bitches spayed.

If you can take my word, I'll get them done.

It's not the case that I'm meaning to harass you or anything like that

but I need to make sure that what I ask you to do, you do it.

Obviously, if you don't do it, then I have to start looking at things in a different light.

Aye, aye.

With space and money being tight, Trevor gives the owner one last gentle nudge to encourage him

to reduce his numbers before problems arise.

I want to make sure that you're not going to be struggling or leaving yourself short,

then the dogs start going short, you start going short, that kind of thing...

No, nothing like that.

-Right, OK.

-The owner has promised that this time he will listen and cut the number of dogs.

But this is the second time Trevor has heard this. Is anything ever really going to change?

Thanks a lot for your time.

-Ta-ra now.

-Ta-ra.

-Still to come.

-I've had a call about some dogs.

Trevor's on the trail of the flower shop huskies.

They are everybody's friends.

-We've got water beside them. They are better looked after than a human.

-Good!

And you will see, as soon as you see them.

In Preston local volunteers from the World Horse Welfare charity are facing a huge challenge.

Together with the police and the RSPCA, they have rounded up 20 neglected ponies.

Their home resembled a scrapyard.

It was dirty and dangerous.

Now the ponies have arrived back at the sanctuary in Blackpool, it's time for them to see a vet.

For those involved in the dramatic rescue of these ponies it's been a long and difficult day.

And as the last of the animals hobble into a rehabilitation farm, there's still plenty of work to do.

The vet will give an examination of them, just a quick check over to see

if they have travelled all right and if there's any issues.

If there's no issues at the moment then we will give them the night

to rest then we will have a full examination tomorrow.

Most of the animals can wait until tomorrow, but two of them need immediate treatment.

First is the pregnant mare, Flo.

She could give birth at any time.

Vet Peter Holland checks her over.

Just looking for any skin parasites, such as lice.

First impressions seem good but Peter decides to take a blood sample

to make sure there's no hidden risk to her foal.

It's not just Flo that needs help.

This is Herbie.

He's struggling to walk.

Staff need to find out just what it is that is causing his lameness.

He was hopping when we got there.

He's certainly not improved since we got here.

So, we're going to have a good look and find out exactly what's going on with this back leg.

Probably going to have to sedate him, cos he's quite nervous. Just have a good look at him.

As Peter begins his examinations, he quickly spots the cause of the problem -

and it's a painful reminder of the conditions these ponies have had to endure.

That's what he has in there - a big piece of nail sticking in his foot.

The nail has been removed, but Peter doesn't know how long

it's been there or whether it's caused any infection in the hoof.

If that nail has penetrated the joint in the foot, there won't

be anything we can do for this pony, to be honest.

So, we're just going to have to hope that, now that's removed,

with some antibiotics, that this pony's going to improve quite quickly.

With medical checks now complete, all the ponies can look forward to a proper rest on clean beds.

But, for Flo and Herbie, the next few weeks are going to be crucial.

Three months later and the contrast in the ponies' living conditions couldn't be greater.

Instead of being confined to filthy containers, they're now housed in clean stables.

The muddy paddock has been swapped for green and pleasant pasture.

And Flo, the pregnant mare who arrived in a dreadful state, has changed beyond all recognition.

And she's given birth to a healthy foal called Coral.

If the mare had foaled in those conditions, I would have said the likelihood of

the foal surviving would have been very slim and even the health of the mare would have been at risk.

Another big success story is Herbie, the three-year-old pony who had a nail in his hoof.

Miraculously, he survived the life-threatening injuries and is now learning to walk without a limp.

As you can see now, it's clearly standing square on all fours, it's weight-bearing.

Very comfortable on the feet now.

So that is 100 per cent success.

They're quite happy in their outlook and, given time,

I'm pretty sure we'll be able to rehabilitate them and they'll go on to lead a normal life.

The transformation in all these ponies is remarkable.

They can now look forward to bright futures, given the care and attention they deserve.

Finally, we're back with Trevor Walker.

He's about to find out if the owner of 11 noisy Shih Tzus has acted

on his demands to cut the number of animals he keeps.

But first, he must investigate claims that dogs

more at home in the snow are being kept in soaring temperatures.

The Siberian husky.

A beautiful animal of immense strength and resilience.

Able to survive in some of the harshest and most unforgiving environments on earth.

Alaska.

The Siberian Arctic.

Northumberland.

Trevor Walker is responding to a complaint suggesting the huskies are kept outside this town-centre

florist for hours on end.

I'm particularly concerned with the hot weather we have been having.

We just need to check and see whether it's as per the allegation, where they are suggesting that

the dogs are outside all day or whether it is the case that they are outside occasionally

and they are provided shade the rest of the time, and obviously the water requirement that they will need.

So we will just have a look and see what the situation is.

Trevor arrives and discovers the huskies are out with their owner.

He is greeted by the shop manager, Sharon Dawson.

The initial call came in regarding heat exposure. Could have a look and see if there are any problems.

You certainly can. They will be back in two minutes. OK.

The huskies are well known in the town and have become minor local celebrities.

Everybody knows them as the flower shop huskies because John

sets the shop up in the morning and they sit outside.

-They get better looked after than a human.

-Good. That's what I'm here for.

You will see, as soon as you see them. They are everybody's friend.

They have got water beside them.

They're not put outside and forgotten about, at all.

And they are just absolutely wonderful.

You will see them in a second.

A complaint, John, again.

Oh, aye. There's always somebody.

-Here they are.

-Can I have a look at them, firstly?

Returning from his walk, owner John Robinson leads Trevor

outside to meet three young huskies, Varna, Ardra, and Kaya.

-So these are the pups, then, are they?

-They are my babies.

-Hello, you!

All three are in perfect condition.

So, mummies, I'll show you the mummies.

Waiting to go out on John's next delivery are the two mothers, Kiska and Shadow.

Hello, you two, hello.

And, as with the pups, these older huskies are clearly well cared for.

And if you can see anything the matter with them,

ill treated or anything...

The only issue I have got, and this is what confused me when I got

the call, the call suggested to me that they were outside all the time,

and that the puppies were in a cage and obviously they couldn't even move round.

So you can understand why we'd have concerns in that kind of situation.

That would have been the only concern.

As long as you're realistic with it, put them outside and get them back into the back

so they can get some cool, cool themselves down, water available all the time, I haven't got an issue.

They may not be in their natural environment...

So that's fine, thanks for your time.

See you again. Bye-bye.

..but Trevor is satisfied that the flower shop huskies are well loved and cared for.

They're sure to be a fixture in this town for many years to come.

As the day draws to a close, Trevor has one final job he wants to do.

He's going to pay a third visit to the Shih Tzu owner.

He's already had two chances to vaccinate,

neuter and reduce the number of dogs in his small Newcastle terrace.

So, it's really just a case of seeing what the situation is regarding this guy.

Whether he has done what I asked him to do, whether he has any intention of doing what I asked him to do.

Because in the past he has said he would comply but I have spoken to the vets recently and he hasn't been up

to sort out the vaccination programme. Or the neutering.

So it may be quite interesting to see what he has to say today.

Hello, you! Hello, hello, hello.

As always, Trevor is greeted by the sound of pattering claws.

Only this time there are fewer of them.

The puppies have been sold and something else is missing, too.

The bitches, I'm getting them re-homed.

Oh, right! What's this?

That's, if you want to check, that's who took them.

-All right, OK.

-He took the three.

So, what have you got now, then? You haven't got any bitches at all now?

That's it. And you can check.

I'm pleased to hear that, mate, I must be truthful.

-You can check with that...

-Yes, I'll give them a ring.

Trevor's relieved that his persistence has finally paid off.

He started dealing with 11 dogs.

Now after three visits only four remain.

But the job isn't quite over yet.

I'm pleased to see you have thinned your numbers down and you have taken notice of that.

What I may do is, if you can just stick by what we already said

-and make sure that you get the vaccination sorted out.

-That'll be next week, aye.

Thanks a lot for your assistance in that one, Peter.

-Catch you later. Bye-bye.

-Ta-ra, now.

It's a rewarding visit for Trevor.

He leaves happy, knowing that without any females in the house,

these four boys will have to look for a new hobby.

Trevor's working life can be frustrating, complicated and varied.

But, for an RSPCA inspector, dealing with broken promises,

a giant Burmese python, two excitable German shepherds, five

flower shop huskies, 11 noisy Shih Tzus and one very angry dog lover - it's all part of the service.

If you think you know of a case of wildlife crime or a creature that needs immediate protection,

remember there are people who will answer your call right around the clock.

They are the people we meet on Animal 24/7.

Next time on Animal 24-7:

Police!

Rescue for the pets held in unbelievable squalor.

She's skinny. She's probably at the body condition of, like, one to two. She should be at five.

-Three would be normal.

-The pony left in pain by a DIY pedicure.

Here, these have been taken off very, very straight.

I don't know if that hurts at all, it might do. Does that hurt at all, mate?

And it's a case of trial and error...

-They flew about 50 yards.

-..getting these swifts back to the skies.

Brilliant, brilliant, well done.

You are better at it than I am.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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