Episode 2 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 right around the clock.

This is Animal 24:7

Today on Animal 24:7...

The smell is that strong, it actually makes me want to vomit.

Locked up, four puppies shut in a dark wardrobe.

There's no ventilation. When that's shut... If that light's off, they're both...

You just lock them in a cupboard and that's not on.

-You can't lock them in a cupboard.

-They do come out.

A late night stakeout for a snared badger.

We've been here five hours but the little badger hasn't turned up, unfortunately.

It's most unusual.

And I'm hoping practice makes perfect as I help to move this bad-tempered croc.

Do be aware that these animals also have the ability to thrash,

so no faces anywhere near the head.

-So don't put it...?

-That's not a good idea.

In the last year, the RSPCA has dealt with over 11,000 animals dumped by their owners.

More often than not, the people have just moved house and left the animal to fend for itself, but that's not

the only reason for leaving your pet home alone, as we're about to find out in this next story.

'There's an urgent complaint, abandonment...'

In south-east London, the RSPCA has been tipped off about some dogs that have been locked in a flat.

'..Arrested yesterday evening...'

It appears their owner has spent the night in a police cell

for being drunk and disorderly so can't get back to care for them.

It is quite a concern of mine now that they possibly need to come out today.

RSPCA inspector Becky London is on duty and investigating.

There's no way of knowing what state these dogs will be in. Becky rushes straight to the scene.

After 15 minutes, she arrives at the property.

Hello, just to let you know I have found it. I'm at number three now, so I'm gonna have a look myself.

Becky's been told that as many as six dogs - two adults and four puppie - are shut inside this flat.

Hello, is there anyone in there? It's the RSPCA.

But everything seems quiet.

It's complete darkness in there and I can't even hear a dog.

If the dogs are in there and the chap has been arrested, who's gonna be looking after the dogs?

Then, there's a surprise.

The flat's owner, Robert, has been released without charge and has come

home with his dad, who breaks in as Robert has left his keys inside.

-This is your father and he's just...

-That opened easy enough.

Well, that opened so you've got entry now into your flat.

Becky is immediately concerned about the state of this flat.

-Can we come in?

-Yeah.

It's dark and dirty.

It's a bit smelly,

a bit pongy.

On top of that, the two adults, Storm and Sky,

are extremely boisterous and constantly bite Robert's dad.

Yeah, they're a bit hyper.

They've obviously just seen you.

Can I just have a quick look in this room just to see where the dogs were?

Oh, there's quite a strong smell of ammonia, urine, in here. Ugh.

The dirt on the bedroom floor may be understandable, given that the dogs have been left alone.

You probably want to open a window to get

some air in here. And there's quite a few faeces on the floor, Robert.

But then Becky finds something much more serious.

Oh, it absolutely stinks in here.

It seems Robert shuts the four puppies inside this wardrobe.

The smell is that strong, it actually makes me want to vomit.

And it's filthy.

The bedding's actually dry. I don't think there's any urine on this

but I suspect that there's been urine on the concrete floor at some point.

Right, so if you go out, are they locked in that little cupboard?

-Normally.

-And do you usually have a light on in there or are they usually in blackness?

That light was on when you opened the cupboard just now, wasn't it?

It's to stop them running around.

They're dogs, they're in a small environment. They've got to let off steam.

You haven't got a garden, which is not really ideal, having this amount of dogs cooped up in a small flat.

I mean, it absolutely stinks.

How can you live like this? Does it not get to you, the smell?

-It's not normally like this.

-Really?

Is it just because of last night?

I mean this is a really small area, isn't it? That's fine for one dog

but not two bitches and four puppies.

There's no ventilation. When that's shut... If that light's off, they're both...

You just lock them in a cupboard and that's not on.

You can't lock them in a cupboard.

-They do come out.

-Robert is clearly struggling to cope.

-Becky offers to help.

-The dogs don't normally come in here.

If I can get rid of the puppies for you, if I could take them

off your hands, you don't need to lock them in that cupboard any more.

So we can just close that off and you can use that for your clothes rather than keep dogs in the cupboard.

Robert agrees to let the puppies go.

Would they be able to take them today?

But first she has to find a centre with enough space to take them.

They're Staffordshire bull terrier cross Lurcher, eight weeks old?

-We've got four.

-Robert can't remember exactly how old the puppies are,

so he checks his diary, where one entry reveals a very sad story.

"19 weeks." What does that mean, 19 weeks, is that just...?

-It's 19 weeks being sober.

-Oh, right.

-When I got broken into, not yesterday, the day before...

-Yeah.

-..I had £237 saved.

-Right.

-All my non-drinking money.

-Right.

And they nicked it so I went on the booze.

Right. Are you on it again now, are you able to sort of...?

-I guess...

-You've done so well.

Robert had been sober for almost four months,

but when the money he'd saved from not drinking was stolen,

it pushed him over the edge.

It was this lapse that led him to leaving his dogs alone.

Hello, Becky speaking.

But at least now Becky can help.

Can they? Brilliant.

She's told space is available to take the puppies, allowing Robert to get things back on track.

That's fantastic, yeah. One of our centres can take the puppies today.

But as Becky begins to round up the puppies, Storm's behaviour gets worse.

Stop gnawing.

Are you OK? You're bleeding.

Yeah, probably caught my finger.

She repeatedly attacks Sky, the other Staffie.

If they're going be like that all the time, you're not going to be able to keep two dogs together like that.

Storm continues to be aggressive, attacking the puppies.

It's all right, honey.

This dog's actually quite scared of Storm so it's quite good

that the puppies are going cos they're getting terrorised by her.

Finally all four puppies are caught and Becky is able to take them away from the boisterous Staffie.

Outside, Becky is met by Robert's mum, Daphne, and the full extent of Storm's bullying comes to light.

If you have a look here, she's got a little nip on her head,

that would have been from Storm.

So I think it's best that these dogs are going now.

In a couple of months' time, that could be a child that the dog nips

and that won't be nice for the child or the dog.

The pups' father, Bambi, belongs to Robert's parents.

His presence only serves to wind Storm up even further.

Everyone helps to take the puppies to the van.

Really like you. Lovely, thank you.

For Robert, there are some words of warning.

If you can't control your dog, you need to get rid of her.

I wouldn't want her in my house, she wouldn't come in my house being like that.

Are you going to be at home with them, supervising them?

You're not going to be going out now to the pub or anything like that, are you?

I'm going to go home and tidy up.

Although Robert's life has taken a turn for the worse,

Storm and Sky are his companions and he doesn't want to lose them.

I will come back to you next week and we'll re-look at this situation

but at the moment I want to deal with the puppies.

Yeah.

But there's a long way to go if he's to have any chance of keeping them.

Coming up... The tiny puppies show all the signs of a traumatic past.

This is the little shaky one, this is the one that I think

was getting attacked by the older dog quite a bit.

And will this injured badger take the bait?

Wow, it's really a privilege to be so close to such an elusive wild animal.

Here on Animal 24:7 we do like to get close to the animals,

but every now and then I've ended up a little bit too close and have been bitten

by a beaver and cats, among others. Painful and inconvenient but little more than that.

Today, though, I'll be handling something that can deliver much more than a mere flesh wound.

This is Colleen...

..a spectacled Cayman crocodile.

With razor-sharp teeth and a tail that can deliver a powerful blow.

she's a creature I'd normally prefer to keep at arm's length.

You'll be able to see through the window in here.

'But today, Colleen is moving to a new home to meet a new friend, and I'm here to help.'

-Here she is.

-Yes.

Here at Beaver Water World, Stella Quayle has been caring for the croc for the past year.

I have now decided that she needs more to her life

than solitary confinement, I don't think it's fair.

They are quite a social animal.

Though it's going to be hard for Stella to say goodbye.

-So how are you going to feel when she goes?

-I don't want her to go, but it's for her...

Don't start!

But as I'm a novice reptile removal man, it'll be challenging for me too.

I know this croc has previously had a bad attitude.

This is Colleen in 2007...

Back then she was called Eggs...

..when she was rescued from a tiny shed with her friend, Bacon.

She put up a serious fight...

Gotcha.

..and even injured her mate's tail in the process.

Lost a bit on the end of its tail there.

And it seems her bad attitude hasn't changed.

She is a little bit feisty still, yeah.

She's very sneaky, she's very clever, she's very calculating.

There's only one man for this kind of job -

dangerous animal expert Mark Amey.

'He's going to take Colleen to his reptile centre where she can have some company.

'If I'm going to help, I need a full safety briefing.'

This looks like the sort of thing I've seen used with dangerous dogs.

Use it for all dangerous animals, and of course this crocodile is under the Dangerous Animals Act.

This is a Cayman grabber, they only close a certain way.

So you can get overzealous on the grip and you can't hurt the Cayman.

'Before I move on to the real thing, Mark has brought a more cuddly croc for me to practise on.'

Tell me what parts I have to look out for, and run through that process.

I think it's fairly obvious that the sharp bit at the front is the bit that we're going to avoid.

The tail also can do a little bit of whipping,

and obviously all of the scutes on the back

-are quite sharp.

-So how are we going to secure this again?

The gripper will go around the neck and we'll bring it out of the water. Then I'll restrain it downwards.

The loop's going to come off and then you're going to need to replace my hand with your grippers.

Then I can use both my hands to come up and secure the mouth.

-Right.

-You can then take some tape and you'll go around this area here.

Literally taping its mouth shut? It can still breathe?

You don't have to go really, really hard and tight, it's just to stop it from opening its mouth.

What I don't want to do is to stress the animals out

by faffing about. The Cayman's welfare is paramount.

'It'll be my job to carry Colleen and she's a lady I want to handle with special care.'

Hand under the forelegs so that it can't wriggle and struggle, and that's it.

-And off we go.

-And then do be aware that these animals also have the ability to thrash.

-Right.

So no faces anywhere near the head.

-So don't put it up...?

-That's not a good idea.

-OK, I think I'm ready, then.

-Good!

I can manage THIS one!

It's time to make our move.

We enter Colleen's territory quietly and calmly.

All right, Tom, are you happy?

Yes, -ish. 'I can't help feeling anxious.'

If it looks like she's going to thrash round then you've got a safe area there to climb on, OK?

This is not a very safe area!

'Mark's plan is clear and concise.'

We'll do this nicely and gently.

'But Colleen doesn't want to play ball.'

She's holding her jaw down, clever.

-OK.

-On the back?

-Yes, please.

Thank you.

Once Mark has Colleen restrained, it's my job to take over with the gripper.

OK, there's no pressure on it now.

-Off.

-Off?

Yep.

If we can get that away, now you can put the pressure on, please, Tom.

I'm now going to restrain her jaws under.

'Unsurprisingly...

'Colleen isn't too impressed with the idea of having her mouth taped shut.'

-Like that?

-Yeah.

'I'm not sure who's more vulnerable here - Colleen or me.'

-Is that enough?

-Very happy with that.

'Even though Colleen's business end is taped up, I'm having to disguise my nervousness.'

-OK, Tom, ready?

-I hope so.

-As we move house, you only get one go.

OK.

Here we go, under here.

-So... like that.

-That's perfect underneath there.

-Like that, and like that.

-I've got these if you feel strained.

-Does that look right?

-That looks good to me.

I'm tensing up holding her.

I only hope she doesn't decide to wriggle.

Feels absolutely amazing

to be actually touching and stroking a real crocodile.

You get a good feel of those plates now.

-Yeah.

-With the back of your hand.

-They're really hard.

When you see Colleen close up,

it's hard to believe she was once kept in a shed.

I'm going to lift her up slightly...

'Mark has a customised blanket specially designed to keep crocs calm.'

I just thread in like that?

Perfect, all the way in.

'Colleen is now secure and ready to go and meet her new friend.

'But bearing in mind how she treated her old mate,

'I can't help feeling a little anxious about how she's going to react.'

Coming up... Kid Croc is ready and waiting.

One of the most nerve-wracking things I've done.

This hasn't been done before, I'm hoping this will all go swimmingly.

And the frightened puppies finally get a taste of freedom.

This is probably the first time that they've actually seen the outdoors.

They're coming out of that stinking urine ammonia environment.

That smell was just awful and now it's just fresh air, absolutely lovely for them.

We pride ourselves on being a nation of animal lovers but the statistics tell a different story.

Every year dozens of wild animals are killed by snares. Some are legal, others are not.

But regardless of the legality, for those that battle to save these trapped animals,

seeing them in such agony can be the hardest part of the job.

Mike Winton and his wife, Sandra, have been feeding badgers in their back garden for years.

And the finishing touch, a custard cream each.

But now one of the visiting badgers seems to be in trouble.

Mike believes it has been caught in a snare.

You could pick out the glint of what looked like a metal band constricting it round the chest.

So I went out and took some photographs and there's a band where

the fur has all been rubbed away and it's obviously tried to get it off.

So we're hoping that we can get hold of it tonight

and do something about it.

They've called the RSPCA, who are going to help catch the badger.

First, Mike and Sandra must fill this trap with their usual spread of treats.

Then, after a few hours, Inspector Keith Hogman arrives for a late night stakeout.

He's hoping the injured badger will come back and take the bait.

Keith will then pull the string that operates the trapdoor and take the badger to the vet's.

I'll just settle myself down in this chair, I've got a bit of paperwork to do for a couple of hours.

Hopefully it won't be too long before the badger turns up.

So I've got a cup of tea, they've even laid on a paper on for me, the telly's on, so I'm a happy boy.

So all he can do now is sit and wait.

Badgers are elusive animals, they're very nervous around humans so we've set up a hidden

night-vision camera in the garden and Keith has to keep very quiet.

A couple of hours in, a hungry guest arrives but it's not the injured badger.

We've got one badger coming to the trap to feed,

not the badger that we're looking for.

Wow, I'm really privileged to be so close to such an elusive wild animal.

I'm just hoping the badger with the snare or the bit of wire round it does come along.

I'm sure it will.

The clock ticks on... and the badger doesn't show up.

Well, it's...five past one, or so, so we've been here five hours.

I don't know, the little badger hasn't turned up, unfortunately, which is most unusual.

That's just one of those things, they can probably sense something's a bit different.

So I'm going to pop off home to my bed.

So no result tonight, and Keith's cage has been rattled.

Oh!

I really don't like leaving things.

It's the next morning and Keith returns for a trip into the woods.

The injured badger has been playing on his mind.

He's concerned about the use of snares.

Badgers are a protected species and it's illegal to set snares that could trap them,

so Keith wants to investigate.

Mike takes him to the main badger sett.

Although he can't find any snares, Keith is concerned by some old wire fencing.

It appears to have been deliberately placed on top of the sett.

I've got no idea who's done this or put it there,

but with the wire turning up on the badger and this turning up,

I think there is foul play going on here. And badgers are one of our most protected creatures, you know.

It's wrong, people shouldn't get away with this.

His suspicions are heightened by a piece of old telegraph pole blocking an entrance to the sett.

It seems someone isn't happy about the presence of these badgers.

It just goes to show someone's been trying to disrupt this sett, perhaps move the badgers on.

Luckily enough for the badgers, it's easy digging here and as we've seen, there's loads of entrances.

Keith will keep an eye on this sett.

But, for now, the main concern is the injured badger. And as night falls, he's back at Mike's house.

This time he's not going to leave without it.

Tonight I think we're going to stay until light if need be.

Let's hope it's not that long, let's hope we get it before midnight.

But if need be, I'm willing to stay up that long.

Again there's early disappointment,

although not for the perfectly healthy badger

that turns up for another feed.

He knows we're here but he's not frightened of us.

I'm just hoping he's going to attract the injured one up.

Eventually, though, the injured badger does show.

This is the badger in question.

We've just got to be very patient now.

Keith can see the injury and it looks worse than he'd anticipated.

You can clearly see the wound on his back.

That looks bad.

It seems reluctant to go into the cage.

Given the ordeal it's suffered, this badger will be very nervous

and Keith doesn't want to startle it.

If it runs now, he might never get another chance.

Just move very slowly

and hopefully he will go into the trap to feed.

Eventually the badger falls into Keith's humane trap.

I'm going to let him start eating.

And Keith pulls the string to shut the door.

The badger is terrified.

Looking at the injuries, there's no time to waste.

Keith wants an expert opinion.

He rushes the badger straight to the vet's. The wound doesn't look good.

But the fact she's been eating and putting up a fight gives Keith some hope.

She's quite aggressive,

which is obviously good.

The badger is in pain after having wire wrapped round her for days,

and she's also frightened to be so close to humans.

Keith needs to hold the badger still

so vet Karen can sedate her and examine the wounds.

Once the badger's settled, Keith cuts the snare away

and the extent of her injuries become clear.

Oh, yeah, it's gone right underneath.

Keith has a closer look at the snare and doesn't like what he sees.

This was probably bought as a free-running snare, which is totally legal.

But it's been twisted round to make it into what I think is a self-locking snare.

So once it tightens, it just won't...it won't loosen.

So what I imagine happened,

she's pushed her way through and it's gone over her neck.

The snare's come away from its holding and she's obviously

been able to get away but the snare's still on her very tight.

The severity of this injury and the fact the badger is petrified

of people, means that treatment would just be too traumatic.

Personally, I think the wounds are quite extensive

and aren't going to heal, really.

-Yeah.

-They need a lot of work done and a lot of antibiotics.

-Yeah.

-So I think the fairest thing is to put her down, really.

-Yeah, I totally agree with that.

-It's a shame.

I think going by her age as well.

-Yeah.

-She's not a young badger.

Sadly the badger has to be put to sleep, but Keith can take comfort from knowing that if she hadn't been

spotted and brought in to the vet's, she'd have suffered a much slower, more painful death.

We've done the right thing for this animal by putting her to sleep.

She's not suffering now but someone knows who set this snare and has caused this to this animal.

So I'm going to look into that a bit further.

No animal should go through this.

Nothing should be persecuted like this.

These things are just disgusting.

If I had my way, whoever set this should be banged up for six months.

Later... the two Caymans reach a stalemate

in the battle to be top croc.

You're best off out, Tom.

Best off out, OK. What are you expecting to happen here, Mark?

I want one of them to let go.

Earlier in the programme we saw RSPCA inspector Becky London

remove four puppies from a flat in the south-east of the capital.

They had spent most of their lives locked in a dark and dirty cupboard,

and they'd been bullied by a rather boisterous Staffie called Storm.

Becky has now found space for them at a rehoming centre

but first they need a medical.

At Southridge RSPCA Centre...

..there's a reception committee waiting for Becky and the four tiny puppies.

Here they are. How nice are they? They're lovely, aren't they?

-Cute.

-They're hoping the dogs have travelled well.

Oh, you're the little frightened one, come on.

Oh, she's been a bit sick.

Kennel hand Anna Ridley begins the checks.

All little girls.

-Four girls, yeah.

-She looks OK.

The puppies spent most of their lives in a dark cupboard being terrorised by bigger dogs.

This is the little shaky one that I had at the beginning.

This is the one that I think was getting attacked by the older dog.

It's small wonder they're frightened.

They would have just been nervous of other dogs,

they could have just grown up being quite timid and just not themselves.

It's just not healthy for them just being scared all the time.

Each puppy is given a check,

microchipped,

and wormed. It doesn't taste nice...

They don't really like it, so you tend to get it spat in your face.

..but it can be a lifesaver for young puppies.

All puppies are keen to explore,

and slowly but surely these four begin to come out of their shells.

She just wants to go and play with her sisters, don't you?

That's what you're looking at, playing.

Ah, there. Oh, they're going to get such good homes.

Their lovable personalities are finally starting to shine through.

Absolutely brilliant. I mean, they're so lively, they're so playful.

I think they'll come into their own now.

They're in their own little element now.

They can be their own boss, basically.

The puppies will be put up for rehoming in a few weeks' time.

For now, it's out into the big wide world.

This is probably the first time that they've actually seen the outdoors.

They're coming out of that stinking urine ammonia environment.

That smell was just awful and now it's just fresh air, absolutely lovely for them.

The puppies will stay at the centre until they've had all their vaccinations.

Then they'll be on the lookout for new homes.

So the future is absolutely brilliant for these guys,

they'll all get rehomed really quickly, everybody wants a puppy.

Brilliant.

For Becky it's been a successful day,

but there's still plenty of work to do with the original owner.

Still to come...

A new life for the puppies, but old memories die hard.

She's a little bit wary of the dark, especially if we try and take her

for a walk late at night, she doesn't like going.

Earlier in the programme I helped capture Colleen the Cayman crocodile.

Caymans are social animals so Colleen was being taken

to meet a new croc in the hope they'd make friends.

But Colleen has a bad reputation so the big question, how will she react when she meets Kid Croc?

This is Colleen's new home...

..and this is Kid Croc, her new housemate.

He's a different type of Cayman from Colleen so they can't breed,

but it's hoped they can be friends.

'After a 2½ hour drive, I'm curious to see if Colleen's mood has brightened.'

Do you think she'll still be wrapped up in that blanket?

No, I don't think she'll be wrapped up in it, I think she'll be safe and secure and probably cuddling it.

-Throw the covers off?

-That's it.

'And Mark is right.'

There she is, still looks as still as ever.

But it always makes me a bit nervous, that stillness. I think, "Is she going to suddenly move?"

They're completely still and doing nothing,

and suddenly they can burst into an enormous amount of energy and power.

So there's no middle stage, there's not a kind of warning of beginning to move. It's either that or bang?

-Yeah. It's survival.

-Well, I'll let you get her out, then!

-Thank you.

And she's fine.

As soon as you've touched the animal, you can actually

guess exactly the way she's going to be, and she's absolutely fine.

'Colleen seems to be in a good mood, so I dare to get hands-on again.'

-On there?

-Yep, brilliant.

Hand underneath, hand on top.

Don't think I've quite got her right.

There we go, that's better. Then hand on there.

I may have done this before

but I wouldn't say I feel entirely confident.

Colleen may have a record for attacking her friends

but Kid Croc can also be temperamental.

Come on, Kid, back up.

Ah ah ah, back up, back up.

-'Mark goes ahead to make sure that Kid gives her some space.'

-OK, Tom?

Righto.

-This is Colleen's first chance to see her new room-mate.

-Sure.

'She's carried slowly towards the water under the watchful eye of Kid Croc.'

I'm just going to ask you to remove that tape.

It is with some trepidation that I take the last coil off this tape.

She's not going to suddenly snap?

No, I've got hold of her jaw.

I'm relieved about that.

How are you going to introduce her?

I'm going to introduce her down in that corner,

keep Kid over the other side so she'll go straight under the water.

If she goes under the water then he'll see her as another crocodilian rather than a food item.

How much concern is there that they won't get on?

It's one of the most nerve-wracking things I've done.

This hasn't been done before. I'm hoping this will all go swimmingly.

It would be a lovely environment for her. But we won't know until we try.

And if they start to fight, what can you do?

I'll have to step in and see if I can actually put the status quo in by telling them both off.

Good luck. I'll be watching from the other side of this wall!

A good place to be.

'But who's to say Kid Croc is keen to share his des res?'

Well, so far, so good.

Yeah, it's exactly as I would have hoped the reaction would have been.

So he's basically paid her no nevermind,

she's gone into defensive mode, gone straight underneath the water.

Being a male and a female there should be no animosity.

-Two males, it'd be a different kettle of fish.

-Oh, hello...

He's got a bit of leg there.

It's not as bad as you think, there's no thrashing going on.

You've got to wait for them to let go.

'The two crocs have arrived at a stalemate. It's a case of "I'll let go if you do".

You're best off out, Tom.

Best off out, OK.

'Minutes go by, yet neither croc seems willing to give in.

'Mark stays remarkably calm.'

Colleen's letting go.

-Have you dealt with this before?

-Yeah.

I'm amazed how hands-on you are.

What are you expecting to happen here, Mark?

I want one of them to let go.

'But no-one's budging.'

So far, they're holding

rather than biting in hard.

This one's just holding.

You mean it's like a...

-like a grip more than a real bite, hard bite to injure?

-Yeah.

'Finally there's a truce. Mark acts quickly.'

Now I'm hoping they've got that out of their system.

You can really see what supreme predators they are.

Ooh, she's just had another go.

Yeah.

He's got a little mark on the side of his face,

which I'm not worried about at all.

I'll have a look at Colleen's foot.

Not a single mark on it.

-Really?

-Not a single mark on it.

I think that happened through the thrashing, not the teeth.

So the teeth have made no marks, so it's basically,

"Who are you? I'm going to hold on to you till I find out what you are."

Sort of sizing each other up?

Yeah. And don't forget we've also invaded his territory,

so he's going to hold on to that thing and find out what it is first.

When you were trying to separate them, you just got right in there with your hands.

-Is there not a real danger that they might just have a piece of you?

-That's true.

But it's always after the event, isn't it?

I had no choice, I don't want them to get injured,

I don't want them to get harmed, and it's my responsibility because I've done all this.

The only way I could actually see to do that is to actually try and shake them out of that mode.

But your experience tells you that they're at least unlikely to turn on you.

-And I've also positioned myself where they can't get me.

-Right.

So how are you going to keep an eye on them for the next 24 hours?

See, these guys are predominantly nocturnal, so their active period

-is going to be when the lights go out and that's the period of time that I have to be more diligent.

-Right.

But it's also the period of time when they can get

to know each other on their terms rather than me forcing the issue.

It really will be 24:7 for you, then?

It really will be 24:7 for me, yeah.

All seems quiet for now,

but Mark will be keeping a close eye on the crocs, just in case.

I'm pleased to say that Kid Croc and Colleen have got over their

teething troubles and are now best of friends.

Now we're back with RSPCA inspector Becky London.

Earlier, Becky took four puppies away from a home in the capital.

They were being kept in a dark and dirty cupboard,

and bullied by a boisterous Staffie called Storm.

A week has passed since Becky met Robert and his dogs.

Today she's keen to find out if Storm and Sky's behaviour has improved.

She also wants to know if Robert is coping better now that he just has two dogs to care for.

How are you?

First impressions are good.

The flat is much tidier.

It's nice to see you've got a dog bed down,

that's brilliant.

They've got a tiny amount of water, you might want to...

just fill your water up.

And Robert tells Becky he's off the booze again and he's starting to get his life back on track.

Because of that binging drink I went on,

I've just about recovered.

-Right. Are you off the drink?

-Yeah.

It smells fresh, I can't smell urine, faeces, like I did last week. It was awful, I had to hold my breath.

Can I have a quick look at your room where the toilet was before and the urine?

And inside the bedroom, there are more improvements.

Oh, yeah, it just smells all fresh.

The area of concern was the floor, wasn't it? The urine was really strong, it was damp.

I was treading in faeces. That's brilliant.

You don't lock any dogs in the cupboard any more?

You use that for your own clothes now?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, because a cupboard is for your clothes, not for dogs.

Robert seems to be coping better,

but Storm and Sky are still provoking each other.

-Would you call this play-fighting when you see them?

-Yes.

Yeah, I mean Sky's giving as good as she gets now, isn't she?

I've been trying to stop them. Storm, get to bed.

Yeah. But I mean that's play-fighting, isn't it?

Storm, get to bed.

Both their tails are wagging.

-Well, she's doing what you say.

-Yes.

The dogs are noticeably calmer.

Coming in here, it's a different atmosphere. It just feels really quiet. A bit unusual.

But the dogs are actually well behaved when they want to be.

But Becky's still keen to see how much control Robert has got.

Bed. ..Storm.

She got on her bed and she's sitting, so she is listening to you.

That's really good, Robert, your dogs are well behaved.

Well, they're acting completely normal now, the way dogs should be.

The difference in a week is remarkable.

I think the dogs will be OK from here on in.

He walks them separately, he knows the dogs' limits now.

When they start to get nippy, he'll separate them, which is brilliant.

Becky is delighted with the improvements Robert has made.

See, look, now she's interested in the toy.

Well, done, Robert, you've done a good job.

And as Becky leaves, Robert isn't far behind.

-Storm.

-Another training session for Storm and proof that he really is

committed to keeping these dogs on the straight and narrow.

Forty miles away, in Luton, there's another happy ending.

-One of Sky's puppies, Lily, is also getting used to a new way of life.

-Come on.

Lily has been adopted by Darren and Kelly,

who quickly discovered she was one puppy who didn't want to be alone.

The first couple of nights, she had some separation anxiety from the rest of her siblings.

We had kind of tried to set her up in her own bed and give her an area,

but she didn't like it and she now sleeps with us in our bedroom.

-Belly rub?

-But despite these teething problems, Lily has won the hearts of her new owners.

She is adorable and she loves her cuddles. A really affectionate dog.

Part of the family, aren't you?

Half an hour away, Lily's sister, Summer, has also found a new family.

The Butterfields had been looking for a new dog after their old one died a couple of years ago.

We looked at all sorts of puppies advertised locally, pet shops, that sort of thing.

Couldn't really find anything that suited our needs, so we had a trip

round the RSPCA kennels and there we saw Summer.

Summer spent most of her early life locked in a dingy wardrobe

being terrorised by the older Staffie,

and it seems this is still playing on her mind.

She's a little bit wary of the dark, especially if we try and take her

for a walk late at night, she doesn't like going.

She's a little bit wary of some dogs but other than that she's pretty good with other people.

-She just wants to go and greet them.

-So thanks to Becky's hard work...

Hello, Sky. Are you coming to say hello?

..and Robert's determination to change, this story really does have a happy ending.

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

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

They are who we meet on Animal 24:7.

Next time on Animal 24:7...

Killing for kicks - a sickening attack on a family of swans.

It doesn't matter how many times you see it, the job you go to always affects you.

It shouldn't have to happen.

The tiny kittens who are missing their mum.

These kittens are going to die if we don't intervene.

They can't feed themselves at that age,

they need to be either bottle-fed by someone or ideally fed by Mum.

And are these fish about to go down the pan?

TOILET FLUSHES

A couple of goldfish in the gents as well.

It does give you something to look at, I suppose.

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