Episode 4 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...

-Hello?

-Catching up with an owner who's neglecting her pet.

Well, we've just been told by a neighbour that she came to the top of the street. When she saw my van

outside her property she went, which makes me worry that there's something wrong with the dog.

Rescuing the animals from a sanctuary in crisis.

People would come and dump animals at their front gates, tie them to the front gates.

It just got to the point of total saturation.

And I meet some old friends.

-One of the kites released the last time you visited us here...

-Oh, really?

-..in 2006.

-I give that bird its freedom!

-Absolutely!

Owning any pet can be a time-consuming business,

but if you choose to keep a puppy the demands can be even greater.

In Lancashire, the RSPCA have just received a call

about a young dog that isn't getting the attention it needs.

On a street in Wigan, concern has been growing over the treatment of a puppy.

The RSPCA has just received a call claiming that a young dog is not getting the attention it needs.

Inspector Lisa Lupson arrives to investigate.

I can hear the dogs barking.

They sound very distressed.

They've stopped now I've knocked.

Concern is growing.

Let's see if I can see anything.

There's a bit of a smell coming from the house.

With no-one answering she heads round the back.

In the yard, a neighbour spots Lisa.

Nobody in? You've not seen anyone for a bit?

He tells her that the dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier and he's concerned about its condition.

It was curled up on that chair there. That was the first time I've ever seen it.

-So I shoved a tray of water under the door...

-Yeah.

And it drank that down in one.

-Really?

-Straight down.

-What was its body condition like?

-Not good, thin?

-No, I would say thin.

Lisa is now even more worried about this dog.

Then she notices that the lock on the back door is broken.

Oh!

Hello?

RSPCA.

Hello?

I can't legally go in without the police, so...

But she has no idea when the owner will be back.

I will, thanks a lot.

She can't understand why the dog hasn't come to the door and wants to investigate further.

Hello, my name's Lisa. I'm an inspector with the RSPCA.

Could an officer could assist me at an address, please?

Then, as she's on the phone to the police, Lisa gets a tip off.

Some neighbours have just seen the owner walk straight past her own house.

-Just down that side of the...

-She's just gone.

Lisa gives chase.

We've just been told by a neighbour that she came to the top of the street, when she saw my van

outside the property she went, which makes me worried that there's something wrong with the dog.

So, apparently she's got an orange buggy so we're just going to try and find her.

At the end of the road there's no-one to be seen.

It looks as if the dog's owner has given Lisa the slip.

But just when hopes are fading...

Hello.

Can we just nip to your house?

-What for?

-About your dog.

(INAUDIBLE)

Yeah.

Well, we've had a call for one thing saying she's been abandoned,

that's obviously not the case, but I'm also concerned about the dog's condition.

We've had a call saying it's underweight.

Can I've a look?

The owner admits she's been away for 24 hours.

She lets Lisa into her house so she can check the dog over.

Let's have a look at her. Where is she?

You keep her in a cupboard? You can't even open your cupboard!

Lisa is shocked to see that the Staffie, a lively puppy called Chico,

has been locked in a dark cupboard under the stairs.

She has no food, no water and the floor is covered in urine and faeces.

Oh, it stinks in there! Can you not smell it?

There was no light in there, there's no ventilation.

That is disgusting. I could... I could prosecute you now for that cupboard. It absolutely stinks.

The owner explains that she's living on her own.

For Lisa it's obvious she's unable to cope with such an energetic puppy.

She wants her to sign Chico over to the RSPCA.

You've got a baby, you're on your own, a puppy is the hardest thing

to deal with anyway without never mind having a baby and being on your own.

Are you going to sign her over for me?

After several minutes the owner agrees to let Chico go to be found a more suitable home.

All right, thanks for being so cooperative.

All right, see you later.

This puppy has been locked in the dark for the last 24 hours.

You're a big girl! Are you a big girl?

She seems relieved to be out in the fresh air.

Really glad I've got her out today. It was so, so hot. There was no water in there.

She's probably gasping, actually. I might just give her a proper drop of water now.

The smell in there was horrendous.

It's no life for any dog, never mind a six-month-old puppy.

Right, in you get.

After being deprived of water in the cupboard, Chico enjoys a much needed drink.

Oh, good girl. Are you thirsty?

Lisa takes Chico straight to the rehoming centre to see a vet.

Living in such terrible conditions can be harmful to any dog, especially a puppy.

And Chico is in urgent need of a health check.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Right, I've got a little puppy for you.

Vet Stephen Gilmore begins the examination.

Let's have a look, Chico. Show us what you've got.

She has got a smell about her.

-Oh, yeah.

-She's a little bit thin.

When you feel her ribs there's no abdomen on her at all.

You can see the bones of her pelvis.

-She's very well-behaved considering she's lived in a cupboard.

-Yeah.

Not a very good start in life, is it?

Poor start and a very sad start.

Although Chico seems friendly, Staffies do have a reputation for boisterous behaviour.

This can make it difficult to rehome them.

-If you can look out for a new home for us...

-Yeah.

-..then that would be a nice...

-We'll see what we can do.

-Give her a better start in life.

-Right.

-Thanks very much.

-OK. Thanks very much.

-See you again. Bye. Bye.

But the staff here will do all they can to help.

Because what Chico really needs now is an owner who can give her the care and attention she deserves.

Coming up,

Chico's got a new lease of life, but will she be too much of a handful to attract a new owner?

There's a lot of Staffies out there that need homes.

Hopefully, we'll get the right owner.

Good girl. Yeah.

-And catching the kite.

-Yeah, we've got him now.

But is it ready for release?

He's doing that playing dead thing, they just go...urgh... and stick their tongue out.

It's very, very convincing.

For people who love rescuing animals, sometimes it's difficult to know when to stop.

A sanctuary in Sussex has taken in so many that they've now had to issue an SOS of their own.

It's a painful reminder that when it comes to caring for animals, simple good intentions are not enough.

At a farm on the outskirts of Chichester there are all the signs

of a charitable project gone terribly wrong.

This farm was set up as a refuge for unwanted and neglected animals,

but as more and more began to arrive

the owners soon found themselves overwhelmed.

There's a lot of very emaciated animals.

There's animals suffering disease.

Thin, stressed animals are far more prone to disease

and that's exactly what's happened here.

The owners have now asked for help.

With 30 horses, pigs and other animals at risk

a team of professionals need to act quickly before the crisis gets any worse.

People would dump animals at their front gates,

-tie them to the front gates...

-Or throw them over.

Or throw them over the gates because they couldn't cope.

It just got to the point of total saturation.

This is a huge rescue mission. Three charities and an army of volunteers

have been called in to pick up the pieces.

Take hold of the other side, Becs, will you?

The RSPCA, World Horse Welfare and HorseWorld

are working together to save these animals and give them a better life.

-Oh, well.

-That would be better, wouldn't it?

-Go for it, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, that's fine.

Oh, this one's already numbered five.

Come on, darling.

The condition of the horses here shows their intervention hasn't come a moment too soon.

They're generally all in very poor bodily condition.

They've got a thick winter coat, but underneath

this whole pelvic region is very prominent

and if you look between here how thin they are between the legs.

They're very, very matted in faeces and mud where they've just been in that barn.

And this one in particular is very weak on all its legs

and generally seems quite nervous and not very well handled at all.

Examples of how the owners were struggling to cope can be seen in every corner,

enclosures full of mud and dangerous metalwork.

And inside the barns, conditions are even worse.

The reason this location is so dangerous for horses,

we have electric cables that are live hanging down from the ceiling, we have obviously the mud.

They've got nowhere that is dry in order to lay down and to eat and rest.

The ends of the gates are broken off, there are bolts exposed.

The horses over the back there have been so hungry that they have chewed through all the boarding.

It is just totally inappropriate to keep any animals, particularly horses.

But it wasn't just the horses who weren't getting the attention they need.

These are quite interesting. They're from New Zealand, the kune kune,

and rather like pot bellies before then they became rather fashionable

as just sort of... As pet pigs. Pigs are specialised animals and they're not pets,

that's the truth of them, and it's only somebody who has got an agricultural establishment,

who could really consider taking on kune kunes as pets.

Away from their parents, the health of these two kune kunes has already started to deteriorate.

That one's got a cataract there and they've got quite flaky, so they've got some kind of skin condition.

We'll need to investigate that further. It might potentially be some sort of parasite.

Now the piglets are safe and will soon be getting the right treatment.

Although the animals are suffering, the owners have not acted maliciously.

They've simply had too many animals to deal with and at least they've asked for help.

Most of the horses will now get the treatment they need,

but there's one pony that may be too ill to save.

This mare called Biscuit is carrying a contagious disease which can prove fatal.

It's suffering from equine streptococcus, which is strangles.

It's not an unusual phenomenon with horses when they're packed together,

but this one is probably the worst of the lot and is a very, very sick horse.

And Biscuit's rug hides even more problems.

The horse is critically underweight.

As you see we've got... We've got the raised spine.

We've also got the effects here, underneath here of what we call

rain scald which is all this coat is going to come out at some stage.

This horse has obviously been out and if you run your fingers along it,

it's...like a hedgehog all the way along the back here.

And you can see the way in which we've got concave quarters here.

There's absolutely no muscle.

If you imagine that this horse should be totally rounded,

right round here. Obviously, if a horse is in this condition

when it contracts strangles it stands a lesser chance of survival

than a fit horse that contracts it.

The operation is drawing to a close.

The last horses are loaded into the lorries to begin their new lives.

Biscuit will have to travel alone and will be put

into solitary confinement as soon as she arrives at the recovery farm.

We've currently got a stocking level of 120 on the farm,

so it's important that we can keep any contagious diseases

completely isolated to our isolation unit. It is a very serious quarantine risk.

But as the animals are herded on to the lorries, staff realise

that some of the others are also showing symptoms of strangles.

The legacy of this sickness could take a heavy toll.

Later, vital tests for the rescued ponies.

I would be a little bit more concerned about him because it is likely that out of all of them

this is the one that will come back as positive for strangles.

And another day, another dog for Lisa Lupson.

Are you coping all right with her?

-Yeah.

-Are you sure, because she's a bit thin?

You can see her ribs and you can feel her spine quite easily.

Just outside a shopping centre is not where you might expect to begin a great wildlife experience,

but here in Gateshead you'll find red kites circling in the sky

above the shoppers searching for a bargain.

In fact, the scheme to protect and introduce the birds is so popular

it's even got its own bus service. I think I'll get on.

Morning!

This was the moment when the project to bring back red kites to the North East got off to a flying start.

Whoa! Beautiful, they both shot out!

Back in 2006 I helped as some of the 94 red kites were released into the Derwent Valley.

And they're circling the field, one going right, one going up and left.

The Northern Kite Initiative is part of a unique project to reintroduce

kites to an urban landscape where they'd been missing for 150 years.

Lovely, thank you. Bye.

And today I'm back with manager Keith Bowie to see how it's all gone.

The thing that's really struck me here is how you've got the people involved.

The bus is obviously an example and the people on it, they couldn't stop talking to me about the kites.

And that's really humbling when we actually realise just what level we've connected to local communities,

and it was actually right at the outset we said we had to have people at the heart of this project.

They had to help to deliver the project and it had to be for them, it wasn't just a wildlife project.

I was going to say, that I can see is good for people because they like the birds.

Is it good for the birds to have everybody know where they are?

Absolutely. And the measure is we have only had a single persecution incident

in the North East of England. Sadly, red kites are still one of the most persecuted birds of prey.

It's been a huge success.

The kites have settled in the area and many have bred.

I feel very proud to have been a small part of that.

And this one, it seems, is an old friend of mine.

So, the bird that's actually on the pylon is a green tagged kite.

So, that would have been one of the kites released the last time you visited us here...

-Oh, really!

-..in 2006. So that one's out there in the wild doing what kites are supposed to be doing.

-I gave that bird its freedom!

-Absolutely!

And, better than that, that bird now has babies in those trees just off to our left here.

-Can I have a look at that one?

-Yes, certainly, by all means.

The Northern Kite Initiative is now almost complete.

There it is there.

Oh, yes.

But there's one last captive bird to be set free.

We're heading to the project's nursery where a baby kite

which fell out of its nest has been nursed back to health.

Last time I came here we had to keep this place a secret, but now Keith is so confident

of the community support, he's happy for people to know, although it's still pretty well hidden.

And here he is, the last graduate of the northern kite academy.

Oh, he's fantastic.

And, boy, does he look ready to take off!

And as the red blanket goes down, our feisty friend is tamed.

-Did you get him?

-Yeah, we've got him now. Yeah.

He's doing that playing dead thing I remember, they just go, urgh, and stick their tongue out.

It's very, very convincing, but he's certainly alive and well.

-I can feel him breathing. He's...

-He looks very fine.

He's very healthy. I can feel he's a big, fit bird.

Well, let's get him in here, then.

Once the birds are released it's crucial for Keith and his team

to be able to monitor their progress and keep a track on their movements.

So, now it's back to Kite HQ to prepare our bird for freedom.

Right, Tom, if you could possibly just put that little bag

over his head and that will just keep him quiet.

After being weighed to make sure he's healthy enough for release...

1.04 kilograms...

He's ringed, then given a more visible tag in his wing which will help with day-to-day observations.

It goes around the front edge of the wing, so that goes very quickly straight through the bird's wing.

He doesn't even flinch, no pain or anything like that.

-Finally, he's fitted with a tracking device.

-It's a two-phase transmitter.

In case of emergency researchers can find out exactly where this kite is.

So what that essentially does is give us a bit of extra information.

When the kite is sitting like that it's perched, when it's sitting

like it's either flying, on a nest, or in the worst case scenario, lying dead.

The transmitter is attached to a harness on the bird's back.

It's less than two per cent of the kite's body weight and will stay there for life.

There is really no hiding place for this bird, is there?

Tags, two kinds and a transmitter.

He can't lead a secret life, can he?

He cannot, no. No, we'll know exactly what it's up to.

Keith's work is now complete.

It's time for me to say my goodbyes.

You'll be free in a few days.

Two days later and the kite is taken home.

As a crowd of press and well-wishers stand by, our bird is prepared for its date with destiny.

Five, four, three,

two, one, clear!

And after a few moments to get its bearings,

the last kite of this remarkable project finally heads for the sky.

Flying, very, very strongly. Clearly OK, so that's good.

But there's a tinge of sadness because this is the last, that's the end of the process.

Coming up, the rescued piglets enjoy life on the farm.

They are great pets. They are going to be with us

for a long time and I wouldn't let them ever go back to the state

they were in when we found them.

Earlier on we saw Chico, a young Staffordshire bull terrier kept in a dark cupboard at a house in Wigan.

Her owner admitted to RSPCA inspector Lisa Lupson

that she couldn't look after her dog and signed her over.

Chico is now waiting at kennels for a new home.

Meanwhile, Lisa has just received another call about another dog.

I've come to see you, I'm afraid.

We've had a call about your dog.

Can I have a look at it?

The dog Lisa has come to see is Lady, a Great Dane cross.

Can I just...

Can you bring him out cos I want to have a closer look?

Do you want me to shut this gate and then he won't run out, then?

This four-year-old's been reported to the RSPCA for being in poor condition.

Lisa can see that Lady is too thin and now she wants to know why.

Are you coping all right with her?

-Yeah.

-Are you sure, because she's a bit thin?

What are you feeding her and how often are you feeding her?

-Every day.

-Right.

She needs to put some weight on.

She's not that thin at the minute where I could prosecute you, but she's getting borderline.

You can see her ribs and you can feel her spine quite easily.

Although Lady's underweight, Lisa's willing to give this family a chance to prove they can look after her.

But then she's taken by surprise when they offer to sign the dog over to the RSPCA.

Just let me make some phone calls then and see if I can get a space for her

and then I'll come back with the paperwork, all right?

So, I'll just nip to my van and make some calls.

Large dogs take a lot of looking after.

This family's willingness to sign Lady over confirms Lisa suspicion that they are struggling.

-You've not got any other dogs, have you?

-No.

You're not going to get any more, are you?

With the paperwork complete Lisa can take Lady away.

She's huge.

She's strong, isn't she?

For this big girl, it's the big kennel in the back of the van.

In you get.

Lady's owners say goodbye.

Lisa knows this is for the best.

You're doing the right thing because there's obviously something not quite right.

She needs a lot of money spending on her in terms of the amount of food that she's getting.

Come on, then, sweetheart.

Nestled in the Pennines is the Lancashire East RSPCA centre in Accrington.

It's here where Lady will spend the next few weeks building up her strength

and where staff will decide if she's suitable for rehoming.

Hello, Lady. Have you been a good girl? You have.

She's really nice, really friendly dog.

She didn't make a peep in my van.

She seems really, really sweet.

Considering her size, a lot of people would be quite intimidated by her,

but, look, she's just wagging her tail, she's really happy and friendly.

Although the early signs are that Lady is good natured,

with a dog this big, the RSPCA can't take any chances.

Hello.

Lady's temperament will have to be put to the test.

Do you want to sign your name? Will you sign your name?

Good girl.

Every year the Lancashire East Centre takes in more than 200 dogs that need new homes.

Before Lady can join these in the kennels she needs a health check from deputy manager Steve Carpenter.

-Ribs are prominent, but they're fine.

-No fleas or flea dirt?

Nothing seen, no. We'll spray her anyway.

Ears?

A bit greasy, but clean.

Although Lady seems healthy, her lack of weight is still a worry.

-Come on, sweetheart, pop your bum on.

-So it's time to hit the scales.

About 27, yeah.

-27 kilos.

-A bit underweight, isn't she?

-She is.

Lady is ten kilos under her ideal body weight.

-Sit down.

-And her reaction to food says it all.

She's eating that fast she's almost bringing it back up.

Dogs of this size do need a large amount of food.

Yeah, they might just need one large bowl daily or twice a day

or three times a day, but they're going to need a large quantity which does costs a lot of money.

And people, when they realise that, either panic, don't feed the dog,

which could have happened in this case, and just give them what they can afford to give them,

or get to the stage where they can't cope and ask for our help.

And that's why we end up with, you know, a number of large dogs on the premises.

For Lady the next few weeks are going to be crucial.

She'll undergo a series of tests that will determine whether she can be found a new home.

But even if she passes there's a worry that Lady's size

and how much it costs to care for such a large dog could count against her.

Later, Lady faces the ultimate test.

She's doing fine. She's not bothered with the cat at all. We've got a couple here spitting at her.

I think she's more interested in the cat food that she is the cat!

At an animal sanctuary in the Sussex the professionals have had to step in to avert a crisis.

31 horses were discovered living in atrocious conditions

and at least one has a contagious disease called strangles.

Most of the ponies were taken to World Horse Welfare's farm in Norfolk where sadly one of them,

Biscuit, has since died from the illness and now it's feared another pony may be carrying the disease.

Three days have passed since the horses were rescued from the ailing sanctuary.

After being given full health checks most of them are now being settled

in much more comfortable surroundings.

But for Quest, it's not that simple.

After showing signs of suffering from strangles he's been kept on his own to protect the other animals.

We use the quarantine unit for any horses that we suspect may be carrying a contagious disease.

It's out of the way of the rest of the stock.

It allows us to completely isolate

the horses when they first arrive.

There are 120 other horses on the farm.

It's vital vet Andrew Williamson keeps this contagious disease under control.

Strangles is a respiratory infection.

Symptoms include high temperature, difficulty breathing and nasal discharge.

OK, that's fine. We'll bring him round so his head's facing the door.

Andrew needs to check for signs of the disease...

OK. Are we ready?

..and take a sample from the back of Quest's throat.

There's some discharge already.

It is just a sign that there may be a bit of an active infection.

Andrew's initial assessment seems to confirm his worst fears.

I would be a little bit more concerned about him because during the course of the endoscopy

where he's been sneezing, a fairly large amount of unpleasant looking mucus

has come out and it's likely that out of all of them

this is the one that will come back as positive for strangles.

If the tests do come back positive Quest will need a course of antibiotics.

For now, though, he'll continue to be kept away from the rest of the herd

until he's given the all-clear.

Several months later and the change in all the horses is remarkable.

Lynne Parkinson has been nursing the animals back to health and is delighted with their progress.

Hello.

They've settled in very well and we've been working on a daily basis, handling them,

getting them used to being caught up, having their feet done,

because some of them were quite nervous, so we had to work on that quite a bit.

For Quest, the antibiotics cured the strangles and now he's going from strength to strength.

He's put on a good amount of weight and his coat is very shiny and in very good condition.

Seeing the change in the ponies from when they arrived to us, the condition and mental state of them,

it's great to now see how they are relaxed and happy now that they're living with us.

250 miles away is HorseWorld in Bristol.

Staff here have been caring for the other ponies taken from the sanctuary

and they've also come on leaps and bounds.

But what about the other two rescued animals?

Meet Wilf and Wilma, the two kune kune pigs. They're cheeky...

PIGLET GRUNTS

-..noisy...

-Morning, guys!

..and have been keeping Kayleigh McLeod very busy.

The condition of these piglets were terrible.

They were only seven weeks old and shouldn't have been without their mother.

Both had skin infections and this little man had a really bad open sore on his hind leg.

They had to have medicated baths for about four weeks.

Wilma came away from the sanctuary with a few long-lasting effects.

We think

that she may have had a blow to the eye when she was younger.

We believe that she may be partially blind or completely blind in this right eye,

this could have been a birth defect or an accident that happened when she was just born.

But that hasn't stopped her and Wilf from learning a few crowd-pleasing tricks.

And, as you can see now, they love people.

They love coming out to play.

They love their scratches and down in their outdoor enclosure

they will actually roll over for you like dogs so you can scratch their bellies.

After being hand-reared, Wilf and Wilma now have a place of their own

outside where they've become firm favourites all round.

They are great pets. They are going to be with us

for a long time and I will make sure that they have a very nice home in the future

and I wouldn't let them ever go back to the state that they were in when we found them.

Finally, we return to the tale of two dogs in Lancashire.

Chico, a Staffie kept locked in a cupboard and Lady, a malnourished Great Dane cross.

Both were signed over to the RSPCA by owners who simply couldn't look after them.

Now comes the really tricky part, finding them the right kind of home.

Three weeks ago Chico the Staffie was being kept in the dark without food and water.

Now at a vet's in Wigan, she's growing in confidence.

They've assessed her personality and vet nurse Amanda Wright is confident that Chico is ready to move on.

She's got a really lovely temperament.

Loves everybody that strokes her, cuddles her.

She needs a good loving home.

Good girl. Yeah.

Needs a lot of exercise and a lot of wearing out, but she's very friendly.

Chico is full of life and that means she needs to find the right kind of owner.

We need someone that's prepared to spend a lot of time with her, you know, just to,

you know, house-train her and look after her, really,

because she's very lively and boisterous.

There's a lot of Staffies out there that need homes, which is a shame,

because a lot of them are really, really lovely dogs, but hopefully we'll get the right owner.

Good girl. Yeah.

25 miles away in Accrington, Lady, the Great Dane cross, has been piling on the pounds.

When she arrived at the RSPCA centre she was underweight.

Now Steve Carpenter is delighted with her progress.

Lady's weight gain has been amazing, actually.

It's 2.7 kilos just in ten days - quite an incredible weight gain.

If you think about that, that's about two-and-a-half bags of sugar.

With Lady's health back on track, it's time to put her through her paces

to see if she's suitable for rehoming.

Call. Good girl.

All aspects of Lady's personality need to be tested.

Lady. Sit!

First, following commands.

Down.

There are a few meet and greets with other dogs.

That was a play thing, her tail was going all the time.

She was wanting to play. She's shown no aggression towards the other dog at all.

Then it's the real test...

..the cattery walk.

CAT GROWLS

The cats aren't keen,

but the dog is the perfect lady.

She's doing fine. She's not bothered with the cat at all.

We've got a couple here spitting at her.

I think she's more interested in the cat food than the cats!

Lady's passed all the tests with flying colours.

There's just one potential problem.

The only thing that goes against her is her size and her strength.

A lot of people are looking for a smaller dogs that they can handle,

but I'm hoping her temperament and how brilliant she is will sort of oversee that she's quite a big dog.

Hopefully, this big friendly dog will find a new home soon, but, for now, this lady's in waiting.

A month later, for Chico the Staffie the dark days of being shut in a cupboard are now behind her.

SEVERAL PEOPLE LAUGH

She's got a new home with Stephen, Mandy and Samantha Merrell.

You're not quick enough. Yeah, got it.

Well, we lost our other dog at the beginning of the year and we thought

we'd leave it a little bit before we look for another one.

-You wanted a rescue dog, didn't you?

-Definitely, give something back.

The vet gave us a call and said "There's this little rescue dog in,

"would you like to come and have a look at it?" Staffordshire bull terrier.

We were a little bit unsure because we didn't know much about the breed

-and they've got a reputation.

-Yeah.

So we looked it up on the internet, found to our surprise

they were completely different to what we expected,

went to the vets, had a look at her for the first time, took her for a walk

and then decided, yeah, it would be a great addition to the family.

-And she is, isn't she?

-She is.

After such a traumatic start, things have turned round dramatically for this puppy and Chico time is up.

We didn't like the name Chico.

We didn't fancy shouting that down the park, so we had a think about it at first and I thought,

you know, something that's going to be more in the character of the dog and we decided on Ellie.

The Merrell family can give Ellie the attention she needs

and they've been going that extra mile to try and calm her excitable ways.

We've been watching The Dog Whisperer, you know,

trying to pick up tricks and I'm supposed to be the alpha dog!

Because I think she likes to be a little pack leader, doesn't she?

-Yes, yes.

-She's fitted in quite well. Very, very pleased with her.

I think we've chosen well...

-Yeah.

-..and been fortunate to have her.

But for every dog that finds a new home there's another one still waiting.

While other dogs have come and gone, Lady the Great Dane cross has been

looking for new owners for a month now.

But today her life is about to change, too.

Come on, we'll go and pick Lady up. Hiya.

-Hi, are you OK?

-Yeah.

Mr Holt come to pick Lady up.

Thank you.

Brian Holt is the proud new owner of Lady.

For this dog lover there was no other girl for him.

As soon as I came here I went to see the dogs and she was the only one that came up to the cage

and turned sideways on at the cage at the mesh and put her head right to the cage

and I put my fingers in and that was it, I automatically fell in love with her.

I had to have her. Brilliant dog.

This is a big day for Brian. He's brought his family along for the occasion.

Darren, could you bring Lady out, please? She's going home.

Have to sit down, Stephen, please, because it might knock you over this dog. It's a big dog.

It's time for Lady to meet her new owner and Brian can't wait.

Champion. I'm excited!

I feel good. I seem to have been waiting ages for her.

Hello.

It's been an unsettling few weeks for Lady.

It could take time to adjust to her new owner.

Good girl. She's a good girl.

But with a few reassuring words from Brian, Lady realises that she is in safe hands.

We're going home, now.

Take you home.

Yeah, and I'll take you out a good walk down there.

And in no time at all they seem like a real double act.

Yes, she's happy!

So, Brian's taking Lady home... or is Lady taking Brian home?

Back in Brian's street there's plenty of interest in the new neighbour.

I see it's taking you for a walk, Brian!

It's a big dog, isn't it? >

It's a bloody monster, aren't you?

-Oh, you've got a good dog there.

-Yeah.

-She's in!

Lady's going to be a popular addition to the community...

-Good girl.

-..and is certainly well-loved in Brian's house.

Over the moon. Over the moon. I think I've won the lottery.

I'll give her loads of love and I'll get a lot of love back off her, I know. I know that, I can tell.

I can feel it, you know? I really can.

I've always had dogs, I appreciate dogs, I love dogs, so,

you know, hopefully she'll live a long and happy life,

which I think she will.

So, two young dogs who both had a difficult start in life have now found loving homes...

Ellie!

WOMAN LAUGHS

..and they're lapping up the attention.

Sit! Sit! Give me your paw.

Yeah, good girl!

-Cracking dog, isn't she?

-Yeah.

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...

DOGS BARK

..scared and unsure, the young dogs leaving their sheltered life...

It's a problem of over-breeding and particularly of dogs like border collies

who can be quite difficult to train and need a lot of attention.

..an anxious wait to see if this baby will come round from surgery...

You want them to wake up after everything they've been through, but there is the odd time

where they don't wake up from the anaesthetic so it is always a nerve-wracking time.

..and on the frontline against smuggling, with Cleo the customs canine.

What interesting animal products has Cleo found?

-Recently she found a bear's foot.

-Well, that's absolutely illegal.

On so many levels.

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