0:00:02 > 0:00:04As a nation, we are just potty about out pets.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Lunchtime!
0:00:06 > 0:00:10We are unashamedly animal crackers, and I'm just the same.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- What do you think about that?- Oh!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15But you'll be amazed at the sometimes baffling lengths
0:00:15 > 0:00:17we go to for our pets.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18ALL: Surprise!
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Oh! Bertie, that was silly, wasn't it?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22The time...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Oh, that's lovely. Yay!
0:00:24 > 0:00:26..the money...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Holly looks like a princess. - She does!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31..not to mention the love.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Oh, yes, is that nice?
0:00:32 > 0:00:34So join me as I enter the extraordinary
0:00:34 > 0:00:38and often bizarre world of our pedigree pals.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39Hello?
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Lie down. Lie down!
0:00:51 > 0:00:53This week, we meet a shepherd with a difference.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58She's female, and battling to reach the top in a man's world.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You've got to have adrenaline.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02You've got to have that competitive spirit.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04You've got to control it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Lie down. Lie down. Lie down. Lie down!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10A dog once crowned the world's ugliest
0:01:10 > 0:01:13who's abandoned fame to help kids.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17He listens to your stories and doesn't walk away.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Every day, I'm excited to start reading again.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25We get my dog Baz's surprising DNA results back,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and I make one last-ditch attempt to win him over.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30He seems to only like ladies.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34So I said, "Let Ron dress up as a lady"!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39There's one furry animal that, for most of us,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43is completely out of bounds, and that's the bat.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Very few people are allowed to keep these endangered species,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50but we've found one extraordinary bat woman
0:01:50 > 0:01:52who is an exception to the rule.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57MUSIC: "Bat Out Of Hell" by Meat Loaf
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We are on the Isle of Wight,
0:01:59 > 0:02:04where an ordinary home has been turned into a unique bat hospital.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08This is Donna, who, with her husband Graham, has been running
0:02:08 > 0:02:14an extraordinary voluntary bat rescue service since 1997.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Well, this is our own home, but it's also a bat hospital.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20So we've opened it up to any bats that need caring.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26The impact on our life has completely overtaken everything else we do.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28So we can't go on holiday together, you know,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31we can't be away from the house for any length of time,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33so if we are going to do anything, it's got to be separately.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36You all right in there? I could hear you making noises.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Bats have been on the endangered animals list for decades.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Some of the 17 species found in the UK
0:02:43 > 0:02:45are even on the verge of extinction.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50Donna's passion is to rescue and save as many as she can.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53We've already lost the mouse-eared bat from this country,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57so that's extinct now, so we don't want to lose anything else.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02It all started for Donna when her son found an injured bat at school.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Little did she know then that the urge to care for
0:03:05 > 0:03:08these fascinating little creatures would lead her to be running
0:03:08 > 0:03:11her own bat hospital,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13putting herself on call 24 hours a day.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Each bat has a completely different personality.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Sometimes they're really nice, sometimes they're horrible!
0:03:21 > 0:03:22SHE CHUCKLES
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Donna rescues injured bats from all over the island,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28bringing them home to nurse them back to health.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33There are no complaints about the hospital food here!
0:03:33 > 0:03:35If you like mealworms.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39She's usually got around 50 permanent inmates in her hospital,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and another 20 waiting to be returned to the wild.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44PHONE RINGS
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Oh, hello, it's the bat phone.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Hello? Ah, you've got a bat?
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Is the bat dead or alive?
0:03:56 > 0:04:00To the rescue, Donna sends bat man Graham
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and his sidekick Ross out to investigate.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05In the past year, they've had 100 calls like this.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10As soon as that phone goes, you kind of get an adrenaline buzz,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13that's the only thing I...the only way I can describe it,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and when you're in the car, you just want everybody out the way.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17We really should get a siren, I think.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19You want to get to the bat as quickly as possible,
0:04:19 > 0:04:20you can't think of anything but -
0:04:20 > 0:04:22"I've got to get to that bat straight away."
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Now, it's illegal to handle bats
0:04:26 > 0:04:29unless it's to rescue them from danger.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30At the house they're going to,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Steven and Ann have found one in their back garden.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Flew down here and just,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38whether it was looking for that water in the pond there,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41but it landed in that bush over there.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Got a fishing net, caught it. - Sure enough, it was a little bat,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46we were a bit surprised to find it was a bat.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49They did the right thing, carefully moving it out of danger
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and calling in the licensed bat carers.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Right, so you've got the bat for us in this little bag, then?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- That's right, yes, yes.- OK.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58We caught him in the fish net.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Right, if I give you your net back.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Thank you.- And bag.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Awww, he looks smaller now.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Oh, you're...you're a bit feisty, aren't you, mate, eh?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Yeah, it's a pipistrelle.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13- See, look, he's taking water, look. - Oh, good.- Yeah.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15For him to fly down this time in the afternoon,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- that means he didn't get home last night.- Right.- Yeah.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20So he had a late night last night, so he's been probably,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23then he probably saw the water then and thought, "I need a drink,"
0:05:23 > 0:05:27- and didn't make it, so... - Made it.- Yeah.- OK.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30They're taking the little pipistrelle back to the hospital
0:05:30 > 0:05:32for Donna to have a look at.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Has it survived a brush with death? We'll find out later.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42MUSIC: "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Next, we are off to Cumbria,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and the home of sheepdog breeder and trainer Katy.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I have a real passion for my dogs. I adore them.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Katy is celebrated in the shepherding world
0:05:54 > 0:05:58as the first and only woman to win One Man And His Dog.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Even though that was way back in 1989,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Border collies still dominate her life,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and she's still driven to be the very best at sheepdog trials,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11but she's got one unfulfilled ambition -
0:06:11 > 0:06:15to win the English National Trials with one of her dogs.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19I have a good bond with them, because I have them from pups.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21They've known my every tone of voice.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22They know when I'm sad,
0:06:22 > 0:06:27when I'm a bit nervous at a sheepdog trial, or I'm excited.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28They just know me.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Today, she's putting young Zak through his paces on the fells.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41He's just 15 months old, and he's never entered a trial before.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47He just needs a bit of tuning up for going to the trial.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49He's still a bit raw, but Katy thinks
0:06:49 > 0:06:53young Zak has "future champion" written all over him.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59He's full of fire. He wants to go, he wants to please you.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01He'd work all day, he loves it.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Away. And off he goes.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Nice and fast, like a bullet out of a gun.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Training can take up to nine months,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12but Katy clearly loves it as much as Zak.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15To have the honour of being here is just heaven.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20It's so peaceful, it's magical. It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22All Border collies, not just Zak,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24instinctively know how to herd sheep,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and Katy's keen to show us.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Hello, my little puppies. Oh, I love you! He's a big lump.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34One of her latest puppies, Ralph, is just 12 weeks old
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and she's going to introduce him to sheep for the first time
0:07:37 > 0:07:39with an older dog, Tsabo.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Got some quiet sheep in that paddock there.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I'm just going to see if he shows some interest.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47He's straight to them!
0:07:49 > 0:07:53He has got this herding instinct, and we're not forcing him
0:07:53 > 0:07:56to do anything, he's just looking at the sheep ready to herd.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It's incredible.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00The hunting instinct to bring the sheep towards
0:08:00 > 0:08:03the leader of the pack, in this case, the shepherd,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06has been inherited from their wolf ancestors.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09You know, we get the credit for training these dogs,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11but it's all there, it's in them.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14But the instincts found in all these dogs,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16including our trainee champion Zak,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18have to be worked on by Katy to get him
0:08:18 > 0:08:22to herd sheep only on her command.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Lie down. Lie down!
0:08:24 > 0:08:29But out on the fells, Zak sometimes just wants to do it his own way.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Lie down!
0:08:31 > 0:08:33SHE WHISTLES
0:08:33 > 0:08:37I'm constantly whistling to him, cos he's full of beans.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38He hasn't been worked for a bit.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40He's like a bull in a china shop, slightly.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42They're not moving very well.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44They don't want to go over this water,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48so this is where he's more inclined just to give them a bit of a nip.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Hey!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Oh, dear! Looked like Zak tried to bite one of them there.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So we don't want that happening at the sheepdog trial.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00I'd be disqualified for that.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Zak's first trial is in just a few weeks.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Can Katy temper his unruliness
0:09:05 > 0:09:08so that he does well and earns a place in the National Trials?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10We'll find out later.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Steady!
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Now, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and that is certainly true of pet owners
0:09:18 > 0:09:20when they're talking about their beloved animals.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25I'd like you to meet one dog now who will melt your heart.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29We're off to Cambridgeshire
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and the home of a rather unique eight-year-old dog,
0:09:33 > 0:09:38who has achieved awards and celebrity status for being ugly.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Mugly, as he's called, is a Chinese crested dog,
0:09:44 > 0:09:50and in America, he was crowned the world's ugliest dog of 2012.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54And it's Mugly, all the way from the UK!
0:09:54 > 0:09:58His owner, Bev, is as proud as punch about him.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03The World's Ugliest Dog Contest is all about representing rescue dogs
0:10:03 > 0:10:08that are normally overlooked in a shelter over there.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10What they're trying to say is, "You can have a lovely pet,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13"it doesn't matter what they look like,
0:10:13 > 0:10:14"so let's celebrate ugly."
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Mugly's looks earned him an incredible year in the spotlight,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21as the most unlikely canine superstar imaginable.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27One legacy of his year of fame is Mugly's extensive wardrobe.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31He's a sort of David Beckham of the dog world.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36These are his little tracksuits he wears when it's a bit colder.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39In the summer, I always put a thin T-shirt on him
0:10:39 > 0:10:43to protect his skin from the sun, and in the winter he freezes,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46so things like this with legs at the bottom.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49A lot of people think it's ridiculous, and say, you know,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52"You should go and buy a doll if you want to dress your dog."
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I usually do explain, and I lift his top up
0:10:55 > 0:10:58so they can see he's completely hairless,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and then they change and they're quite sweet afterwards.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05# You don't know you're beautiful
0:11:05 > 0:11:08# That's what makes you beautiful. #
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Now that Mugly has retired somewhat from public life,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17he's got himself a job, and it's a most surprising one.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19As soon as I put his uniform on,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21he changes from being playful and silly
0:11:21 > 0:11:25to "Right, come on, I'm ready, let's go",
0:11:25 > 0:11:27and he's all very professional.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30On Wednesdays, you'll find Mugly at school,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and what he does is actually quite remarkable.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35He helps children to read.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38What are we reading today?
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- Odysseus And The Wooden Horse Of Troy.- Oh, excellent.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45"There was once a great war between the Greeks and the Trojans.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48"It lasted ten years, but the Greeks won in the end..."
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Children like Yustus, who's originally from Lithuania,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55are sometimes called "reluctant readers".
0:11:55 > 0:11:58They can read, but aren't very enthusiastic about it.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Amazingly, they find that reading out loud to Mugly
0:12:02 > 0:12:04really boosts their confidence.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06"They kept arguing about it,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10"hoping the...that Achilles would turn up..."
0:12:10 > 0:12:13He's a very sweet boy. He's really opened up,
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and he, he really enjoys reading his books now out loud.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20He spends so much time with Mugly and, you know,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22while he doesn't realise he's doing it,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24but he's got his arm round him and,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and he's stroking him, and...and it's lovely.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30He's, he's probably, out of all the children,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33the one that's made the most progress.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Mugly has not only helped 50 children to improve
0:12:37 > 0:12:42reading like this, he's also helped special needs adults too.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I mostly didn't like reading, but reading with Mugly helps me.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50He listens to your stories, he doesn't walk away.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56Every day I'm excited to start reading again.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59"'Meet our hero, Odysseus,' said the Greeks..."
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Children often relate to Mugly very well
0:13:02 > 0:13:05for the simple reason that he is different.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09They often feel different, because they're having trouble reading,
0:13:09 > 0:13:13maybe they might look different.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18Yustus knows that Mugly is not going to judge him at all,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and with that, the confidence has bloomed.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23# I am beautiful... #
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Back at home, Bev has settled down into a quiet life with Mugly
0:13:27 > 0:13:30after his year of being the world's ugliest dog.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35His stardom may be behind him, but he's still her number one.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Mugly means everything to me.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41He's the sort of dog that,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45if he was human, he'd be boyfriend material.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49The mothers would quite like him when he comes round, you know.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52He kind of gets under people's skin and they all,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55everyone falls in love with him, it's really quite sweet.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Awww. I told you he'd melt your heart.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04'How I wish my rescue dog, Baz, was able to show me
0:14:04 > 0:14:06'the same sort of love as Mugly does.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09'Baz is adorable, but there's something that's stopping him
0:14:09 > 0:14:12'bond with me like my other dogs have done.'
0:14:13 > 0:14:15I know, it's ridiculous, isn't it?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18'We suspect he was maltreated before he was rescued,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22'but I'm wondering if genetic traits from his breeding
0:14:22 > 0:14:25'might also explain why he's shut me out.'
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- He almost behaves worse when people are watching him with me.- Yes.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32To prove how cruel he can be.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34You're beautiful, boy.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Baz! So he's very, very, very attached to Anne,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and I think he is attached to ladies more than men, certainly.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46But Anne is his love of his life. It's very sweet, really.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50I mean, we've both spent so much time with him, me as much Anne,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53if not more, when I go out there and everything,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56but he's got a definite opinion about me.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Hello, Ronnie.- Hello, how are you?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I'm fine, thank you. Good to see you again.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Nice to see you.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06'Last week, top dog expert Caroline, secretary of the Kennel Club,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09'came to try to identify what breed Baz might be.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14'She took a DNA swab and she's come back today to give me the results.'
0:15:14 > 0:15:16We sent the tests away to America.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17I know!
0:15:17 > 0:15:21And it's come back, and I think we were pretty close, really,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- because we've got Baz down here.- Yes. - We've got his two parents.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- Yes, I think that's right. - At the very beginning, is it?
0:15:27 > 0:15:31His parents are made up from this side, we've got the schnauzer.
0:15:31 > 0:15:37- Yes.- And then grandparents, mixed breed and the Border collie.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- Yes, right.- And then at the great-grandparents stage,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42we've got all schnauzer,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44mixed breed, Border collie.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48So, this is fascinating. Baz has Border collie in his blood.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Caroline's got a surprise for us,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and has arranged for collie breeder Vicky
0:15:53 > 0:15:56to bring around Sevvi for us to meet.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58- He is supposed to be, you know, part of his life line.- I know.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59- Not this dog.- Yes.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01But this breed of dog.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- Yes, he's looking.- Baz, come and look at your breed of dog.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06# Walkin' the dog... #
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Baz wastes no time in making friends,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11which is lovely to see.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Oh, yes, it's beautiful.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Now the extraordinary thing about collies like Sevvi
0:16:19 > 0:16:23is that, bred sheepdogs, they are famous for being loyal
0:16:23 > 0:16:26to just one person, normally the shepherd,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29as we saw earlier in the programme with Zak and Katy.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Perhaps the collie in Baz might explain
0:16:31 > 0:16:33why he's only bonded with Anne.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- Oh, my goodness. Oh! - Baz is so happy,
0:16:37 > 0:16:42I'm thinking a doggie playmate might really help him, and me.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Every dog we've had here, he has loved,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47so I think we probably will get another little mate.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- And it would, it would give him confidence as well.- Yes.- Yes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52And give him someone to play with,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55because I'm very old to run up and down the garden.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Maybe Baz is a one-woman dog,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and I just wasn't ever going to get a look in,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03but Anne's got a cunning ploy.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06I said, "He seems to only like ladies,"
0:17:06 > 0:17:09so he said, "Let Ron dress up as a lady"!
0:17:09 > 0:17:12He's done it a number of times.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14I think he might...I think Baz might see through that.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Yes, we've found a little bit of a costume
0:17:17 > 0:17:19that might just, you know, fit the bill.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23THEY LAUGH
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Have I got it on right?
0:17:25 > 0:17:26Let me see, darling.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35But Mary, how many headdresses like this do I have? About 11?
0:17:35 > 0:17:39- Yeah, about 11. - Oh, where's he gone? Is he hiding?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- No he's, he's... - He's outside.- Oh, right.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I'm not sure Baz is fooled, but it's a huge relief to discover
0:17:46 > 0:17:49that his aversion to me is nothing personal.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Experts say he will adapt to me in time,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and he will benefit if we do bring
0:17:54 > 0:17:58a bright and confident doggie playmate into the family.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59Watch this space.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Back on the Isle of Wight,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and Graham and Ross return to the bat cave.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11I mean, the bat hospital,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13the charitable rescue service run by Donna.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Donna examines Brunel, the little pipistrelle bat,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20rescued from the garden pond.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25Just checking it's a male, and it's a very well-endowed male.
0:18:28 > 0:18:324.6. He's really large but he's very thin,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35if you see what I mean, so I'm not happy about his weight,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38because I reckon this bat should be at least five or five and a half grams.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Hello, my little darling.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42I still find them amazing.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The fact that this bat's never seen me before,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48and half an hour ago he was being picked up,
0:18:48 > 0:18:49and now suddenly he's eating
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and he's quite calm and sitting in my hand.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55He's checked for injuries.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Oh. We have a hole here.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00This bat has been caught by a cat.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Serious injuries are dealt with by a local vet,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05but Donna can nurse minor injuries,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and this one should be on the mend in a few weeks
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and returned to the wild.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Let's just hope it's just what I call superficial damage.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14When the antibiotics kick in,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18hopefully he'll make a full recovery and go back to the wild.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19In there, fella.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Depending on the injury and how, you know,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24what's happened to the bat, then we have to test fly bats,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26because we can't put a bat back to the wild
0:19:26 > 0:19:27unless we know it can fly properly.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29so we have to test fly them to make sure,
0:19:29 > 0:19:30and we give them marks out of ten.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Today, it's Dazzle that's getting ready to take off.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36He was rescued six weeks ago,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39after another wing injury inflicted by a cat.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40# Come fly with me
0:19:40 > 0:19:43# Let's fly, let's fly away... #
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's a myth that bats are blind.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48In fact, they can see almost as well as you and me,
0:19:48 > 0:19:53but they use echolocation for flying and hunting prey in the dark.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I'm now going to put him on the floor
0:19:55 > 0:19:57and see if he can take off from the floor.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Well, I'm no expert, but to me that looks very much like flying.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Do you see an improvement, Ross?
0:20:06 > 0:20:11Yeah, brilliant, yeah. Really good, turning perfectly.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14He's doing very well. I say we give him a six out of ten today.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17A few more days, I would say, perhaps a week.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Yeah, about a week, probably be perfect.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23In fact, Dazzle was successfully released two weeks later,
0:20:23 > 0:20:28but I'm sad to report that poor little Brunel died of his injuries.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31But a setback like that won't put Donna off.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35If we start going, "Oh, we can't do this any more,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37"we're getting too old and it's too tiring,"
0:20:37 > 0:20:40and the phone goes and everything goes out the window,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42and we just want to get to that bat as quickly as we possibly can.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51To Weston-super-Mare now, and the home of Michaela,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54owner of some curious mini-pets
0:20:54 > 0:20:57that are certainly cute, if not cuddly.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59African pygmy hedgehogs.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Hedgehogs are a massive part of my life.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03I spend several hours a day with them.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I have four children myself.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08My eldest is 14 and my youngest is eight,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10so I don't have any babies any more
0:21:10 > 0:21:14and I find that it appeals to the maternal side in me,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16having the babies.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19When they give birth, it's always, you know, an emotional time
0:21:19 > 0:21:22when you hear the first little squeaks coming from the nest.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Hello. What have I got for you?
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Her home has become a hedgehog nursery
0:21:28 > 0:21:31with its permanent patter of tiny feet.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Even the adults are minuscule,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35just a quarter of the size of the European hedgehog
0:21:35 > 0:21:38that you might find in your garden.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Michaela's love for hedgehogs started two years ago
0:21:42 > 0:21:46when she found a sick one while she was out walking her dogs.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50She nursed her back to health and was hooked.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52When she went back to the wild, I really missed her,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55just missed watching her funny little ways,
0:21:55 > 0:21:56and I went online and discovered
0:21:56 > 0:22:01that you could get African pygmy hedgehogs. I was like, "Wow".
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Started off with one, then I got another one and my husband said,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06"No more," and before he knew it,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08we had 18 in the house.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Even with a house full of them,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Michaela just can't stop making babies.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Today, one of my females, Tilly, is ready to mate.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21She has had one litter before and it was a success,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and this time we're going to put her with a male called Arol.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27He's a lovely apricot boy.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Hopefully, she would like to make some babies with him.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Now, this doesn't always go to plan and things could get quite prickly.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42I'll just pop him down with Tilly and we'll see what happens.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Although Arol looks a little wary,
0:22:45 > 0:22:50he's actually a very experienced stud and has mated ten times before,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53but that's no guarantee of success.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55# Let there be love... #
0:22:55 > 0:22:57HEDGEHOG SQUEAKS
0:22:57 > 0:23:00The noises he's making mean that's he's interested.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03That he's obviously aware that she's a female
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and that he'd like to mate. If she is interested,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09she will lie down with her spines flat,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12but it could take him a little bit of work for her to accept him.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Arol finally makes his move.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Goodness.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27# Let their be cuckoos
0:23:27 > 0:23:29# A lark and a dove... #
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Hedgehog males are fairly romantic.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34At the end, he won't just go away and leave her,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36he will actually cuddle up with her.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39It's really sweet to see at the end.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43# Let there be love. #
0:23:43 > 0:23:48It takes just four and a half weeks for baby hedgehogs to be born.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Today, Steph and Adam have come to choose one of the latest brood.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- Hiya, Steph?- Yeah, hi. - Good to meet you, come on in.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Thank you.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- That's another little boy.- Awww.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Now, when they're little...
0:24:01 > 0:24:02They're really soft.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06They're fairly soft and when they're happy, they're soft as well.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08I wanted to get one originally cos I saw an advert on TV
0:24:08 > 0:24:11with all these little miniature hedgehogs
0:24:11 > 0:24:13running around the supermarket, and then since then
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- I've been trying to persuade him to let me have one.- Since then, yeah.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20They're easy-to-keep pets with no fleas or smells,
0:24:20 > 0:24:26and will live for four to six years, although a baby will cost £125.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29He's really cute. He seems to be like the one
0:24:29 > 0:24:31that has taken to me the most.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36All being well, at seven weeks, he's yours.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I can't help feeling that once this litter has gone,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43it won't be long before Michaela's mothering instinct
0:24:43 > 0:24:45propels her to breed some more.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48There's something very special about hedgehogs.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51I think it's the sort of animal you think that you wouldn't
0:24:51 > 0:24:54have a relationship with and you do. It's just amazing.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57She's just pooed on my hand!
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Yes, I think we'll leave it there.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Oh...I'm covered in poo and wee.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Right, wellies on.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12We're in Cornwall, at one of the preliminaries
0:25:12 > 0:25:16for the English National Sheepdog Trials.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19The air is full of whistles, excited dogs
0:25:19 > 0:25:23and poor sheep who don't know whether they're coming or going.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Katy has come all the way from Cumbria with young Zak.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30She's hoping today that they'll earn a coveted place in the nationals.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Zak, Zak, Zak, hop. Good boy.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Now, let's make you look nice.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36But this is all new to Zak,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and he's got a dangerously impetuous nature.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Just go steady and enjoy it all.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I'm going to get more fur off you, then you can run like the wind.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50There have been sheepdog trials like this since the 19th century,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52and this is a typical course.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55The judges award points for how well sheepdog and handler
0:25:55 > 0:25:57get the sheep through the gates.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Nice straight lines are what they're looking for.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03A tricky bit is shedding,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06splitting two sheep off from the others.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08And finally getting them into a pen.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12It's still quite rare to find women shepherds,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14so all eyes are on Katy.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17I'm getting all nervous now.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21You've got to have adrenaline,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24you've got to have that competitive spirit,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26but you've got to control it,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and even though I've done this for 30 years,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32I still get the little tummy nerves.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I want to win it.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Zak has to come first or second to get a place in the nationals.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Come by.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Katy's hoping he doesn't pick up on her nerves.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Steady. Steady.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45SHE WHISTLES
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Zak, Zak, Zak, Zak.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Zak gets them through the first gate.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Lie down, lie down. Lie down, Zak.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Driving the sheep away from Katy
0:27:03 > 0:27:07goes against the sheepdog's instincts, but Zak's doing OK.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11But he fails to get them through the next gate.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Or the one after that.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18KATY WHISTLES
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Now the tricky shedding, splitting two sheep off.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29Lie down. Come by. Lie down, Zak, lie down, lie down.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34This...lie down, this...this, lie down, lie down.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Oh, no!
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Lie down, lie down, lie down.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Looks like Zak's overreacted and bit the sheep that was running away.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44That's just what Katy didn't want to happen.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46Oh, Zak.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I'm afraid that's game over, instant disqualification.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Katy's disappointed, but you can't break the bond she has with Zak.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01It was all against me. Everything that could go wrong went wrong.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06That's trialling. I still enjoyed it. There's always another day.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08He's my boy, aren't you?
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Since we met Zak, he has done quite well
0:28:13 > 0:28:16in all the subsequent trials that he's taken part in,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and I'm pleased to say he's now qualified
0:28:19 > 0:28:22for next year's national trials.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24So, well done him.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26For now, it's good night from me.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd