- 1 day ago
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00:00I'm Pete Wicks, and I can't believe it's my last week at Dogs Trust.
00:12Yeah!
00:18It's been a privilege working with these real-life heroes,
00:21who I now proudly call my friends.
00:24Love you.
00:27Love you.
00:29With over 14,000 dogs cared for each year...
00:32Go to your little foster home.
00:34..I've been just a tiny part of some of their stories.
00:37It's been stressful, it's been nerve-wracking.
00:40They seemed a bit crazy, didn't they?
00:42Oh, I didn't need any help with that.
00:45The amount of work that goes into every new intake is undeniable.
00:49Perfect, what a good boy!
00:51Are you passing another test?
00:54And I'm constantly reminded that even in the most simple of cases...
00:58She's had a few issues with drinking an awful lot of water.
01:01Every rescue can take an unexpected turn.
01:04So how do you go about kind of the fostering side of things then?
01:07At the rehoming centre in Leeds...
01:19Come on, baby!
01:20..the team are all busy with new arrivals.
01:23Big...
01:24..and small.
01:26And I'm here to see Hanla Amy and beautiful Bella,
01:30who was recently handed in.
01:32Bella, who's here?
01:34Hello!
01:35Oh, puppy, look at you.
01:38This is Bella.
01:39Bella.
01:40She's a four-year-old Labrador.
01:42We think possibly cross Dalmatian, we're not 100% sure.
01:44OK.
01:45And her vet check showed her to be in good health,
01:48apart from being very overweight.
01:50You're a chunky monkey as well, aren't you?
01:52She is a little bit, so obviously we're trying to get her on a diet
01:54and we're trying to give her as much exercise as we can.
01:56So what are we doing with Bella today?
01:58We're going to be doing a snapshot assessment,
02:00so we can get her up for adoption and get her out as soon as possible.
02:03A snapshot assessment evaluates things like confidence,
02:06social skills and walking.
02:09Oh, don't mind us, Bella.
02:11Oh, yeah, you just...
02:13Lovely.
02:14Excellent.
02:15Real life.
02:16That was nice.
02:17OK, so what's first then, Amy?
02:18Some dogs don't know how to walk on a lead,
02:20so we're going to go for a little wander.
02:22Come on then, Bella.
02:23Come on.
02:24She's pulling there but there is a bowl of water.
02:27She's clearly parched.
02:29She's sniffing and things.
02:31She's wagging, she seems really relaxed.
02:32That's brilliant.
02:33She's a lovely-looking dog.
02:35She is.
02:36Good job.
02:37Hi.
02:38Oh, you're really well-yoked.
02:39Yeah, she's really, really nice.
02:41First test passed.
02:43Next is to see how she's around other dogs.
02:46So we're about to meet Otis.
02:48About to meet Otis, who's coming from this way,
02:49so if I take her off you...
02:50Yep, absolutely.
02:51Otis is a very boisterous young pup,
02:53so we'll see if she's going to have a really adverse reaction to him.
02:58Wow, good job.
03:00Let's not jump on Bella.
03:02She seems absolutely fine.
03:04So we can see she's very waggy.
03:06She's not put off by his boisterousness,
03:08about him jumping on her.
03:10This is quite a tough test, really,
03:11because that's a pretty boisterous dog, young dog.
03:13Yeah.
03:14So her reaction is really good.
03:15Her reaction, yeah, she's looking like she really wants to interact.
03:17Good job.
03:18Well done.
03:19Is that good?
03:20This is pretty good.
03:21Pretty good, yeah, yeah.
03:22I would say a tick on this one.
03:23So the fact that she is as relaxed and as friendly as she is,
03:26is a really good sign.
03:28No.
03:29Good girl.
03:30Come on then, this way.
03:31The assessment continues inside with some toy testing.
03:35Good girl.
03:38I mean, she seems very polite.
03:39Yeah, we need to make sure that she's not going to be grabby,
03:42she's not going to be snatchy.
03:44She's bringing the toy to you, she's leaving it,
03:45she wants to interact with you.
03:47Can you drop it?
03:48Can you drop?
03:49Can you drop?
03:51Can you sit?
03:52Can you do where's your paw?
03:53Yes, good girl.
03:54Now you're just showing off, Bella.
03:55Now you're just showing off.
03:56This is a pass on the toys.
03:58Are you passing another test?
04:00Are you passing another test?
04:02Just have a little drink and it's thirsty work, innit?
04:05She might be good with toys,
04:07but putting them away is another thing altogether.
04:10Bella.
04:11Let's put the toys away.
04:12We don't need no more toys.
04:14Look, no.
04:16Bella.
04:17Bella, we'll get the toys later.
04:19Bella.
04:20She's very good at opening.
04:24Good at this.
04:25Bella.
04:26What are you looking for?
04:27And shut the door.
04:28Bella.
04:29We'll maybe get them out later.
04:30Good girl.
04:31So even though she does love toys
04:32and she obviously wants to play with them,
04:33that's because it's, you know,
04:34saying that she really loves,
04:35she still listens.
04:36Yeah.
04:37Have we potentially found the perfect dog?
04:40I mean, I don't want to...
04:43Well done, Bella.
04:44An A-star student if ever I saw one.
04:46Is there anything left?
04:48Just to fill in the paperwork and find a new home.
04:51And I reckon she's going to be the world's
04:53easiest dog to rehome.
04:55Oh, and the answer, well, who would have guessed?
05:00Could be something as simple as this.
05:05Down in Basildon, however, I'm about to meet a dog off-site
05:09who's proven to be quite the opposite.
05:11Hello, my love.
05:14Hello.
05:15Road trip.
05:16I'm joining behaviorist destined to go and meet Crumble,
05:22who came to Basildon from another center three years ago
05:26and has been up for rehoming ever since.
05:29Crumble's one of your favorites, isn't she?
05:31Yeah.
05:32Why?
05:33Just brilliant, Pete.
05:34She's a bull breed.
05:35Yeah.
05:36Big tick from me.
05:37I love a bull breed.
05:38Yeah, I'm with you.
05:39And she's been in kennels for such a long time.
05:41She hasn't had one single bit of interest
05:43and the team believe she's never lived outside of kennels.
05:47There's a chance that she may have never actually been in a home.
05:50Is that right?
05:51Potentially, yeah.
05:52To find out how she'd actually cope in a home,
05:54Crumble's been staying with staff member Katie for a couple of nights.
05:58Katie works for Dogs Trust, doesn't she?
05:59Yeah.
06:00She's not, like, technically not a foster home.
06:03Has Katie just fallen in love with Crumble?
06:04Yeah, she's an adoption advisor,
06:06so she's kind of in charge of helping find Crumble her forever home.
06:11So it just allows her to get a little bit more information on Crumble.
06:15Obviously, like, you know, Katie's fallen in love with her.
06:17You have a lot of people in Basildon have fallen in love with her.
06:21Yeah.
06:22Why isn't she getting any people that are interested?
06:25In all honesty, people tend to go for the dogs
06:28that are all wiggly and happy at their kennels.
06:30Yeah.
06:31She just doesn't sell herself
06:32because she can be worried by new people a little bit.
06:35Hi, grummy!
06:40Come in, come in.
06:42Come on up.
06:44Good girl.
06:46Well done.
06:47I don't know how you feel about, obviously, her with the mother on.
06:51I think if she can settle for a second...
06:53Yeah.
06:54..then we can take it off.
06:55That's fine.
06:56I just want to make sure she's not whiffing at people.
06:59Four-year-old Staffy Box-A-Cross Crumble is settled by Katie.
07:03You're amazing, aren't you?
07:05Yes, you are.
07:06I reckon you could probably take it off,
07:08as long as you've got hold of her lead.
07:09Yeah, I've got hold of her lead.
07:11Katie, how's it been?
07:14I've had her just over about three, four days now.
07:18She has adapted so well
07:21because we don't know if she's ever been in a home before.
07:23Yeah.
07:24It's so good for the dogs
07:25that have obviously been in kennel for such a long time
07:27to come out and actually experience being in a home.
07:29Yeah, and it just gives us a bit more of an understanding as well
07:32of what they're going to be like in a home.
07:34In kennels, Crumble is very reactive to her surroundings
07:38and it's putting people off.
07:40I just think because she barks, when people walk past her,
07:43people are like, oh.
07:44She doesn't sell herself, does she?
07:45No.
07:46But it appears, in a home environment,
07:48she's behaving much better.
07:50She is such an intelligent dog.
07:52She is feeling a bit overwhelmed.
07:54Yeah.
07:55She won't sit here, she'll sit over there instead.
07:57So she's making the choices to take herself away
07:59and have a minute.
08:01Yeah.
08:02Looking at her now,
08:03are there any kind of body language things
08:05that you're kind of noticing?
08:06Yeah.
08:07She is a little bit worried at the minute.
08:09You can see she's giving Katie all of her focus.
08:12She's a little bit more panty.
08:13Kind of, if you watch her ears,
08:15sometimes they're sticking right upright
08:17and then they're going a bit flat.
08:18Her tail's wagging because she's getting food.
08:20But it doesn't mean she's 100% comfortable.
08:22The fact that she's done so well
08:24is honestly really reassuring to hear.
08:27We didn't have any of this information on Crumble
08:29and we weren't really sure if she could do it or not.
08:31We had faith.
08:32But to actually see her in a real home environment,
08:37it's just lovely.
08:39She will make such an amazing dog.
08:41She has so much potential.
08:43I mean, since we've been here,
08:45you haven't stopped smiling.
08:47But you...
08:49Yeah.
08:50You've never seen her in this environment?
08:53No.
08:54You've never seen her being a normal dog?
08:56Normal dog, yeah.
08:57Once she builds a bond with you,
08:59she is a proper cuddle monster.
09:01Whenever she's laying here with me or laying up there,
09:03every time I look at her,
09:05her little tail wags and it's just so huge.
09:08That's really sweet.
09:09And you know when you just kind of...
09:10It melts your heart.
09:11Have you fallen in love with her a little bit?
09:12I'm smitten.
09:13You really have, haven't you?
09:14I'm a bit smitten, yes.
09:15Yeah, you fully, fully, fully have.
09:18Yeah.
09:19This poor dog is trapped.
09:21She's not been rehomed because of how she is in kennels,
09:24but she's not going to improve unless she gets a home.
09:26Fostering might be the only thing to help her,
09:29but even that isn't going to be easy.
09:32Sometimes having a little break
09:34and then going back into kennels can be more tricky for some dogs.
09:37If she struggles going back into kennels,
09:39then we wouldn't foster again,
09:41just because we don't want to kind of
09:43bring our stress up and down all the time.
09:44Would you potentially be looking for
09:46kind of a long-term foster?
09:49I would love to find a long-term foster for Crumble
09:52if somebody would love to take her.
09:57It's just finding the right person.
10:11Time flies by in the yellow and green...
10:16Shall we try cutting through the office and go in that way?
10:19Yeah.
10:21Crumble has returned to the centre after her stay with Katie.
10:24Good girl.
10:26The good news is that she's transitioned well back into kennel life.
10:30You're so good, aren't you?
10:32Hello.
10:33Which opens her up to further foster opportunities.
10:37The bad news is that there's no foster or permanent home on the horizon.
10:42She really does want to be loved.
10:45She's such a loyal, smart, intelligent dog.
10:49She just gets overwhelmed sometimes.
10:52Any home would be very lucky to have her.
10:54After a successful first-ever homestay,
10:57there's a spring in everyone's step,
10:59including Crumbles.
11:01However, the training needs to continue
11:03to help her chances of ever being able to leave the kennels for good.
11:07Lovely. Right, if we start walking...
11:09She's not great with dogs,
11:10so we've been working on muzzle training,
11:12doing some engaged, disengaged,
11:13to getting her to look at dogs.
11:15And then when she doesn't react,
11:16getting her to come back to us and reward.
11:19But yeah, she's come a long way from the dog
11:21that we got three years ago.
11:22It's just crazy that she's been here that long.
11:26It's not long before I get to see for myself
11:28how Crumble feels around other dogs.
11:31Are you worried about something over there?
11:33What's this?
11:34Ready. Just give her a minute.
11:36We're going to head that way, Pete,
11:37just because there's a dog over there
11:39and Crumble is not the biggest fan.
11:42She's displaying signs of being very reactive to other dogs,
11:45so Becky quickly responds.
11:47Do you want to go back that way then?
11:49Yeah, sorry.
11:50We're just going to move out the way
11:51and give her some space from him.
11:52Can you find her?
11:53Look.
11:54Come.
11:55I'm going to go walk around.
11:56Can we go this way?
11:57Yeah.
11:58Go.
11:59Nearly, mate.
12:00It's okay, puppy.
12:01She might just need a minute.
12:04But the team have learnt how to calm her down
12:06and make her feel at ease.
12:09Good girl.
12:10She's lovely, though.
12:11She is.
12:12She's very misunderstood.
12:13Aren't we all?
12:14Yeah.
12:15We all.
12:16She's obviously a very sensitive dog
12:18and there's behaviourally,
12:19there's a few little things about actually to get past that.
12:22All it takes is a little bit of patience,
12:23a little bit of time and a lot of love.
12:26I know you're so afraid to sing
12:29but baby, that's my favourite time.
12:32Over the next few weeks,
12:33the more I train with Crumble,
12:35the more I understand what's holding her back.
12:40She's just one of those dogs
12:41that can be quite sensitive to different things
12:43and it's not because she's, you know,
12:44a bad dog or anything.
12:45She's just quite a sensitive girl.
12:47Oh, I'm sober from perfect.
12:49I get so insecure.
12:54When people knock at the door,
12:55she barks at the door.
12:56But what we're going to do
12:57is we're going to teach her an alternative behaviour.
13:01I have such a soft spot for that dog.
13:06Rambo.
13:07Great.
13:09Good job.
13:10Yes.
13:11From when I first met her
13:12when she was really unsure
13:13to spending time with her
13:14and you can see how much love and affection
13:16she's got.
13:19Hello.
13:20Hello, baby.
13:21How are you?
13:23It genuinely makes me a little bit emotional
13:24thinking about the fact
13:25she's been here for three years.
13:27She loves you, Paige.
13:28Are you my best friend?
13:30Yeah, you're my best friend.
13:32Not one person,
13:33not one family has come and said,
13:35do you know what?
13:36I want to take a chance on that dog.
13:39And that is heartbreaking.
13:43Yes.
13:46She doesn't get practice at meeting new people, really.
13:53Because she's not getting those needs and stuff.
13:55So it's nice to be able to introduce her to, like, you
13:57and, you know, build that confidence in her.
14:01I love her.
14:02I really do love her.
14:03Like, I've got goosebumps.
14:06How am I doing, ladies?
14:08Good.
14:09Missed a spot over there.
14:10Oh, sorry.
14:12The patience has finally paid off
14:13and now I've earned her trust,
14:15crumble is really coming out of her shell.
14:17Keeping you warm
14:23I'll be the keeping you warm
14:24Are you sitting on my foot?
14:26Are you sitting on my foot?
14:27I've got to stop doing that voice.
14:29I can't help.
14:30I've got a crumble voice.
14:31I've got a crumble voice.
14:33Yeah.
14:34Oh, he's so nice.
14:35I'm genuinely obsessed with that.
14:36It baffles me.
14:37It upsets me, the fact that she's still here.
14:40Yeah.
14:41She's institutionalised here.
14:42Like, that's all she's ever known.
14:43She doesn't really ever leave the gates.
14:47Crumble needs more time outside of kennels
14:49to help her find a home.
14:51So fostering could be her best shot.
14:53It's just finding someone who's willing to, you know,
14:56come and get to know her first,
14:57let us do a few home visits.
14:58Like, we need to take the process a little bit slower
15:00than we would for any ordinary dog.
15:02Mm.
15:03So it's just finding people that are committed
15:05and happy to put the F in.
15:08And so how do you go about kind of the fostering side of things then?
15:14So we'd have to sign you up as a foster carer
15:17and get you all...
15:18I mean, I didn't say me. I mean me.
15:20I mean, I know who you're meaning.
15:21I'm obsessed with her.
15:22I'm obsessed, I'm obsessed, I'm obsessed.
15:26No, what are you thinking, P?
15:28You've got two dogs of your own already.
15:32Hopefully, a stray who's recently arrived
15:34is exactly what I need to distract me.
15:38Hello, guys.
15:39You all right?
15:40Who is this?
15:41This is Jay.
15:42He's just come in to us here at Dog's Trust.
15:45Aw, look at that.
15:46Hi, Jay.
15:48He's a few years old.
15:49He's not middle-aged,
15:50although he does look a little bit of an older dog.
15:52He's just got a slight little underbite with his teeth.
15:54Slight.
15:55I'll tell you what, though.
15:58He gives him loads of character.
16:00He looks like an old man.
16:01Yeah, he does look a little bit older, bless him.
16:03Oh, he's too cute.
16:05He is a great kid,
16:06and he's been a lovely boy with us today.
16:08Oh, you're so cute.
16:09I mean, based on the way he is with people
16:11and being handled now, obviously,
16:12we don't know his backstory,
16:13but as a kind of stray,
16:14the chances are he's probably been in a home before.
16:16I would say most likely.
16:18So it might make kind of the prospect of rehoming him
16:20a lot, lot easier.
16:22Jay was moved to Basildon from another centre
16:25who had noticed something of concern.
16:27The previous rescue found that he had
16:29what's called an enlarged prostate.
16:31That is a little bit unusual.
16:33It's not something we tend to see often in male dogs.
16:37So what would an enlarged prostate be caused by?
16:40Some neutered male dogs use a lot of testosterone.
16:43Okay.
16:44So you can get a benign enlargement to the prostate,
16:47which gets resolved when he gets castrated.
16:50So if he's neutered,
16:51that should solve it if it's all fine.
16:53The other cause for Jay's issue
16:56could be a more serious one in the form of a tumour.
16:59Okay, so if it's good news,
17:01you're going to take these nuts?
17:03That's it.
17:04You thought the underpipe was bad.
17:06The only way to determine the cause is a prostate exam,
17:10and vet Mark is the one to answer the call.
17:13See you later.
17:14Hello, Jay.
17:16Good boy.
17:18I think we'll give you a little privacy on this one, mate.
17:22Good boy.
17:23Good boy.
17:25Good lad.
17:26Well done.
17:27I'm sorry.
17:28Good boy.
17:30Good boy.
17:31Good boy.
17:32Okay.
17:33It looked like his prostate was a little bit enlarged,
17:36but most likely hormonal in cause.
17:39So by removing the testicles, removing his testosterone,
17:42in theory his prostate should revert back to normal.
17:45So I guess that's good news?
17:47Man, what a hell of a year it's been.
17:50But Jay's rehoming will have to be put on hold.
17:53Keep on blood, but I just tell you.
17:56Up in Leeds, A-star student Bella,
17:59who I was convinced would be in a home by now,
18:01could have also run into a problem.
18:03Amy's noticed that since she arrived she's been drinking.
18:07Just have a little drink.
18:08Just have a little drink.
18:09That's thirsty work, innit?
18:10And going to the loo more than normal.
18:12Lovely.
18:13So I'm taking her for a vet checkup with Nurse Vicky.
18:17Hello.
18:18Hello, Bella.
18:19Very excited Bella for you.
18:21Hello.
18:22How is she?
18:23She's good as gold.
18:24So I've been asked to bring Bella to see her
18:26to find out what's going on with her.
18:28Yeah, she's had a few issues.
18:29She's drinking an awful lot of water
18:31and wean an awful lot as well.
18:33So what could that be down to then?
18:35So it could be obviously the weather's a lot warmer at the moment
18:38so she could just be drinking more because of that.
18:40Yeah.
18:41Diet comes into it as well.
18:43Dogs that have been fed on a dry food can drink a lot more.
18:46But there are things like diabetes that we need to check out as well.
18:49A symptom of that is drinking a lot and passing a lot of urine.
18:53So what tests will you do to find out?
18:55Well firstly we're going to start doing urine testing
18:57when she has her first wee of the day
18:59because her kidneys should be able to concentrate that urine overnight
19:02and if it's still really dilute then that means
19:04that there's something not happening correctly.
19:06And if it does end up being diabetes
19:09that's going to make it a lot more difficult for her to be rehomed.
19:12She'll need a special home.
19:13Yeah.
19:14And there will be a costume vault.
19:15Oh puppy.
19:16You're so beautiful though.
19:18Yes you are.
19:19Until we know what the problem is,
19:21Bella can't go up for rehoming.
19:23OK then.
19:24Well I'm going to take her back.
19:25OK.
19:26There is one thing.
19:27We do need to start getting the urine samples.
19:29So, if you could just, when she goes for a wee,
19:32if you could just try and hold it under
19:34and see if you can collect any urine for us.
19:36You just want me to hover?
19:38Yeah.
19:39Hover while she hovers.
19:40I'm getting all the best jobs at the minute.
19:42I know.
19:43Yeah.
19:44It's lovely, isn't it?
19:45Good girl, Bella.
19:46There you go.
19:47Let's go to the toilet.
19:50OK.
19:51Here we go.
19:52Let's go to the toilet.
19:56Shhh.
19:57Shhh.
19:58Shhh.
19:59Shhh.
20:00Shhh.
20:01Shhh.
20:02Shhh.
20:03Shhh.
20:04Does that help?
20:05Can you go to the toilet?
20:06No.
20:07You just want to play.
20:08Ready.
20:09Go.
20:10Go to the toilet.
20:11Ready.
20:12Go.
20:13Who wants to go for a toilet?
20:15You want to go for a toilet?
20:16Oh, go, go, go.
20:18It's quite hard, if I'm honest with you.
20:25You're going to need to do that again, darling.
20:28Come on.
20:29We can go again.
20:30Have some water.
20:31No, don't drink that.
20:32Drink this one.
20:34Loads of water.
20:35Yeah.
20:36Come on.
20:37Come on.
20:38I think I've missed my chance here.
20:44Oh.
20:45Not quick enough.
20:50They're going to be so disappointed in me.
20:53They're never going to let me collect wee again.
21:07In Leeds, Bella and the team are doing a really great job of showing me right up.
21:13When I see a mystery before me.
21:17There you go, Pete.
21:18That's how you do it.
21:20But I'm rising above it.
21:22You are anyone.
21:23And I'm going to get a quick update on how Bella's getting on.
21:26Hi, Pete.
21:27How are you doing?
21:28How are you?
21:29Someone's happy to see you.
21:30Oh, yeah.
21:31I know.
21:32It's so lovely.
21:33Oh, it's so nice.
21:34Look at this.
21:35You're doing lovely.
21:36Bella.
21:37Come here.
21:38Yes, thank you.
21:39Good girl.
21:40Mate, she looks incredible.
21:41She does, doesn't she?
21:42She has.
21:43She's lost over two kilos.
21:44Two kilos?
21:45Yes.
21:46She's doing brilliantly.
21:47Oh, you're such a good girl.
21:48But what about that wean problem?
21:50So, did anyone manage to get a urine sample?
21:53Because it wasn't my finest hour, mate.
21:56Did you raise the neck to it?
21:57Because I was on my hands and knees underneath.
21:59You were pretty quick.
22:00Not quick enough.
22:01Yeah.
22:02Maybe it's been an angle thing.
22:04Is it an angle?
22:05Yeah.
22:06It was.
22:07Yes.
22:08Actually, they did.
22:09They managed to get a urine sample and that was sent off for testing.
22:12Oh, boy.
22:13So, what's the next steps for Bella, then?
22:15They've been running a few tests on her.
22:17We've been monitoring her urine.
22:18She's coming in here, chilling out with me.
22:20And it means I can keep an eye on her a little bit closer and keep an eye on the whole
22:24water intake and urination and just see how we're doing.
22:27I mean, it's a shame because we kind of thought she was going to be in and out.
22:30She passed all the tests with flying colours originally, didn't she?
22:33She did.
22:34But we need to make sure that everything's okay medically before we put her up for homing.
22:38Off we go.
22:40Good girl.
22:41Once she goes up for homing, she'll be gone in a heartbeat.
22:44She's so good.
22:46Come on.
22:47Come on, Bella.
22:48The more I hang out with Bella, the more I see how she's going to be so easily rehomed.
22:54But it immediately makes me think about poor Crumble, who's been here in kennels for three
23:01long years, because she's just a bit misunderstood.
23:04I've got to do something to help.
23:06Hello, Crumble.
23:07You got that power over me.
23:09My, my.
23:11Everything I hold dear is eyes in those eyes.
23:15You got that power over me.
23:17Hello.
23:18Hi.
23:19You all right?
23:20I have got things to talk about.
23:21I know the only one on my mind.
23:24Oh, this looks formal.
23:26I'd like to foster.
23:28A foster, foster, foster?
23:30Yeah.
23:31So a formal, on the books, fosterer.
23:33Do you know who?
23:34I know you've been spending quite a lot of time with Crumble.
23:37Is it Crumble?
23:38Really?
23:39Yeah.
23:40Do you know what?
23:41Like, in all seriousness, she's one of the dogs here that I think I am most happy around.
23:45But also makes me the saddest.
23:48Yeah.
23:49And like, I would like, I would like to spend a bit more time with her.
23:52Oh, that's really cute.
23:53That's really lovely.
23:54All right.
23:55So you'll need to sign up as a fosterer.
23:56Yes.
23:57We would do something called a home trial.
23:59The guys would bring her to you, make sure that she settles in okay, bring her back here again.
24:03And if all of that works, then we would go, yeah, that's great, let's do an overnight.
24:07So does that sound all right?
24:08Yeah, absolutely.
24:09Anything.
24:10It's high stakes for her, you know, it will help us to get her into a home.
24:15Yeah.
24:16You know, it will help show people that dogs like Crumble are still worth a shot.
24:20Whatever you need.
24:24Paperwork, Mr Wicks.
24:25Paperwork.
24:26She wears a muzzle as you know out and about, so it'll be making sure that you're comfortable putting her muzzle on and off.
24:31I'll wear one too so she doesn't feel alone.
24:34Becky's going to help me learn how to put a muzzle on, something I haven't done before.
24:38And Crumble isn't the easiest to students.
24:41She has been quite a challenge to muzzle train.
24:44As a team, it's taken us probably about a year.
24:47She will walk in it now, so we're pretty much there.
24:50But it's still a slow process, like we can't just rush into it.
24:54Good girl, well done.
24:56So the scary part of it is not necessarily putting her nose into it, it's when it's fixed to her.
24:59It's when we do it on, yeah, when it's clipped up, ready to go.
25:02It's taken you a year to get her to this point?
25:05Yeah.
25:06She needs to be on lead and muzzled in public, because she's not aggressive or anything.
25:11But it's the jumping up, the being silly, which can sometimes be, you know, misinterpreted.
25:16But actually it's coming from a place of worry.
25:18It's primarily a signal for other dog walkers when they see a dog with a muzzle, I'll give them a bit of space.
25:23And she is a very strong dog. When she's scared, you know, she's a lot to handle.
25:28Yeah, she is.
25:29But I love her.
25:30So if I give you that, I'll just get some more cheese.
25:32So what's the process?
25:33What do I...?
25:34I'll talk you through it.
25:35Right.
25:36So if you hold it out and say muzzle.
25:37Muzzle.
25:38Is a good girl.
25:40Yeah.
25:41Oh, you dropped the cheese.
25:42Did you even get that?
25:43No.
25:44It's quite hard to get it through there, isn't it?
25:45It is a bit, yeah.
25:46Crumble, muzzle.
25:47There you go.
25:48You got it?
25:49You got it?
25:50Yeah.
25:51And then what do I do?
25:52Just feed it through the...
25:53Yeah, just a little bit.
25:54There you go, darling.
25:55Is that nice?
25:56Yeah.
25:57There you go.
25:58There you go.
25:59That's it.
26:00Crumble, muzzle.
26:03Good girl.
26:04There you go.
26:05You got it?
26:06Muzzle.
26:07Good girl.
26:08One step at a time, just you and I.
26:09Oh, muzzle.
26:10She's doing it, yeah.
26:11There you go.
26:12I've got no cheese left.
26:13A little bit there.
26:14That's fine.
26:15Well done for a minute.
26:16Well done.
26:17Good girl.
26:18Well done.
26:19She has literally blown my brain.
26:20She's never even this good for me.
26:21There's a lot of processes that go into this.
26:23And to do this, build that relationship
26:25before you can even foster is quite a lot, isn't it?
26:26Yeah, it is, yeah.
26:27So what are the next steps then?
26:28So we need to do more of this.
26:30And to do this, build that relationship before you can even foster
26:32is quite a lot, isn't it?
26:33Yeah, it is, yeah.
26:34So what are the next steps then?
26:35So we need to do more of this.
26:37Uh-huh.
26:38And get to the point where?
26:39Where you can do it while she's waiting there,
26:42so that when we're not there you can manage everything.
26:45I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to get Crumble into foster with me.
26:51But for now, it's time to turn my attention to lovely old Jay
26:55and his pesky prostate.
26:57Come on, little man.
26:59I'm bringing him to the external vets for an ultrasound
27:03and, cover your ears Jay, possible castration.
27:06I've tried to give Jay a pep talk
27:08but at the minute he won't even look at me.
27:10Um, I have a feeling he knows what's happening.
27:12But I just need to give him some time, you know.
27:14Hello.
27:15Hello.
27:16I've got Jay here.
27:17Lovely.
27:18I'm nervous.
27:22Hello ladies.
27:23Hello.
27:24Jay's here for his ultrasound.
27:26Fantastic.
27:27Even though it's an uncomfortable procedure for any dog.
27:31Perfect.
27:32What a good boy.
27:33We're just going to put a little bit of gel on his tummy.
27:35But it's cold, isn't it?
27:36It is cold.
27:37There we go.
27:38Jay, once again, proves that he's so relaxed at being handled.
27:42Oh.
27:43Good boy.
27:44Such a good boy.
27:45All right, Jay says he's going to feel a tiny bit of pressure
27:48but nothing painful.
27:49It's like a little tummy massage.
27:51Exactly, yeah.
27:52So Jay's got an enlarged prostate.
27:54Yes.
27:55So what are we looking for?
27:56What is normal and what is abnormal?
27:57So that's the bladder and the bladder wall
27:59that you can just see come into focus here.
28:01Yeah.
28:02Prostates are glands that sit either side of the neck of the bladder.
28:05Mm-hmm.
28:06And they're usually quite small and they should be symmetrical.
28:09So this is one of the prostate glands here.
28:12Slightly larger than normal.
28:13You can see a slightly speckled appearance.
28:16Yeah.
28:17So very tiny cystic areas
28:18but what we're looking for to differentiate
28:20is that any abscesses or tumours.
28:23If Amy does find an abscess or tumour,
28:25then the cause of the enlargement
28:27could be more serious than hormonal.
28:30And then that's the prostate but fairly symmetrical
28:33compared to the other side.
28:35There's nothing that strikes me as obviously abnormal
28:38so I think in this place it looks more like benign hyperplasia.
28:42Thankfully, benign hyperplasia is a non-cancerous enlargement
28:46of the prostate gland in un-neutered dogs.
28:49Good news.
28:50Good news.
28:51Good J.
28:52Good J.
28:53Yeah?
28:54That's good news.
28:55I think we will proceed with a castrate today.
28:58Oh no, buddy.
28:59Oh no, it's okay.
29:00It'll be okay.
29:01You're such a good boy though.
29:03Yeah?
29:04He's such a good boy.
29:05He was just a little angel.
29:06Good news is that his prostate is enlarged
29:10but it doesn't look like it's anything particularly abnormal.
29:14Now we've just got to worry about you having your nuts off.
29:16And that's never fun is it, buddy?
29:18No.
29:19No.
29:20They're going to castrate him as planned and I feel bad saying that.
29:24I mean I know that's not good news because he is going to lose his nuts.
29:26But it's better for him.
29:28For now, things look okay.
29:31Things look good.
29:33Happy J.
29:34Happy J and his happy jaw.
29:36Is there anything we can do about that underbite?
29:38No.
29:39Sadly not.
29:40We can try and fix some of your problems but that's going to stay with you, buddy.
29:43I think it gives him character.
29:45It's nice.
29:46We'll keep him here and we'll get him ready for his anaesthetic now.
29:51I think I'm going to leave Amy to it.
29:53Because after a few more muzzle training sessions with Becky,
29:56the team have decided it's time for the next step towards my potential foster.
30:01So today I have a very special visitor.
30:05Crumble's coming for a little home visit to see if I can foster her for a little bit.
30:10So, yeah, I'm really excited.
30:12This is just a practice run to make sure that being here with me
30:16isn't going to result in any negative reactions from Crumble.
30:20Obviously we're quite high up.
30:21It's a completely new environment but I'm over the moon that I've got an opportunity
30:26for her to come and at least try this out.
30:29I hope that we find out a little bit more about Crumble
30:32so that we can potentially find a forever home for her
30:35because she deserves it.
30:36I'm obsessed with her.
30:37Good girl.
30:38Wait a second.
30:44My dogs are not here.
30:46They've gone to Nanny's for the night, which they're very happy about.
30:49Hello.
30:50Hello, puppy.
30:51Oh, straight in.
30:52Come in.
30:53How are we all?
30:54Good.
30:55How are you?
30:56Yeah, good.
30:57Do you want us to take our shoes off?
30:58Don't be so silly.
30:59Welcome home.
31:00This way.
31:01Look at you, Crumb.
31:02Where are we?
31:03Make yourselves comfortable.
31:04Hello, puppy.
31:05How are you?
31:06How are you?
31:07I've cleared some of the stuff that might get broken.
31:10We put blankets on the sofas because they're white.
31:11Yeah.
31:12But this is home.
31:13Yeah.
31:14Perfect.
31:15I'll give you my best.
31:16I'll give you my best.
31:17There you go.
31:18You brought your own bed.
31:19That's her little safety mat.
31:21To limit those negative reactions to stress, Crumble's been trained to take herself away
31:39to her safety mat whenever she's feeling overwhelmed.
31:42So what do you normally do on these kind of house visits, then?
31:44We'll take them as well.
31:46So, basically, it is to get a bit of an idea
31:48on how she's going to cope in this environment.
31:50It's an assessment to see if there's anything
31:53that we need to put in place for you to foster her.
31:56I feel under pressure.
31:58For testing you.
32:00Yeah, I feel like this is a test. I've never felt like this before.
32:03OK, so what's the first step, then?
32:05We'll let her off so she can figure everything out.
32:08Even though we've spent months of training getting crumbled to trust me...
32:13We'll see if she likes my home.
32:15..if it hasn't worked, this could be over before it's begun.
32:19I'll put the baby gate up so she can't get to the bedrooms.
32:22There's water down over there.
32:24Very thirsty. So thirsty. Big day.
32:26It's a big day, isn't it? Big day.
32:29Sometimes when we do home visits, the dogs kind of just end up sticking to us
32:32and are not confident enough to go and explore.
32:35Oh, you can smell my dogs.
32:37She's like... She goes straight over there.
32:39That's Eric's bed.
32:42The thing is, a lot of the time,
32:43people have got this idea of what a perfect dog is,
32:46and that's why dogs like Crumb will never get an opportunity.
32:50Yeah, definitely.
32:51It's nice to see her outside of kennels. Yeah.
32:54There's a perfect dog in there. Oh, 100%.
32:57Once you get past, kind of, you know,
32:58her initial behaviours and fears, really,
33:02then what you've got is a real beautiful little soul.
33:04A big picture.
33:06What do you reckon?
33:08Look out here.
33:09Nice.
33:11Yeah.
33:12Good girly.
33:14Pretty bare, but this little outside space.
33:17No, perfect.
33:18I mean, in terms of, you know, how you think she's dealt with this
33:23and how you think she's feeling,
33:24does she seem fairly comfortable to you guys?
33:26She's done really, really well.
33:27Yeah, I'm so surprised how well she's done.
33:29What's the verdict?
33:30Have I passed?
33:31What do you reckon?
33:32I don't know.
33:33I'm not sure.
33:34Well, don't do that to me.
33:37Yeah.
33:39So does that mean I'm going to be at a foster?
33:42I think so, yeah.
33:43Crumble!
33:44You're going to come and stay with me!
33:46Yeah!
33:48What a relief.
33:49Finally, I get to show this dog just how special she is.
33:53So, when are we doing it?
33:55As soon as possible, really.
33:56All right. Next couple of days.
33:57Yeah.
33:58I'm getting a little bit of Crumble time.
34:00Be my seven brains.
34:04In Leeds, Bella's results are back.
34:11Come on, Bella. Let's have a look at you.
34:13And John has got some great news.
34:15Quite happy with her.
34:17Weight looks good, body condition looks good.
34:19And all of the tests that we've done on her
34:21have come up negative.
34:22That's brilliant, then.
34:23So no worries on the diabetes front.
34:25No worries on the diabetes.
34:27She's a dog that drinks more than normal
34:30and therefore urinates rather more than normal.
34:32But it is the norm for her.
34:34So, there's no reason why she can't go up for homey.
34:37That's great.
34:38Get your way home.
34:39Get you home now.
34:40Yes.
34:41And I know it won't take long for this A-star student
34:45to find somewhere special.
34:57I'm back in Basildon to see how my old mate Jay
34:59is getting on since his surgery.
35:01There you go, puppy.
35:03Good boy.
35:04It's been a while.
35:05Hopefully he's talking to me now.
35:07He's looking good.
35:08Um, so what are you going to be looking for today, then, Ian?
35:11Well, what we're going to do is we're going to just double-check
35:13his prostate.
35:14Oh, shit.
35:15So...
35:16It's been a few weeks since his surgery now,
35:18so we'll be hopeful to see that there might be some changes
35:21to his prostate already.
35:22He's been a very good boy.
35:23He's used to his exams now.
35:25He's very chill.
35:26Yeah.
35:27So, Pete, I don't know if you want me to just take over
35:31with the holding for the...
35:32Yes, what is it?
35:33...but you can keep your lovely relationship you've got going on, then.
35:35Is this...
35:36This isn't going to be fun.
35:37I'm just going to give you a little pectal.
35:38It'll be over in a minute, all right?
35:40It's not going to change anything.
35:42Yeah, I can already hear the news, but you know, Fritj, just...
35:44Boop!
35:45You're all right.
35:46Are you all right to give me a hand, Charlotte?
35:48I'm just kidding.
35:49So, I mean, you're just going...
35:51You're all right back.
35:52It is what it is.
35:53It is what it is.
35:54Just with the one finger, just checking.
35:56Yeah, just having a little check, making sure there's nothing wrong.
35:58Good.
35:59All right, here we go.
36:00Three, two, one.
36:01Good boy.
36:02Good boy.
36:03Such a good boy.
36:04Well done.
36:05And what are you kind of feeling for there?
36:07We're checking for any kind of unusual swelling.
36:09I do feel it's a little bit reduced compared to that first exam before his castration.
36:14But for today, yeah, I'm pretty pleased, actually.
36:17All right.
36:18All right, darling.
36:19Well done.
36:20There we go.
36:21Oh, look.
36:22There we go.
36:23There we go.
36:24All better.
36:25Happy days.
36:27Let's come then, shall we, buddy?
36:30Should we get out of here?
36:32See you later, guys.
36:33See you later.
36:35Good boy.
36:36And he's going straight into the arms of the Bowler family.
36:39Hello, guys.
36:40How are you?
36:41Fine, thank you.
36:42They were looking for a calm companion to help teach their anxious dog some new tricks.
36:47You've already got a dog, have you?
36:48We certainly have.
36:49Yeah.
36:50She used to be scared of dogs.
36:51Oh, really?
36:52But I think having another dog will help with that.
36:54Just kind of give her a little bit of confidence.
36:56You're basically getting a dog for your dog?
36:57Yeah.
36:58And me.
36:59And me.
37:00I want another dog.
37:01So this is you, Lily, yeah?
37:02Yeah.
37:03I want all of the dogs.
37:04Amazing.
37:05Well, you couldn't get a more well-behaved dog to make the perfect addition to their family.
37:10He's all yours.
37:11See you later, guys.
37:12They seem like a really, really lovely family.
37:14That is the reason you kind of, you do all this sort of stuff, for them kind of happy
37:18moments where you know he's going to be loved, you know he's going to have a great home.
37:21Come on, Jay.
37:26And, I've been told as predicted, up in Leeds, our A-star student Bella bagged some A-star
37:32new owners in record time.
37:35Kim and Phil from York.
37:42Back at my home in East London, I've got Crumble's safety mat ready and waiting,
37:47because the big day has finally arrived.
37:50I'm, um, genuinely quite nervous now, because it's home time for a little bit for Crumble
37:58today.
38:00The home visit went well, which means she's coming to stay with me for a little bit.
38:05Helping Crumble get used to a life outside of kennels is going to be crucial to her finding
38:10her forever home.
38:12Hello.
38:13Hey.
38:14Hello, darling.
38:15How are ya?
38:16Come in.
38:17Hello.
38:18This way.
38:19This way.
38:20Yeah.
38:21And to make her feel at home, Becky and Jordan have brought some of her favourite things
38:25from the kennel.
38:26There's, er, a couple of toys from last time I know Matt.
38:29Yeah.
38:30She's just got a couple of harder toys in case she answers a chew on anything.
38:33Lovely.
38:34Ah, nice.
38:35Oh, another toy.
38:36Yeah.
38:37She's happy now.
38:38She's happy now.
38:39Obviously she needs to wear her muzzle as well when you take her out.
38:42You know how to do it all.
38:43We've done all that.
38:44With everything ready, it's time for the girls to say goodbye.
38:47You're gonna have the best time on your holidays.
38:50Yeah.
38:51Cheers.
38:52Be a good girl.
38:53Let us know how you get on and we'll leave you to it.
38:55Bye.
38:56Yes.
38:57You'll never see us again on a kidnapper.
38:58Maybe.
38:59Time to be brave, Crumble.
39:00See you later.
39:01Bye.
39:08Just checking out the view, darling.
39:10Yeah?
39:11You're such a good girl.
39:20Watching the telly.
39:21We haven't decided what to watch yet.
39:23We keep, er, we keep arguing about that.
39:26Yeah, I know.
39:27Look at that one ear sticking up.
39:29Where's the other ear?
39:31Huh?
39:32Where's the other ear?
39:38Yeah, I know, but...
39:42So, this is an example of what Crumble does anytime you stand anywhere.
39:46Just sits between your legs.
39:49Wants to be as close to you as possible.
39:51But you can go anywhere.
39:52What are you doing here?
39:53What are you doing here?
40:10Hello, darling.
40:11Hey, yay.
40:12This is beautiful to wake up to.
40:14Ah.
40:15Yes, good morning.
40:16Good morning.
40:17Hello, baby.
40:19Having just a small amount of time alone with Crumble, in a safe, quiet space, her anxieties
40:28just melt away.
40:29And I'm feeling confident about the next step.
40:33When you love someone.
40:35You're doing such a good job.
40:37Yes, you are.
40:38You're doing such a good job.
40:40Come on then.
40:41When you love someone.
40:42So, we're just out.
40:43Me and Crumble, having a little walk, showing her the sights.
40:46Come on, puppy.
40:47He's cold.
40:48Oh, this is delightful.
40:49From where I first met her, it's been months of work and patience for her to be able to
40:59trust me enough for her to come and see me at home.
41:03I know, darling.
41:04Come on then, Crumble.
41:05Oh, you've been such a good girl.
41:06I think it just goes to show that it doesn't matter what a dog's behaviours are.
41:18If you put in the work, then any dog can be amazing.
41:21Having a little explore, haven't we, babe?
41:24This is exciting.
41:26Oh, it's so nice to see you out in the wild.
41:29But I've got dogs of my own, so Crumble's stay with me can't be forever.
41:34I really hope that someone just comes and falls in love with her like I did.
41:42She hasn't had her happy ending.
41:46Yet.
41:49But as I've come to learn from spending three amazing years here.
41:53It's hard whenever you see an animal who is potentially not doing great.
41:58Not every dog's story is straightforward.
42:01Long-term prognosis is not very good.
42:03Not every rescue is a smooth one.
42:06But one thing is for certain.
42:08I tried.
42:09By bringing them here, you've done the right thing.
42:13No matter how tough the challenges are.
42:15No dog deserves to be like that.
42:17These animals are just amazing.
42:20God, I'm still counting my blessing.
42:23And no one here will ever give up on them.
42:27Good boy.
42:29Are you excited?
42:30Yes.
42:31And though every time a dog leaves, there's another one just arriving.
42:35You know now they're fully, fully safe.
42:50This is the beginning and this is the start from this moment onwards.
42:54And I can't wait to do it all again.
42:57God, I'm still counting my blessings.
43:00The older you've done in my life.
43:05The more that I look in the details.
43:10The more of your goodness I'll fight since.
43:14No one, I can't count that high.
43:19I will keep counting my blessings.
43:23No one, I can't count that high.
43:28You.
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