- 2 days ago
Pete Wicks: For Dogs' Sake - Season 3 Episode 5 - Crumble's Big Adventure
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00:00I'm Pete Wicks and I can't believe it's my last week at Dogs Trust.
00:11It's been a privilege working with these real life heroes who I now proudly call my friends.
00:23Love you. Love you.
00:29With over 14,000 dogs cared for each year, 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 to be a bit crazy, didn't they?
00:42I didn't need any help with that.
00:45The amount of work that goes into every new intake is undeniable.
00:49Murphy, what a good boy. Are 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?
01:08At the rehoming centre in Leeds...
01:19Come on, baby!
01:20...the team are all busy with new arrivals.
01:23Big...
01:25...and small.
01:27And I'm here to see Hanla Amy and beautiful Bella, who was recently handed in.
01:33Bella, who's here?
01:35Hello!
01:36Oh, 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, apart 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, so we can get her up for adoption and get her out as soon as possible.
02:03A snapshot assessment evaluates things like confidence, social skills and walking.
02:09Oh, don't mind us, Bella.
02:11Oh, yeah, you're just lovely.
02:13Excellent.
02:14It's real life.
02:15That was nice.
02:16OK, 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.
02:24See, she's pulling there, but there is a bowl of water.
02:27Yeah.
02:28She's clearly parched.
02:29Yeah.
02:30So she's sniffing and things.
02:31She's wagging.
02:32She seems really relaxed.
02:33So that's brilliant.
02:34She's a lovely looking dog.
02:36She is.
02:37Good job.
02:38Hi.
02:39Oh, you're really well behaved.
02:40Yeah, she's really, really nice.
02:42First 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.
02:50So if I take her off you.
02:51Yep, absolutely.
02:52Otis is a very boisterous young pup.
02:54So 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, by him jumping on her.
03:10This is quite a tough test, really, because that's a pretty boisterous dog,
03:13young dog.
03:14So her reaction is really good.
03:15Her reaction, yeah, she's looking like she really wants to interact.
03:17Good job.
03:19Well done.
03:20Is that good?
03:21This pretty good?
03:22Pretty good, yeah, yeah.
03:23I would say a tick on this one.
03:24So the fact that she is as relaxed and as friendly as she is, is a really good sign.
03:28Good girl.
03:29Come on then, this way.
03:30The assessment continues inside with some toy testing.
03:34Good girl.
03:35I mean, she seems very polite.
03:39Yeah, we need to make sure that she's not going to be grabby, she's not going to be snatchy.
03:44She's bringing the toy to you, she's leaving it, she wants to interact with you.
03:47Can you drop it?
03:48Can you drop?
03:49Can you drop?
03:51Can you sit?
03:52Where'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, but 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.
04:25What are you looking for?
04:26I'm going to shut the door.
04:27Bella.
04:28We'll maybe get them out later.
04:29Good girl.
04:30So even though she does love toys and she obviously wants to play with them, that's because
04:34you know, saying that she really loves, she 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 easiest 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 who's proven to be quite
05:10the opposite.
05:13Hello, my love.
05:14Hello.
05:15Road trip.
05:16I'm joining Behaviourist Destin to go and meet Crumble, who came to Basildon from another
05:25centre three years ago and has been up for rehoming ever since.
05:29Crumble's one of your favourites, isn't she?
05:31Yeah.
05:32Why?
05:33She's just brilliant, Pete.
05:34She's a ball breed.
05:35Yeah.
05:36Big tick from me.
05:37I love a ball breed.
05:38Yeah, I'm with you.
05:39She's been in kennels for such a long time.
05:41She hasn't had one single bit of interest, and the team believe she's never lived outside
05:46of 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, Crumble's been staying with staff member
05:56Katie for a couple of nights.
05:58Katie works for Dogs Trust, doesn't she?
06:00Yeah.
06:01She's technically not a foster home.
06:03Has Katie just fallen in love with Crumble?
06:05She's an adoption advisor, so she's kind of in charge of helping find Crumble her forever
06:11home.
06:12So 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 and fall 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 that are all wiggly and happy at their
06:30kennels.
06:31She just doesn't sell herself, because she can be worried by new people a little bit.
06:34Hi, brummie!
06:35Come in, brummie.
06:36Come in, brummie.
06:37Come in.
06:38Come on, brummie.
06:39Come on.
06:40Good girl.
06:41Well done.
06:42I don't know how you feel about, obviously, her with the mother on.
06:51I think if she can settle for a second, 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?
07:04Yes, you are.
07:05I reckon you could probably take it off, as 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.
07:19She has adapted so well, because we don't know if she's ever been in a home before.
07:23Yeah.
07:24It's so good for the dogs that have obviously been in kennel for such a long time to come
07:27out and actually experience being in a home.
07:29Yeah.
07:30And it just gives us a bit more of an understanding as well of what they're going to be like in
07:33a home.
07:34In kennels, Crumble is very reactive to her surroundings and it's putting people off.
07:40I just think because she box, when people walk past her, people are like, oh.
07:44She doesn't sell herself, does she?
07:45No.
07:46But it appears, in a home environment, she'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 and have a minute.
08:01Yeah.
08:02Looking at her now, are there any kind of body language things that 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.
08:14Kind of, if you watch her ears, sometimes they're sticking right upright and then they're
08:18going a bit flat.
08:19Her tail's wagging because she's getting food.
08:21But it doesn't mean she's 100% comfortable.
08:23The fact that she's done so well is honestly really reassuring to hear.
08:28We didn't have any of this information on Crumble and we weren't really sure if she could
08:31do it or not.
08:32We had faith.
08:33But to actually see her in a real home environment, it's just lovely.
08:40She will make such an amazing dog.
08:42She has so much potential.
08:44I mean, since we've been here, you haven't stopped smiling.
08:48But you?
08:49Yeah.
08:50You've never seen her in this environment?
08:52No.
08:53You've never seen her being a normal dog?
08:56Normal dog, yeah.
08:57Once she builds a bond with you, she is a proper cuddle monster.
09:00Whenever she's laying here with me or laying up there, every time I look at her, her little
09:05tail wags and it's just so huge.
09:07That's really sweet.
09:08And you know when you just kind of melt with your heart?
09:10Have you fallen in love with her a little bit?
09:11I'm smitten.
09:12You really have, haven't you?
09:13I'm a bit smitten, yes.
09:14Yeah, you fully, fully, fully have.
09:16Yeah.
09:17This poor dog is trapped.
09:18She's not been rehomed because of how she is in kennels, but she's not going to improve
09:24unless she gets her home.
09:27Fostering might be the only thing to help her, but even that isn't going to be easy.
09:32Sometimes having a little break and then going back into kennels can be more tricky for
09:36some dogs.
09:37If she struggles going back into kennels, then we wouldn't foster again, just because we
09:41don't want to kind of bring our stress up and down all the time.
09:44Would you potentially be looking for kind of a long-term foster?
09:47I would love to find a long-term foster for Crumble if somebody would love to take her.
09:54It's just finding the right person.
09:58Should we try cutting through the office and going that way?
10:19Yeah.
10:20Crumble has returned to the centre after her stay with Katie.
10:24Good girl.
10:25The good news is that she's transitioned well back into kennel life, which opens her up
10:34to further foster opportunities.
10:36The bad news is that there's no foster or permanent home on the horizon.
10:41She really does want to be loved.
10:44She is such a loyal, smart, intelligent dog.
10:48She just gets overwhelmed sometimes.
10:51Any home would be very lucky to have her.
10:54After a successful first ever homestay, there's a spring in everyone's step, including Crumble's.
11:01However, the training needs to continue to help her chances of ever being able to leave the kennels for good.
11:06Lovely. Right, if we start walking. Oh, beautiful.
11:09She's not great with dogs, so we've been working on muzzle training, doing some engaged, disengaged,
11:13getting her to look at dogs, and then when she doesn't react, getting her to come back to us and reward.
11:18But, yeah, she's come a long way from the dog that we got three years ago.
11:22It's just crazy that she's been here that long.
11:25It's not long before I get to see for myself how Crumble feels around other dogs.
11:30Are you worried about something over there?
11:32What's this?
11:33Ready?
11:34Just give her a minute.
11:35We're going to head that way, Pete, just because there's a dog over there and Crumble is not the biggest fan.
11:40She's displaying signs of being very reactive to other dogs, so Becky quickly responds.
11:47Well, do you want to go back that way, then?
11:48Yeah, sorry.
11:49OK.
11:50We're just going to move out the way and give her some space from them.
11:52Can you find it?
11:53Look.
11:54Come.
11:55I'm going to go walk round.
11:56Can we go this way?
11:57Yeah.
11:58Go.
11:59Nearly, mate.
12:00It's OK, puppy.
12:01She might just need a minute.
12:04But the team have learnt how to calm her down and make her feel at ease.
12:08Good girl.
12:09Good girl.
12:10She's lovely, though.
12:11She is.
12:12Come.
12:13She's very misunderstood.
12:14Aren't we all?
12:15Yeah.
12:16She's obviously a very sensitive dog and there's, behaviourally, there's a few little things,
12:21but actually to get past that, all it takes is a little bit of patience, a little bit of
12:25time and a lot of love.
12:27I know you're so afraid to sing, but baby that's my favourite song.
12:32Over the next few weeks, the more I train with Crumble, the more I understand what's holding
12:37her back.
12:38She's just one of those dogs that can be quite sensitive to different things.
12:43Yeah.
12:44And it's not because she's, you know, a bad dog or anything.
12:46She's just quite a sensitive girl.
12:48Oh, I'm so awesome, perfect.
12:51I get so insecure.
12:53When people knock at the door, she barks at the door, but what we're going to do is
12:58we're going to teach her an alternative behaviour.
13:01I have such a soft spot for that dog.
13:07Crumble.
13:08Great.
13:09Good job.
13:10Yes.
13:11From when I first met her, when she was really unsure, to spending time with her, and you
13:15can see how much love and affection she's got.
13:19Hello.
13:20Hello.
13:21Hello, baby.
13:22How are you?
13:23Genuinely, it makes me a little bit emotional thinking about the fact she's been here for
13:26three years.
13:27She loves you, Pete.
13:28Are you my best friend?
13:30Yeah, you're my best friend.
13:32Not one person, not one family has come and said, do you know what?
13:37I want to take a chance on that dog.
13:39And that is heartbreaking.
13:42Yes.
13:43I'm so far from perfect.
13:44I get so insecure.
13:45She doesn't get practice at meeting new people, really.
13:46Because she's not getting those knees and stuff.
13:47So it's nice to be able to introduce her to, like, you and, you know, build that confidence
14:00in her.
14:01I love her.
14:02I really do love her.
14:03Like, I've got goosebumps.
14:05How am I doing, ladies?
14:07Good.
14:08Missed a spot over there.
14:09Oh, sorry.
14:10The patience has finally paid off.
14:13And now I've earned her trust.
14:15Crumble is really coming out of her shell.
14:17Keeping your warm.
14:22I'll be the keeping your warm.
14:24You're sitting on my foot.
14:25Are 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 about it.
14:37It baffles me.
14:38It 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.
14:46Crumble needs more time outside of kennels to help her find a home.
14:50So fostering could be her best shot.
14:53It's just finding someone who's willing to, you know, come 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 than we would for any ordinary dog.
15:02So it's just finding people that are committed and happy to put the F in.
15:07And so how do you go about kind of the fostering side of things then?
15:13So we'd have to sign you up as a foster carer and get you all...
15:18I mean, I didn't say me.
15:19I mean me.
15:20I mean me.
15:21I know who you're meaning.
15:22I'm obsessed with her.
15:23I'm obsessed.
15:24I'm obsessed.
15:25I'm obsessed.
15:26No.
15:27What are you thinking, Pete?
15:28You've got two dogs of your own already.
15:32Hopefully, a stray who's recently arrived is 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 Dogs Trust.
15:45Oh, look at that.
15:46Hey, Jay.
15:47He's a few years old.
15:49He's not middle-aged, although he does look a little bit of an older dog.
15:52He's just got a slight little underbite with his teeth.
15:55Slight.
15:57I'll tell you what, though.
15:58It 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.
16:06Great cute.
16:07And 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 and being handled now,
16:12we don't know his backstory, but as a kind of stray,
16:14the chances are he's probably been in at home before.
16:17I would say most likely.
16:18So it might make kind of the prospect of rehoming him a lot, lot easier.
16:21Jay was moved to Basildon from another centre,
16:24who had noticed something of concern.
16:26The previous rescue found that he had what'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.
16:36So what would an enlarged prostate be caused by?
16:40Some neutered male dogs use a lot of testosterone.
16:43OK.
16:44So you can get a benign enlargement to the prostate,
16:46which gets resolved when he gets castrated.
16:49So if he's neutered, that should solve it if it's all fine.
16:53The other cause for Jay's issue could be a more serious one in the form of a tumour.
16:58OK, so if it's good news, you'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.
17:21Good boy.
17:23Good lad.
17:24Well done.
17:25I'm sorry.
17:26Good boy.
17:27OK.
17:28It 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?
17:47Now what a hell of a year it's been.
17:50But Jay's re-homing will have to be put on hold.
17:53Keep my blood from I just came in.
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.
18:04Amy's noticed that since she arrived she's been drinking.
18:07Just have a little drink.
18:08Have a little drink.
18:09That's thirsty work, innit?
18:10And going to the loo more than normal.
18:12Lovely.
18:14So I'm taking her for a vet check-up with Nurse Vicky.
18:18Hello.
18:19Hello, Bella.
18:20Very excited Bella for you.
18:21Oh, hello.
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.
18:52So what tests will you do to find out?
18:54Well, firstly we're going to start doing urine testing
18:56when she has her first wee of the day
18:58because her kidneys should be able to concentrate that urine overnight
19:01and if it's still really dilute
19:03then that means that there's something not happening correctly.
19:06And if it does end up being diabetes
19:08that's going to make it a lot more difficult for her to be rehomed.
19:11She'll need a special home. Yeah.
19:13And there will be a cost involved.
19:14Oh, puppy.
19:16You're so beautiful though.
19:18Yes you are.
19:19Until we know what the problem is, Bella can't go up for rehoming.
19:23OK then, well I'm going to take her back.
19:25OK, lovely, there 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, hover while she hovers.
19:41I'm getting all the best jobs at the minute.
19:43I know.
19:44Yeah, it's lovely, isn't it?
19:45Good girl, Bella. There you go.
19:48Let's go to the toilet.
19:54OK, here we go.
19:57Let's go to the toilet.
20:04Does that help?
20:05Can we go to the toilet?
20:06No, we just want to play.
20:08Ready, go.
20:10Go to the toilet.
20:12Ready, go.
20:13Who wants to go for a toilet?
20:15You want to go for a toilet?
20:17Oh, go, go, go.
20:23It's quite hard, if I'm honest with you.
20:25You're going to need to do that again, darling.
20:28Come on, we can go again.
20:29Have some water.
20:30No, don't drink that.
20:33Drink this one.
20:34Loads of water, yeah.
20:36Come on.
20:38Come on.
20:40I think I've missed my chance here.
20:42Not quick enough.
20:43They're going to be so disappointed in me.
20:52They're never going to let me collect wee again.
20:55In Leeds, Bella and the team are doing a really great job of showing me right up.
21:12And 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.
21:23And I'm going to get a quick update on how Bella's getting on.
21:26Oh, hi, Pete.
21:27How you doing?
21:28How are you?
21:29Someone's happy to see you.
21:31You're so lovely.
21:33Oh, so nice.
21:34Look at this.
21:35You're doing lovely.
21:36Bella.
21:37Come here.
21:38Good girl.
21:39Good girl.
21:40Mate, she looks incredible.
21:41She does, doesn't she?
21:42She looks a little bit of timber.
21:43She has.
21:44She's lost over two kilos.
21:45Two kilos?
21:46Yeah.
21:47She's doing brilliantly.
21:48Oh, you're such a good girl.
21:49But what about that wean problem?
21:51So, did anyone manage to get a urine sample?
21:53Because it wasn't my finest hour, mate.
21:57What is the neck to it, Pete?
21:58Because I was on me hands and knees underneath my car.
22:00You were pretty quick.
22:01Not quick enough.
22:02Yeah.
22:03Maybe it's been an angle thing.
22:05Yeah.
22:06Maybe that's what it 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
22:23and keep an eye on the whole water intake and urination.
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.
22:34We need to make sure that everything's okay medically before we put her up for homing.
22:39Off we go.
22:40Good girl.
22:41Once she goes up for homing, she'll be gone in a heartbeat.
22:45She's so good.
22:46Come on.
22:47Come on, Bella.
22:49The more I hang out with Bella, the more I see how she's going to be so easily rehomed.
22:56But it immediately makes me think about poor Crumble,
22:59who's been here in kennels for three long years,
23:02because she's just a bit misunderstood.
23:04I've got to do something to help.
23:06Crumble.
23:07You've got that power over me.
23:10My, my.
23:12Everything I hold here resides in those eyes.
23:15You've got that power over me.
23:17Hello.
23:18Hi.
23:19Are you all right?
23:20I have got things to talk about.
23:21I know the only one on my mind.
23:23I've got that power over me.
23:24This looks formal.
23:25I'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, like, in all seriousness,
23:41she's one of the dogs here that I think I am most happy around,
23:45but also makes me the saddest.
23:48Yeah.
23:49I 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,
24:02bring her back here again.
24:03And if all of that works, then we would go,
24:06yeah, 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.
24:12You know, it will help us to get her into a home.
24:14Yeah.
24:15You know, it will help show people that dogs like Crumble
24:18are still worth a shot.
24:20Whatever you need.
24:21Paperwork, Mr. Wicks.
24:24Paperwork.
24:25She wears a muzzle as you know out and about,
24:27so it'll be making sure that you're comfortable putting her muzzle on and off.
24:30I'll wear one too so she doesn't feel alone.
24:33Becky's going to help me learn how to put a muzzle on,
24:36something I haven't done before.
24:38And Crumble isn't the easiest to students.
24:41She has been quite a challenge to muzzle train.
24:44Okay.
24:45As a team, it's taken us probably about a year.
24:47She will walk in it now.
24:49So we're pretty much there, but it's still a slow process.
24:52Like, 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,
24:58it's when it's fixed to her.
24:59It's when we do it on.
25:00Yeah.
25:01When it's clipped up, ready to go.
25:03Good.
25:04It's taken you a year to get her to this point.
25:05Yeah.
25:06She needs to be on lead and muzzled in public,
25:09because she's not aggressive or anything.
25:11But it's the jumping up, the being silly,
25:14which 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
25:20when they see a dog with a muzzle,
25:22I'll give them a bit of space.
25:23Yeah.
25:24And she is a very strong dog.
25:25When she's scared, you know.
25:26Yeah.
25:27She's a lot to handle.
25:28Yeah.
25:29She is.
25:30But I love her.
25:31So if I give you that, I'll just get some more cheese.
25:33So what's the process?
25:34What do I...?
25:35I'll talk you through it.
25:36Right.
25:37So if you hold it out, say muzzle.
25:38Muzzle.
25:39Is 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.
25:47Muzzle.
25:48There you go.
25:49And then what do I do?
25:50Just feed her through the...
25:51Yeah, just a little bit.
25:52There you go, darling.
25:53Is that nice?
25:54Yeah.
25:55There you go.
25:56There you go.
25:57That's it.
25:58Darling you and I
26:00Can take over the world
26:03Crumble muzzle
26:04Once they'll put a time
26:05Just you and I
26:06Good girl.
26:07That's it.
26:08There you go.
26:09You got it?
26:10You're the only one
26:11Muzzle
26:12Yeah.
26:13Good girl.
26:14Once they'll put a time
26:16Just you and I
26:18Oh, muzzle.
26:19You're doing it, yeah.
26:20There you go.
26:21I've got no cheese left.
26:22A little bit there.
26:23That's fine.
26:24Well done for a minute.
26:25Well done.
26:26Good girl.
26:27Well done.
26:28She has literally blown my brain.
26:29She's never even this good for me.
26:30There's a lot of processes that go into this
26:31and to do this, build that relationship before you can even foster is quite a lot, isn't it?
26:34Yeah, it is, yeah.
26:35So what are the next steps then?
26:36So we need to do more of this.
26:38Uh-huh.
26:39And get to the point where...
26:40Where you can do it while she's waiting there so that when we're not there you can manage everything.
26:46I'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 and his pesky prostate.
26:57Come on little man.
26:59I'm bringing him to the external vets for an ultrasound and, cover your ears Jay, possible castration.
27:06I've tried to give Jay a pep talk but at the minute he won't even look at me.
27:10I have a feeling he knows what's happening but I just need to give him some time, you know.
27:15Hello.
27:16Hello.
27:17I've got Jay here.
27:18Lovely.
27:19I'm nervous.
27:22Hello ladies.
27:23Hello.
27:24Jay's here for his ultrasound.
27:27Fantastic.
27:28Even though it's an uncomfortable procedure for any dog.
27:31Perfect, what 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 but 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 that you can just see come into focus here.
28:01Yeah.
28:02Prostates are glands that sit either side of the neck of the bladder and they're usually
28:06quite small and they should be symmetrical.
28:08So this is one of the prostate glands here.
28:12Slightly larger than normal.
28:13You can see a slightly speckled appearance.
28:15Yeah.
28:16So very tiny cystic areas but what we're looking for to differentiate is any abscesses or tumours.
28:22If Amy does find an abscess or tumour then the cause of the enlargement could be more serious
28:28than hormonal.
28:29And then that's the prostate but fairly symmetrical compared to the other side.
28:34There's nothing that strikes me as obviously abnormal so I think in this place it looks more
28:39like benign hyperplasia.
28:41Thankfully benign hyperplasia is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland in unlooted dogs.
28:48Good news.
28:49Good news.
28:50Good news.
28:51But hey Jay.
28:52Good Jay.
28:53Hey?
28:54That's good news.
28:55I think we will proceed with the castrate today.
28:58Oh no buddy.
28:59Oh no.
29:00It's okay.
29:01It'll be okay.
29:02You're such a good boy though.
29:03Yeah.
29:04He's such a good boy.
29:05He's just a little angel.
29:06Good news is that his prostate is enlarged but it doesn't look like it's anything particularly
29:13abnormal.
29:14Now we've just got to worry about you having your nuts off.
29:17And that's never fun is it buddy?
29:18No.
29:19No.
29:20They're going to castrate him as planned.
29:23And I feel bad saying that.
29:24I mean I know that's not good news because he is going to lose his nuts.
29:27But it's better for him.
29:29For now things look okay.
29:32Things look good.
29:34Happy Jay.
29:35Happy Jay and his happy jaw.
29:37Is there anything we can do about that underbite?
29:39No.
29:40Sadly not.
29:41You can try and fix some of your problems but that's going to stay with you buddy.
29:44I think it keeps him character.
29:45It's nice.
29:46We'll keep him here and we'll get him ready for his anaesthetic now.
29:48I think I'm going to leave Amy to it.
29:53Because after a few more muzzle training sessions with Becky, the team have decided it's time
29:58for 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 isn't going to result in any negative reactions from Crumble.
30:20Obviously we're quite high up.
30:21It's a completely new environment.
30:23But I'm over the moon that I've got an opportunity for her to come and at least try this out.
30:29I hope that we find out a little bit more about Crumble so that we can potentially find a forever home for her because she deserves it.
30:36I'm obsessed with her.
30:37Good girl.
30:38Wait a second.
30:40My dogs are not here.
30:46They've gone to Nanny's for the night.
30:48Which they're very happy about.
30:53Hello.
30:54Hello puppy.
30:56Straight in.
30:57Come in.
30:58How are we all?
30:59Good.
31:00How are you?
31:01Yeah good.
31:02Do you want us to take our shoes off?
31:03Don't be so silly.
31:07Welcome home.
31:08This way.
31:10You Crumb.
31:11Where are we?
31:12Make yourselves comfortable.
31:15Hello puppy.
31:17How are ya?
31:19I've cleared some of the stuff that might get broken.
31:22We put blankets on the sofas because they're white.
31:25Yeah.
31:26But this is home.
31:27Yeah.
31:28Perfect.
31:29I made myself right at home.
31:30You bought your own beds?
31:31I'm all sorted.
31:32That's a little safety mat.
31:34To 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?
31:45Yeah.
31:46So basically it is to get a bit of an idea on how she's going to cope in this environment.
31:51It's an assessment to see if there's anything that we need to put in place for you to foster her.
31:56I feel under pressure.
31:59For testing you.
32:00Yeah.
32:01I feel this is like a test.
32:02I've never felt like this before.
32:03OK.
32:04So what's the first step then?
32:06We'll let her off so she can figure everything out.
32:09Even though we've spent months of training getting crumbled to trust me.
32:13We'll see if she likes my home.
32:15If 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.
32:22Perfect.
32:23There's water down over there.
32:24Very thirsty.
32:25So thirsty.
32:26Big day.
32:27He's a big day, isn't he?
32:28Big day.
32:29Sometimes when we do home visits, the dogs kind of just end up sticking to us and are not
32:33confident enough to go and explore.
32:36Oh, you can smell my dogs.
32:38She's like you.
32:39She goes straight over there.
32:40That's Eric's bed.
32:42The thing is, a lot of the time people 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.
32:53Yeah.
32:54There's a perfect dog in there.
32:56Oh, 100%.
32:57Once you get past, kind of, you know, her initial behaviours and fears, really.
33:02Then what you've got is a real beautiful little soul.
33:05A big picture.
33:06What do you reckon?
33:07Look out here.
33:08Nice.
33:09Yeah.
33:10Good girly.
33:11Pretty bare, but this little outside space.
33:12No, perfect.
33:13I mean, in terms of, you know, how you think she's dealt with this and how you think she's
33:24feeling, does 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.
33:34Yeah.
33:35Well, don't do that to me.
33:37Yeah.
33:38Yeah.
33:39So does that mean I'm going to be out of foster?
33:42I think so.
33:43Yeah.
33:44Crumble!
33:45You're going to come and stay with me!
33:47Yeah!
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.
33:57Next couple of days.
33:58Yeah.
33:59I'm getting a little bit of crumble time.
34:08In Leeds, Bella's results are back.
34:11Come on, Bella.
34:12Let's have a look at you.
34:13And John has got some great news.
34:15Quite happy with her.
34:17Weight looks good.
34:18Body condition looks good.
34:19And all of the tests that we've done on her have 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 homie.
34:37That's great news.
34:38Get your way home.
34:39Get you home now.
34:40Yes.
34:42And I know it won't take long for this A-star student to find somewhere special.
34:47I'm back in Basildon to see how my old mate Jay is getting on since his surgery.
35:01There you go puppy.
35:02Good boy.
35:04Hopefully he's talking to me now.
35:07He's looking good.
35:08So, 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 his prostate.
35:14So, it's been a few weeks since his surgery now.
35:18So, we'll be hopeful to see that there might be some changes to 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 with the holding for the...
35:32Yes.
35:33What is it...
35:34You can keep your lovely relationship you've got going on there.
35:36Is this...
35:37This isn't going to be fun.
35:38I'm just going to give you a little pectal.
35:39It'll be over in a minute.
35:40Alright?
35:41It's not going to change anything.
35:42Yeah.
35:43I can already hear the news.
35:44Be no friction.
35:45Just boop.
35:46My back.
35:47Are you alright to give me a hand, child?
35:48Absolutely.
35:49So, I mean, you're just going...
35:51You're okay.
35:52It is what it is.
35:53It is what it is.
35:54Straight in, just with the one finger.
35:56Just checking.
35:57Just having a little check, making sure there's nothing wrong.
35:59Good.
36:00Alright, here we go.
36:01Three, two, one.
36:02Good boy.
36:03Good boy.
36:04Such a good boy.
36:05Well done.
36:06And what are you kind of feeling for there?
36:08We're checking for any kind of unusual swelling.
36:10I do feel it's a little bit reduced compared to that first exam before his castration.
36:15But for today, yeah, I'm pretty pleased actually.
36:18Alright.
36:19Alright, darling.
36:20Well done.
36:21There we go.
36:22Oh, look.
36:23See, that was all done, mister.
36:24People make it all better.
36:27Happy days.
36:29Let's go then, shall we, buddy?
36:31Shall we get out of here?
36:33See you later, guys.
36:34See you later.
36:36Good boy.
36:37And he's going straight into the arms of the Bowler family.
36:39Hello, guys.
36:40How are you?
36:41Fine, thank you.
36:42Who 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, yeah.
36:49I've got the leather-cover poo.
36:50She used to be scared of dogs.
36:52Oh, really?
36:53But I think having another dog will help with her comfort.
36:55Just kind of give her a little bit of confidence.
36:56You're basically getting a dog for your dog.
36:58Yeah.
36:59And me.
37:00And me.
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.
37:12Yeah.
37:13They seem like a really, really lovely family.
37:15That is the reason you kind of, you do all this sort of stuff for them kind of happy moments
37:19where you know he's going to be loved.
37:20You know he's going to have a great home.
37:22Come on, Jay.
37:27And I've been told, as predicted, up in Leeds, our A-star student Bella bagged some A-star
37:33new owners in record time.
37:36Kim and Phil from York.
37:43Back at my home in East London, I've got Crumble's safety mat ready and waiting because the big
37:48day has finally arrived.
37:51I'm genuinely quite nervous now because it's home time for a little bit for Crumble today.
38:01The 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 you?
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 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.
38:48You're going to have the best time on your holidays.
38:51Yeah.
38:52Cheers.
38:53Be a good girl.
38:54Let us know how you get on and we'll leave you to it.
38:56Bye.
38:57Unless you never see us again on a kidnapper.
38:58Maybe.
38:59Time to be brave, Crumble.
39:00Bye.
39:01Bye.
39:02Bye.
39:08Just checking out the view, darling.
39:10Yeah?
39:11You're such a good girl.
39:12You gotta believe us.
39:13It's all for the best.
39:14It don't make sense.
39:16It's all for the best.
39:17It don't make sense.
39:20Watching the telly.
39:21We haven't decided what to watch yet.
39:23We keep arguing about that.
39:26Yeah, I know.
39:27Look at that one ear sticking up.
39:30Where's the other ear?
39:32Huh?
39:33Where's the other ear?
39:39Yeah, I know, babe.
39:41So, this is an example of what Crumble does.
39:45Anytime you stand anywhere.
39:47Just sits between your legs.
39:49It wants to be as close to you as possible.
39:52Look, you can go anywhere.
39:53What are you doing here?
39:54It don't make sense.
40:05But nevertheless, you gotta believe us.
40:09It's all for the best.
40:10Hello, darling.
40:11Hey, yay.
40:12This is beautiful to wake up to.
40:14Yes, good morning.
40:15Good morning.
40:16Hello, baby.
40:17Having just a small amount of time alone with Crumble, in a safe, quiet space, her anxieties
40:29just melt away.
40:31And I'm feeling confident about the next step.
40:33When you love someone.
40:36You're doing such a good job.
40:38Yes, you are.
40:39You're doing such a good job.
40:41Come on, then.
40:42When you love someone.
40:43So, we're just out.
40:44Me and Crumble have a little walk showing of the sights.
40:48Come on, puppy.
40:49He's cold.
40:50Oh, this is delightful.
40:51From where I first met her, it's been months of work and patience for her to be able to
41:00trust me enough for her to come and see me at home.
41:05I know, darling.
41:06Come on in, Crumble.
41:07Oh, you've been such a good girl.
41:12I think it just goes to show that it doesn't matter what a dog's behaviors are.
41:19If you put in the work, then any dog can be amazing.
41:22Having a little explore, ain't we, babe?
41:25This is exciting.
41:26Oh, it's so nice to see you out in the world.
41:29But I've got dogs of my own, so Crumble stay with me can't be forever.
41:35I really hope that someone just comes and falls in love with her like I did.
41:43She hasn't had her happy ending.
41:47Yet.
41:50But as I've come to learn from spending three amazing years here.
41:54It's hard whenever you see an animal who is potentially not doing great.
41:59Not every dog's story is straightforward.
42:01Long-term prognosis is not very good.
42:04Not every rescue is a smooth one.
42:07But one thing is for certain.
42:09I tried.
42:10By bringing them here, you've done the right thing.
42:14No matter how tough the challenges are.
42:16No dog deserves to be like that.
42:18These animals are just amazing.
42:21God, I'm still counting my blessings.
42:24And no one here.
42:25All that you've done in my life.
42:27Will ever give up on them.
42:28The more that I look in.
42:31Good boy.
42:33The more of your goodness I'll find.
42:38Are you excited?
42:39What?
42:40One, two.
42:42And though every time a dog leaves.
42:44Hello.
42:45There's another one just arriving.
42:48You know now they're fully, fully saved.
42:51This is the beginning.
42:52And this is the start from this moment onwards.
42:55And I can't wait to do it all again.
42:58God, I'm still counting my blessings.
43:01The older you've done in my life.
43:05The more that I look in the details.
43:10The more of your goodness I'll find.
43:13The more that I can count that high.
43:19You!
43:28The more that I took a course,
43:33the more that I love you.
43:36And the more that I look like you.
43:38Welcome back to this episode,
43:40He's beautiful family!!
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