For The Love Of Dogs With Alison Hammond Season 13 Episode 04
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs is a British documentary in which comedian Paul O'Grady follows the work of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. In each episode the cameras follow Paul as he leaves his home to help rehome some of Battersea's Dogs.Year started: 2012
Country: UK
IMDB rating: 8.6
Categories: Documentary
Stars: Paul O'Grady Shaun Opperman Marc Baylis
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs is a British documentary in which comedian Paul O'Grady follows the work of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. In each episode the cameras follow Paul as he leaves his home to help rehome some of Battersea's Dogs.Year started: 2012
Country: UK
IMDB rating: 8.6
Categories: Documentary
Stars: Paul O'Grady Shaun Opperman Marc Baylis
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Whether they stay a few days or months on end, some dogs take to kennel life like, well, a dog to water, but others need a little more help.
00:19This week, I meet a homesick Bichon struggling to adapt, help a gentle giant overcome a big fear,
00:29Oh, she's avoiding it, look. Uh-oh.
00:32And me and a special visitor have our hands full with eight abandoned pups.
00:37This one's my favourite. Oh, yeah. And this one. Look at them all.
00:42I'll be there to learn and comfort you.
00:56From your troublesome teenagers. Yeah, you got it.
01:00To your vintage old timers. Age is nothing but a number here, ain't it, Bob?
01:06Shake hands. Oh, that's nice.
01:09But when you turn up at just two days old, you're going to need some extra special attention.
01:1412 days ago, eight tiny abandoned puppies were brought in with their Poudacross mum.
01:22Staff have called her Pisces. Behaviourist Sophie has been looking after them.
01:29Oh, look at these little babies.
01:32They were found in a field with their mum in a box.
01:35No. Yeah. She was feeding them, keeping them warm, which is lucky because it's pretty cold outside.
01:40Yeah. Thank goodness they're all here now.
01:43Why is the mum not here?
01:45We give her a little walk so that she's not stressed as well by us giving them the handling that they really need.
01:52It's really important that we're getting them used to the feeling of being handled.
01:56How old are they now? So they're just coming up to two weeks now.
02:00At this age, the puppies are only just starting to open their eyes, but they won't be able to hear for at least another week.
02:08Have you got names for them yet? We do, yes. They're all named after star signs.
02:12Their mum's name is Pisces, so we're just stuck with the theme.
02:16So we've got Aries. Aries. Taurus. Taurus. It's underneath here.
02:21Very strong a Taurus, hence why that one's on top of him.
02:24There's also Scorpio, Capricorn, Gemini, Virgo and Libra.
02:30And lastly, Aquarius.
02:32Which is me. Very ambitious, very kind, humanitarian.
02:39We're hoping to get them into a foster home.
02:42It's really important so that they get a bit more socialisation, they can start to see the things and hear things that they...
02:49I know, I'm here.
02:50That they don't get to experience in kennels, like washing machines and kettles, things like that.
02:56OK, I'm here. You can calm down.
03:05From the teeny-tiny to something that looks more like a T-Rex.
03:10Big girls don't cry. Big girls don't cry.
03:17Our not-so-mini-mini is only three years old.
03:21She was brought in after her owners had a change of circumstances.
03:25Big girls don't cry.
03:26Looks like behaviourist Nat has her hands full.
03:29Here we come.
03:31Look at the size of it.
03:33I'm glad she stopped. I could have carried on going then.
03:35Wow.
03:36This is mini our gentle giant.
03:38She's a Kangol, which is a Turkish breed.
03:41They're bred to be guarding dogs, so they generally...
03:44I feel like she's guarding me already.
03:46Yeah, they generally guard, like, flocks of livestock and things like that.
03:50Kangol's are classed as a giant breed.
03:53And whilst they might look intimidating, they're known to be sensitive and loyal.
03:58She might look huge, but surprisingly, she's actually quite underweight.
04:03Stop it.
04:04You can sort of really feel her ribs.
04:06And we do need to weigh her to make sure that we're feeding the right amount for her weight.
04:10Mini should weigh around 70 kilos, but we need to know what she is now.
04:15Come on, let's go and get weighed. Come on, this way.
04:18Biggest dog I've ever seen.
04:21Good girl.
04:23Okay, so we've got the scales here.
04:25These scales are designed to take up to 150 kilos, so I'm sure Mini will be fine.
04:31Look.
04:33The problem is going to be trying to get all four feet on here.
04:36Shall I put some here?
04:38At the end, and then she can put all her feet on?
04:41No.
04:42Mini seems scared to get on the scales.
04:45No, you don't want to get on the scales.
04:48Come on, Mini.
04:49But we need to help her overcome this, so Battersea can accurately track her weight.
04:54Can you have a go?
04:55No.
04:56No.
04:57Let's leave the scales for today and come back to it.
05:00Hopefully, once she's up to a healthy weight, we can find Mini a new home.
05:05But that might be a big job.
05:07She's a real big girl.
05:09I mean, does that put off potential homes, the size of her?
05:13Definitely a larger dog is going to need a particular home.
05:16Just think of the car that you need.
05:17Need space.
05:18You need the space.
05:19But there are people out there that love large dogs, so hopefully we'll find her a perfect
05:23home.
05:24I think you're a lovely dog.
05:25Aw, I hope so.
05:26All any dog wants is somebody to love, and somewhere to call their own.
05:39But none more so than Buddy.
05:43I think about you all through the days, my buddy.
05:52He's a ten-year-old Bison who has unexpectedly found himself needing a new home.
05:58Yes, I do.
06:00And the Katie is helping him settle in.
06:03Oh, you're gorgeous.
06:04So, how did he come here then?
06:06So, he's lived with his owner his whole life.
06:09Yeah.
06:10And then they had to move house, and they couldn't take him to the new properties.
06:13It wouldn't allow any pets.
06:15Aw.
06:16So, he's unfortunately had to come here, and he's struggling with it a little bit.
06:20Just because he's been with his owner since he was eight weeks old, yeah, he's really
06:26not coping with it very well.
06:28It's been a lot stressful.
06:29Yeah, it's very stressful, as I guess anyone can imagine.
06:32Being with somebody for that long.
06:34A lot of stress for him.
06:35And then being on your own.
06:36Aw, poor thing.
06:37Bichons are known for being playful, affectionate, and love attention.
06:42So, I'm not surprised this poor boy is so miserable.
06:45He loves a bit of hands-on fuss.
06:47I like the first day.
06:48The minute you stop, he will remind you to carry on.
06:51Aw.
06:52I just want him to be happy in the kennels.
06:54Older dogs can be harder to re-home.
06:57So, whilst he's here, I'm going to need to give Buddy lots of attention to help him settle in.
07:01I am falling in love.
07:02He's absolutely gorgeous.
07:03I'm not surprised.
07:04It's been a week since we sent Pisces and a pups out on Foster.
07:08Lucky star, shadow and rain.
07:09Lucky star, don't you see?
07:10Lucky star, don't you see?
07:11But today they're back in clinic for a check-up with vet Scarlet.
07:13Hello.
07:14How are you doing?
07:15Good.
07:16Welcome.
07:17Look at me, little baby.
07:18The puppy's eyes are now open and they're starting to hear.
07:21Now we need to check on their weight.
07:22Who's this one?
07:23Aquarius.
07:24You're 0.7.
07:25To make sure they're all getting enough milk from Mum.
07:26Next.
07:27Let's get Pearly on.
07:28Come on.
07:290.75.
07:30Perfect.
07:31Healthy puppies should be gaining around 10% of their body weight each week.
07:320.6.
07:33There you go.
07:34Have we weighed you yet?
07:35I can't remember who I've weighed now.
07:36I think we might be getting a bit muddled.
07:37I think we might be getting a bit muddled.
07:38The puppy's eyes are now open and they're starting to hear.
07:39Now we need to check on their weight.
07:40Who's this one?
07:41Is that Aquarius?
07:42You're 0.7.
07:43To make sure they're all getting enough milk from Mum.
07:47Next.
07:48Let's get Pearly on.
07:49Come on.
07:500.75.
07:51Perfect.
07:52Healthy puppies should be gaining around 10% of their body weight each week.
07:560.6.
07:57There you go.
07:58Have we weighed you yet?
07:59I can't remember who I've weighed now.
08:01We might be getting a bit muddled.
08:03It's a bit smaller.
08:060.5.
08:070.56 will work.
08:08Just keep an eye on you little one.
08:090.56.
08:10Just have a little check of him then.
08:11Make sure there's not a reason why he's not gaining weight well.
08:15If a puppy isn't putting on enough weight, it could be a sign of a cleft palate or a heart issue.
08:21What's his heart saying?
08:22It's sounding good.
08:24I think they're doing great.
08:25None of them have any congenital issues that we're worried about.
08:28They're all feeling pretty good.
08:30We just need to keep an eye on the little one to make sure he's putting on enough weight.
08:34I feel like we've bonded.
08:35I won't be surprised if that one's missing me.
08:40Might be.
08:41Might be.
08:42And speaking of scales, remember our underweight Turkish Kangol, Minnie?
08:54Well, she's still got a phobia of the scales.
09:02Is it scary?
09:03That's fine.
09:04We'll try again.
09:05But head behaviourist Ali has a plan to help Minnie face her fears.
09:09Believe it or not, there are a lot of dogs that don't like to go on the scales.
09:13For a dog such as Minnie, who's so large, it's really a lot more difficult to get on the scales.
09:19And they're a little bit wobbly, so they move and it's a completely different texture.
09:24So today we're going to get her used to texture, but a slight raised surface as well.
09:30All right, Minnie, you ready?
09:32Wobbly or smooth surfaces can trigger a dog's natural fear of falling.
09:37Bring her across so she's comfortable.
09:40Just about walking on the surface.
09:42Lovely.
09:43Give her a bit of chicken.
09:44Brilliant.
09:45Well done.
09:46And we're going to repeat that a few times.
09:48She was fine with that, wasn't she?
09:49Yeah.
09:50By rewarding Minnie for standing on new, less slippery surfaces, we can build up to something higher.
09:56What you're going to do is you're going to put this board down.
09:59All right, I'm all over it.
10:00This board is closer to the height of those weighing scales.
10:04OK, here we go.
10:05But we're going to cover it with the mats Minnie walked over first.
10:09OK, she's going to get loads of chicken on the floor.
10:12I'm right here.
10:13Here's the chicken, darling.
10:15Minnie, Minnie, Minnie.
10:16Not bothered at all.
10:17Brilliant.
10:18Fantastic.
10:19Next, we gradually remove the mats.
10:22OK, two's been taken away.
10:24To see if she'll walk over the board without them.
10:27There we go.
10:28So, now we've got her on a higher surface.
10:31Shall we take this one away?
10:32It's important to be calm and patient and use rewards when a dog is nervous about trying something new.
10:38Come on.
10:39Last one.
10:40Come on, Minnie.
10:41Oh, she's avoiding it.
10:43Look.
10:44Uh-oh.
10:45All you're going to do, step a little bit closer.
10:48Kick your arm over.
10:49That's it.
10:50Minnie.
10:51And then as she comes, well done.
10:52She tried to avoid it.
10:53Well done.
10:54Well done.
10:55Good, Minnie.
10:56Minnie.
10:57Let's stop the scales.
10:59Well done, big girl.
11:01Well, I've never been much for admitting things, that's why it's all so hard to say.
11:12It's been over two weeks since I last saw Pisces and her eight little stars.
11:17They're all now healthy weights.
11:19And while mum has a walk, behaviourist Ella is getting the pups ready for another important
11:25milestone.
11:26Oh my gosh, you've grown.
11:28Their first collar.
11:29How old are they now?
11:30So, these guys are five weeks old now.
11:33All dogs are required to wear a collar by law when they're outside.
11:37So, it's important to get the puppies used to them when they're still little.
11:41So, we're going to start working out which one's which.
11:44This little guy I've got in my hand.
11:46Is that Aquaria?
11:47This is Aquarius.
11:48Okay, I'm going to go for a nice brown colour.
11:51Right, this is Taurus.
11:53Lovely and pink.
11:55I christen you Aries.
11:58There you go.
11:59And it's lilac for little girl Libra.
12:02I'm not sure she looks that impressed by the collar.
12:04She's like, why have you put this on me?
12:06Right, Capricorn, come here.
12:08Are you going to work with me or against me?
12:11With me, I hope.
12:13Yes!
12:14Lion King.
12:15You've got it!
12:19It's a light brown collar for baby girl Virgo and a red one for my boy Scorpio.
12:24Doesn't that look nice?
12:25Beautiful, yeah.
12:27One last pop.
12:28Gemini.
12:29I'm going for a lovely grey to compliment your black bear.
12:33You're like the puppy stylist.
12:36In three weeks, the puppies should be fully weaned and ready for their new homes.
12:42Honestly, you've got the best job ever.
12:44Yep.
12:45And I am.
12:52The eight cockapoo puppies are now six weeks old.
12:56A key part of their development is socialisation.
12:59So behaviour isn't that and I want to introduce them to as many people as possible.
13:05Come on, let's go.
13:06It's only across the road.
13:07Yeah.
13:08Not far.
13:09Not too far.
13:10Today, the puppies are meeting a class of students from Newton School in Battersea.
13:13Who loves puppies then?
13:14Oh, fantastic.
13:15The children have made toys out of recycled materials to play with the puppies.
13:20Did you pluck that as well?
13:21Yeah.
13:22Maybe you could do my hair later.
13:23Right, let's get some puppies out then.
13:24We've got a request for red collar.
13:25Scorpio.
13:26Socialisation teaches puppies how to interact positively with different people.
13:40Who would like to say hello to Libra?
13:42He likes you.
13:43Helps reduce anxiety.
13:45There he is.
13:46He's got to go now.
13:47He's tugging.
13:48And prevents behavioural problems in later life.
13:51Carnage.
13:52They might have had a few accidents.
13:53It's not smell-o-vision.
13:54If it was, it's quite bad.
13:55Guys, what do you think of these lovely puppies?
13:56Lovely, aren't they?
13:57I like earning the puppies.
13:58Oh, unfortunately we ain't got no puppies today.
13:59These are cockapoos, bab.
14:00What do you want for nothing?
14:01Thank you for looking after our puppies.
14:02That was hard work.
14:03There's another one.
14:04Oh, thank you.
14:05I'm exhausted.
14:06But what about my gentle giant Minnie?
14:07Well, she's been enjoying tucking into four regular meals a day.
14:08She loved it, didn't she?
14:09She did.
14:10Did you like that, darling?
14:11There you go.
14:12But we still don't know how much she weighs.
14:13Hello.
14:14Oh, hi, Nat.
14:15How are you doing, how's Minnie?
14:16I'm great.
14:17She's doing fantastic.
14:18Look at that.
14:19Oh, look at that.
14:20Oh, I'm so excited.
14:21Yeah.
14:22She's doing good.
14:23I'm so excited.
14:24Oh, that was hard work.
14:25There's another one.
14:26Oh, thank you.
14:27I'm exhausted.
14:28But what about my gentle giant Minnie?
14:29Well, she's been enjoying tucking into four regular meals a day.
14:32She loved it, didn't she?
14:33She did.
14:34Did you like that, darling?
14:35There you go.
14:36But we still don't know how much she weighs.
14:39Hello.
14:40Oh, hi, Nat.
14:41How are you doing?
14:42How's Minnie?
14:43I'm great.
14:44doing fantastic oh lovely to see you darling today we're going to cover the scales with
14:50mats like we did in training to try and make mini feel more comfortable okay slowly but surely
14:58see come on darling yeah trying to entitle it further towards you if you come on here yeah
15:07good girl there's the scales can we get it right it's pretty good oh we've got back foot we've got
15:15back foot gone 65.3 yeah you've weighed me i'm going now that's it how much weight would you like her to
15:32ideally put on so i think we're aiming for about 70 kilos total so she's getting there minnie is
15:39already looking so much better physically we've seen that she is starting to put weight on she's
15:44putting condition on she looks better but to her it's been learning to trust us learning to take
15:50food from us learning to approach the scales something that she didn't want to do to start
15:55off with so it's fantastic it's a huge deal for her so happy well done darling now we just
16:02need to find a home experienced enough to handle such a big dog i feel like she's walking me
16:14remember buddy who was struggling to settle into kennels
16:24we've been making sure he gets plenty of quality time outside
16:27have a sniff of that and my next job is to give his kennel a makeover to help him feel calm and
16:35comfortable this is buddy's little kennel cue operation zen den
16:42all right we've got some toys we've got a speaker let's make this beautiful
16:47okay i think i'm ready to bring him in buddy i've got buddy for you oh hello now listen i've got a
16:55little bit of music speaker play classical classical music is often played to dogs as it's proven to
17:04help them relax we can have a little story now this is buddy's big book of doggy ditties
17:12buddy dear buddy don't look so blue there's sunshine and treats waiting just for you
17:18it's all over them treats so buddy sweet buddy let your worries all flee with belly rubs treats
17:26and your best friend me
17:30do you think the kennel's starting to feel like home
17:34oh i'm getting a bit tired in here where could i sleep can i sleep here with you
17:38oh it's very comfortable i think i'm stuck buddy buddy i'm stuck
17:53in two weeks time cockapoo pisces and her eight puppies will be ready for their new homes
17:58but today they have an extra special visitor presenter katie piper is looking for a new pup
18:10thank you hello hello katie oh my god come and sit down and meet the most beautiful cockapoos you're
18:18ever going to meet in your life have you always wanted a puppy yeah i've got two daughters um and
18:24they've been like the driving force behind this of wanting a dog tourists is awake do you want to
18:28have a little cuddle hello absolutely stunning oh oh they're like light as a feather aren't they
18:34like they're little babies what sort of dog do you think would be for you i think something calm
18:41because you know my youngest is only seven years old so right that's interesting you say that because
18:47scorpio who's laid out flat looks a little bit drunk he's very very calm oh i can't believe they're
18:53so quiet as well they're not like this all the time i'm really i'm going to be honest with her
18:57they're being very well behaved yeah here and now did you grow up with dogs yeah my first dog
19:02was from battersea it was a rescue dog and i was probably about the same age as my daughter i think
19:06i was six that's brilliant and then i got my own dog i got a chihuahua mix of a pomeranian and that
19:12dog became a really big part of my life and then you know when i'd gone through like a difficult time
19:16it was that dog became like a bit of a therapy pet so this is like your first dog as a family
19:21yeah how exciting katie's after a puppy who'll be chilled with her young daughters and i've got
19:28just the one what's this little one called capricorn look at that she's all over you oh god she looks
19:35really good with you do you want to come home do you want to come home i'm sure it won't be long
19:40before all eight puppies steal the hearts of some lucky new owners have you got your favorites then
19:46they're all my favorite yeah it's hard isn't it yeah yeah this one's my favorite that's the one
19:51i was holding yeah oh yeah and this one look and this one look at them all puppies might be easy to
19:59rehome but what about our resident dinosaur minnie well i'm delighted to say she's stolen the hearts of
20:07bill and sarah in milton keynes we've always had big dogs we've had three great danes in the past
20:18two of them we rescued when minnie man get emotional
20:24when minnie's photo came up it was just perfect
20:36she's come a long way and we've absolutely fallen in love with her
20:40it's been nearly two weeks since my beautiful boy buddy came to battersea
21:02and because buddy's such a people's dog staff have put him on foster
21:06with battersea worker and he's been doing really well on foster a real love bug
21:12are you such a good boy looking after this charmer he's just a dream i mean what more could you ask
21:18for my boy buddy the best buddy anyone could wish for
21:22that's for the cockapoo puppies they've had their first jab and microchip oh great boy and the first
21:37to fly out the door is taurus who joined the pew family in south london she's so lovely possibly the
21:44cutest dog i've ever come across and guess who's made herself right at home with katie and her family
21:51it's only little capricorn who is now called sugar
21:59i think you're obsessed with her i'm obsessed yeah i am obsessed with her i love her to pieces
22:04one of the best decisions we've made she's a great addition to the family
22:10knowing how her life started it's hard to think that somebody would abandon
22:15a helpless time i mean she must have been tiny and it makes you more protected it makes you more
22:19protective and it's like now she has her forever home with us she's here forever now yeah aren't you
22:25let's go never mind being written in the stars it's a match made in heaven
22:31oh cuteness overload now the face-to-face nominations were brutal but brilliant now five housemates faced
22:47the public vote in celebrity big brother live eviction next and this weekend we enjoyed an amazing
22:53show with new music and classic hits enjoy an evening with elton john and brandy carlisle on stv player