- 18/02/2025
We take a look at some quirky pets, and hear about animals in need and how to look after them.
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00:00We all know that pets can all have their quirks, as can their people. Today we'll look at both.
00:05First, Richard's meeting some interesting furry friends in Birmingham.
00:09Pretty much I've always been fascinated by them since I was a kid, from the ones that live up in
00:14the trees to burrows in the floor, to think that they all start off as a couple of millimetre egg
00:20and to think that they end up with looking like something like a fang over here.
00:25Standing here surrounded by enclosures filled with some of the world's largest spiders is a
00:30test for anyone with a fear of arachnids. These tarantulas and the huntsman spider behind me
00:36live in carefully maintained habitats designed to mimic their natural environments.
00:40Their owner insists they're easy to care for, needing little more than warmth, water and space.
00:46While for most the idea of sharing a home with spiders might be unsettling,
00:50for him it's a unique and rewarding passion.
00:54Try owning one as a pet and you never know, it might actually get you over your fear of
00:59seeing spiders. If you've got one in a box that's relatively big, the next time you see a smaller
01:04one in the bath you're not going to be frightened to pick it up and get rid of it, are you?
01:08For many, the thought of keeping a spider as a pet is out of the question,
01:12but Brendan believes it can help ease fears,
01:15making those everyday encounters with small house spiders far less daunting.
01:22I'd say, well yeah, yes and no, they all act, they're pretty much like a spider does,
01:26arboreals do what arboreal tarantulas do, terrestrials do what terrestrials do,
01:31but they all are sort of shy, some are shy to light, some are shy to,
01:37sensitive to vibrations, when my kids are bouncing up and down you can see them scatter,
01:42so yeah, I'd say yeah, they are pretty much all individual.
01:45Each spider has its own behaviours and reactions, shaped by its species and surroundings,
01:51some are highly sensitive, reacting to the slightest movement,
01:56while others remain still, waiting to ambush prey.
02:00Moving them from A to B, because as they grow they need different enclosures,
02:04like the smaller the enclosure the better as soon as it outgrows that,
02:07but I'd usually, getting them from one enclosure into another, you want it to go from A to B,
02:13it will more than likely have F, Y and Z on its mind to be fair,
02:16so I have had to chase two of them around the kitchen.
02:21I'll just keep still, it's really flimsy and brittle, so it might break.
02:26I can't do it mate.
02:27You sure?
02:28I was just about to say, right in the middle.
02:31Even for an arachnophobe such as myself, seeing them up close is a fascinating experience,
02:38but for those who get too close, there's always a risk.
02:42I have been bitten once, yeah,
02:44and the saying once bitten twice sure has never run more true in all honesty.
02:48It was like about having a couple of bee stings in the one area,
02:51so it wasn't pleasant, but rather not again.
02:55From one fascinating creature to plenty more,
02:58as we head to Bristol where an animal sanctuary is given a new lease of life to pets in need.
03:03Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, which is just behind me now,
03:06is the main local rescue centre in the city of Bristol,
03:10and they take on a plethora of animals from rabbits to cats, from guinea pigs to dogs.
03:16We help heal and home hundreds up to thousands of animals per year
03:21through our outreach programmes where we support people in the community,
03:25as well as taking in animals from people that maybe won't be able to look after them anymore,
03:29straying animals, ill and injured animals and those through the RSPCA inspectorate.
03:33And we cater for dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and all small furries,
03:39also including birds. We have our onsite veterinary clinic,
03:42which doesn't run a public service, but we do a lot of sort of neutering campaigns.
03:47We go out into the community in Lawrence Weston and Noel West every single week,
03:52supporting people with their veterinary care and ongoing veterinary care,
03:55also supporting with like pet food to assist people.
04:00But the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre has a team of specialists on call to help make them better.
04:06Let's chat to one of these specialists to find out more.
04:10Well, when I come in, first thing I feed all the cats, I clean up their litter trays.
04:16I say cats, it is mostly just cats in clinic. Come on then.
04:19But we have all other animals as well. Any animal we have in, I immediately feed clean.
04:27And then general cleaning day to day, making sure all the washing's done.
04:32And then socialisation really, just making sure they are happy.
04:37There has been like increase in a lot of the animals that we're cutting in are ill or injured.
04:43And you can often, you know, feel very sorry for somebody who, you know, what can I do?
04:48And, you know, they don't necessarily need to be reported to the RSPCA.
04:52In a lot of cases, they're really trying. They just don't know what the answer is.
04:56So we see a lot of animals come in that need kind of either prompt
04:59veterinary care or care maybe for just an eye infection or something.
05:03And so Molly, for example, she's clearly very confident.
05:08But she came in with cat flu. So she was treated for that.
05:13Whereas lots of them, they come in quite scared. They've never really trusted people.
05:18So you build it up with them and you start by just walking in the room and talking.
05:22And then you put your hand in and you let them smell.
05:26Just until they trust you enough that you can be their friend.
05:29I never needed to worry about that.
05:31What could be quite a simple thing, but they've left it a little too late.
05:36So in some cases, their only option is to give up the animal because
05:39they just simply can't afford it.
05:41Which is where we're coming in with, you know,
05:43we're expanding our community work over the next couple of years.
05:45We've recently taken on a pet community support coordinator
05:50who's going out looking at what extra can we do in the community?
05:53It's a really, you know, it's one of our real strategic points
05:55for the next couple of years is looking at our community work.
05:58What more can we do to help people, pets and Bristol?
06:03Now, let's hear from some pet owners about their beloved companions,
06:06as well as expert advice from the RSPCA on how we can keep them safe.
06:09We've kind of always, even the stray cat in the street,
06:14we'll always give them a bit of shelter, a bit of food, a bit of milk.
06:17But the cost of things is tough for people.
06:19But the cost of pet food and everything else as well, like cat litters,
06:24that's all like sort of an impact on all the way.
06:27And we have to balance it because treats, food, milk,
06:32everything that goes into the side of it.
06:35But with like the homeless side of it,
06:38we've kind of always like sort of had a passionate heart with the stray in the street.
06:44He's been around for years and we'll look after him.
06:48But we know the shelter struggle as well.
06:50So where you sign up and put donations in,
06:53there's little times we'll do things like that.
06:56Yeah, it's cost of living has made it tough on these sort of scenarios.
07:01And yeah, I guess if anything, you've got to show a bit of compassion
07:05for where there are strays and like the homeless and if you can help.
07:11I have a pet, a beautiful grey cat called Macy.
07:14She's a right chimp sometimes.
07:18Yeah, I mean, I know what a man means, just wrong, isn't it?
07:21So yeah, I mean, I mean, my cat was found in a construction ground
07:26with like a bunch of kittens and we took her from a rescue for,
07:31I think it was 60 quid.
07:32So some, especially since some breeders conditions are not good
07:36and it's just not worth supporting.
07:38So there were 486 abandonment reports to the RSPCA in November 2022
07:46to January 2023 in Tyne and Wear alone.
07:49I asked Gemma Hope from the RSPCA why this is sadly the case.
07:55Yeah, unfortunately, the cost of living crisis
07:58really has affected people's ability to look after animals.
08:01So we've seen a real big increase in people abandoning dogs and cats
08:05or asking us to take them on because unfortunately,
08:09they can't give them the best quality of life anymore.
08:12We know vet bills are increasing, insurance bills are increasing
08:16and a lot of people in the pandemic got a pet
08:19because they wanted that companionship.
08:22And then when they went back to work and their situations changed
08:25or they had to go back working in an office,
08:28again, couldn't give that level of care to animals.
08:30So unfortunately, there's been a little bit of a perfect storm
08:33driving those abandonment rates.
08:36And hopefully, again, through the big conversation
08:39and through our work showing, we love animals,
08:42but showing what a commitment they are
08:44means that in future people can make a bit more of an informed choice
08:48and only choose to bring a pet into their life
08:50when they can make sure that they can give them
08:52the best quality of life possible.
08:55And now for something a little bit different
08:57as we're off to a dog cafe in London
08:59where the pups are the real stars of the show.
09:03Dog cafes are becoming a growing trend here in London
09:06with well over 25 of them popping up across the capital.
09:10But what is it actually like owning one
09:12and what impact do they have on our local communities and our city?
09:17So it was a lockdown project
09:21when I decided to change a little bit
09:24and move from hospitality to another sort of hospitality
09:28that was including dogs.
09:30I've done a lot of courses during the lockdown,
09:32like behaviour, nutrition for dogs.
09:36And then I started like just a hobby, let's say,
09:40to build up this project.
09:43And then I showed someone and they were like,
09:46well, this sounds cool.
09:48Do you want to do the business plan?
09:50So I've done the business plan.
09:52And in the meantime, I just decided to do it.
09:54It was lockdown, so it was always like
09:57I was walking the dog to the park and there was nothing to do.
10:01And I was checking the location.
10:02I was like, oh, this is so beautiful next to the park.
10:07It was closed for a long time.
10:09And so I just hope that it was becoming available as soon as possible.
10:13And it did, actually.
10:15The idea of animal cafes began in Taiwan in 1998
10:20and spread quickly to Japan and other parts of the world.
10:23Now, Londoners are embracing the unique concept,
10:26enjoying a cup of coffee while interacting with dogs
10:29in a cosy and relaxed environment.
10:32And you get to just spend every day with dogs now, basically.
10:36Is that just like...
10:37Yeah, it's my life.
10:40Sometimes it's not easy because the dogs are off the lead all the time.
10:45So you have to make sure that they don't pee, they don't poop.
10:49It's like they are like babies, kids, toddlers around.
10:53And so let's say this sometimes can be very hectic.
10:57It's not always smooth, but it's a good fun.
11:01And dogs have just the best energy and they're adorable
11:06and they always make you smile even when it's very hard
11:10and you have to go through the day and you're very tired, like me today.
11:15And then also, because it's a dog cafe, but it's also a wine bar as well.
11:18Yeah, in the evening we do a wine bar.
11:21We organise events like up to...
11:25Well, we don't have a big space, so we can do like up to 30, 35 people.
11:31With live music, we've got the garden.
11:34So, yeah, the Tuesday and Wednesday, we close at five, like a normal cafe.
11:41And then Thursday to Saturday, we close at nine.
11:44And summertime, obviously, we're going to use more the garden.
11:48Finally, it will be sunny at least a few days.
11:54That's all for today's journey into the animal world.
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