Groom service...judges defend pooch pampering hit TV show
POOCH Perfect, the dog grooming show which has set tails and tongues wagging, is as much fun for the dogs as it is for its millions of fans, according to the show’s two stars, judges Colintaylor andverity Hardcastle.
The show, watched by three million viewers a week, has been criticised by some for “objectifying dogs” and for making them “fashion accessories”.
In last week’s episode, dogs were groomed into other animals such as a lion and a camel, with colour tints and tassels.
Howeververity from Northyorkshire, who started dog grooming when she was 18, said: “I stand by the show and what we do. Grooming is attention for them.when they look good, they feel good.these dogs enjoy the process.they have a great day out.they have handlers, a vet, and welfare officers on site looking after their every whim.”
And fellow judge Colin, who has been in the dog grooming industry for 35 years, said: “These dogs are loved and love the attention. It’s not a fashion accessory, it’s a way of bringing a dog closer to your personality.”
The show’s champion will be decided from three finalists in the final BBC One episode onthursday, presented by Sheridan Smith, inset top and her pooch Stanley.
HE MAY only be a few months old but little Leo Coe has already proved he has the courage of a lion.
Just five hours after he was born he had open heart surgery on a deadly defect that was spotted using pioneering 3D scans while he was still in the womb.
His mother Laurateale, 36, said: “We feel incredibly lucky that Leo’s condition was picked up. No one wants to have that diagnosis but, for Leo, it might have been a completely different story if his condition hadn’t been picked up before he was born.this has saved his life.”
Laura, from Hounslow, west London, was told there was a problem with Leo’s heart when she had her 20-week pregnancy ultrasound scan.
But it was only when she was referred for a 3D MRI at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital – the only hospital in the world using the technology – that it became clear how serious it was.
It can be hard to see heart defects in detail on conventional scans because the foetal heart is tiny, beats very quickly and the baby moves in the womb, blurring the image.
With 3D scans, hundreds of 2D pictures of the heart are taken from different angles using an MRI machine.
The pictures are then pieced together, to produce a clear image.
Leo had a rare condition called total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage – a fault in the plumbing of the heart that can be fatal if not operated on quickly.
In Leo’s case the defect was so bad it was thought he would need surgery as soon as he was born, so he was delivered in an operating theatre. Around 20 medics from three hospitals, including a children’s heart surgeon, specialist neonatal nurses, midwives and obstetricians, were on hand for his birth in July.
Laura, a first-time mother, said: “It was the most terrifying day of my life. Leo was safe when he was inside me but once he was born that’s when all the unknowns would start to happen.
“You can’t tell which babies will do well after the operation – some just don’t make it.”
Five hours after he was born, at Stthomas’ Hospital in London, Leo underwent the six-hour operation.
Today, he is a healthy, smiley sevenmonth-old, who is starting to wean and loves sitting in his bouncer.
Laura, an operations manager, said: “When Leo was born, he looked like a little lion because he had curly red hair. Looking at him now, you would never know anything had happened to him, apart from a big scar on his chest. He is a real character and has the strength of a lion.”