Animals
O'Grady's use of animals has often been the target of criticism, citing it cruel to expose his pet dogs (in particular Buster) to harsh studio lighting for up to 55 minutes per day. However, his dogs only usually appear in the first part of the show for around 7–8 minutes.
The show regularly features animals other than O'Grady's pet dogs, such as a homeless animal feature, where animal rescue shelters bring in homeless pets in order to find them homes.
O'Grady currently has three pet dogs; Olga, who is a black Cairn Terrier and was adopted from the homeless animals feature on the show. Louie (short for Lucifer), and Bullseye who was also recently adopted from the show.
Buster, who had worked beside O'Grady for 15 years, featured in his last ever show on 11 November 2009, and officially retired after 15 years of working with Paul. Buster was put to sleep on 19 November 2009, after suffering from cancer. This was announced on 23 November 2009 by O'Grady on the show. O'Grady decided that putting him to sleep was the kindest approach "It was the kindest thing to do. Keeping him would be selfish."
Buster was popular on the show, and a limited edition Nodding Buster toy was produced and given out as a consolation prize, and thereafter as a prize from the tombola draw. In November 2008, Paul revealed that a Nodding Olga toy was to be produced. O'Grady alluded that Bullseye would be taking over from Buster once fully trained.
In total, O'Grady has 28 pets, which he mentioned on his show when responding to a viewer's question.
Read more about this topic: The Paul O'Grady Show
Famous quotes containing the word animals:
“What distinguished man from animals was the human capacity for symbolic thought, the capacity which was inseparable from the development of language in which words were not mere signals, but signifiers of something other than themselves. Yet the first symbols were animals. What distinguished men from animals was born of their relationship with them.”
—John Berger (b. 1926)
“Error has made animals into men; is truth in a position to make men into animals again?”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Thou almost mak’st me waver in my faith
To hold opinion with Pythagoras,
That souls of animals infuse themselves
Into the trunks of men.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)