For Dogs' Sake star Pete Wicks offered to pay for a sick dog's medication bills
For Dogs' Sake star Pete Wicks offered to pay for a sick dog's medication bills
The presenter is heartbroken that Theo, a Neapolitan mastiff, may only have a few years left to live
(Image: Pete Wicks Instagram )
Pete Wicks has offered to fund medication for a sick dog he met on his TV show For Dogs' Sake.
The presenter is heartbroken that Theo, a Neapolitan mastiff, may only have a few years left to live because of his dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia condition - which causes the heart to not work efficiently - but Pete is willing to do what he can to ensure Theo gets the best shot at a longer and happy life.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper, Pete said: "I'm not afraid to admit I'm very emotional when it comes to dogs but it hit me very hard, like a ton of bricks.
"If you could meet him and just [spend] two minutes with him, he is this big, slobbery angel on Earth.
"We don't know how long he's got before heart failure. It could be months, it could be a year. But the likelihood is that as he gets older, it will get worse.
"He is being treated with different medicines, which are incredibly expensive, so I've offered to pay for these myself."
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The 37-year-old TV personality would adopt Theo, but his filming schedule for his U+W show would make it tricky for him to look after the dog.
Instead, Pete is calling for a family to take the stray on
He added: "It upsets me when I think of this dog spending whatever time he has left in kennels.
"If there ever is a dog that deserves to be at home and have however long he's got left surrounded by a family, this is the one."
Pete first met Theo after he was brought into Dogs Trust Kenilworth in Warwickshire as an underweight stray, and he has loved the pooch - who now weighs a good 52kgs - ever since.
Describing Theo's personality, he said: "He is a big boy, clumsy, goofy, and a bit of a doughnut.
"But he's so soft and gentle with this squishy, slobbery face, and I just absolutely love him."
Pete – who reached the semi-finals of 'Strictly Come Dancing' last year – admitted that he was reduced to tears "several times" when making the first series of For Dogs' Sake.
He told the Radio Times: "Filming the series was a privilege, but also emotionally difficult. I don't mind saying that. I cried several times. It's heart-breaking when you witness a dog arrive after a bad start in life, you can see the sadness in their eyes.
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"It's a series I've been desperate to do for a decade. Why? Well, it's estimated that there are around 100,000 dogs in UK rescue centres. But only one in five people who get a dog, get a rescue."
Pete Wicks: For Dog's Sake is returning to U+W for a second and third series.
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