TV veteran Gaby Roslin was on hand to provide emotional support to a dog owner who appeared on ITV's The Joy of Pets.
The brand-new series, which kicked off on Sunday (August 23), saw Gaby and her co-star, Dr Bolu Eso, celebrate the nation's love of animals. In the first episode, Gaby and Dr Bolu were in Horsham, West Sussex, where they met a number of furry animals, including dogs, rabbits and even a rat.
Fostering a blind husky
During the first episode, Gaby was joined by dog owners Paul and Anna, who are currently fostering a blind husky named Cookie. Talking to owners Anna and Paul, Gaby discovered that the couple had already lost a dog over a year ago. Paul admitted that he was reluctant to care for a dog "full time" but was keen to foster.
After telling the RSPCA their story, the charity was happy to allow the dog-loving pair to foster Cookie, who became blind in both eyes as a young pup.
Talking about Cookie, Anna said: "We just fell in love with her straight away and she actually does look like our old dog as well. So when she came out, he was a husky dog, same colouring, so it was a bit like 'ok,' but in a nice way." Paul added: "It was spooky!"
An emotional moment
Later in their chat, as the couple continued to share their story, Gaby highlighted how brave they were after losing their first pup, whom they had had for 13 years.
Seeing Paul become increasingly emotional, Gaby hugged him and said: "Everyone understands this, Paul. Losing a pet is heartbreaking; you can't deny it. And you've found another pet that has created you a whole new life together, I think it's wonderful. But I can see what she means to you."
Gaby's love for animals
Gaby, who came up with the concept for The Joy of Pets, has expressed her love for all animals and has shared her highlights from the series. But despite her admiration for animals, she currently has none of her own.
She said in a statement: "My husband is allergic to dogs and cats, so I spent a lot of time taking my friends' dogs for a walk. I grew up in a house full of animals. When I was born, there was already a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, there was a cat that was mainly outside, there was a tortoise, two rabbits and we used to always take the guinea pigs home from school to look after them in the holidays. My mother was obsessed with animals, so that's definitely where I got it from."
The Joy of Pets airs Sundays at 11:30am on ITV1.
