Jake and Monty - Winchester, Hampshire

• Jake - Painter-Decorator
• Monty - Labradoodle

How did you choose Monty?
There had always been dogs in my family and knew that when the chance came I would want a dog of my own. I decided on a Labradoodle as it seemed the perfect fit for my then partner and I as we’d never had a pet before. When we went to pick a puppy from a litter, the first puppy to leave the crate marched boldly over to my bemused girlfriend. The puppy promptly sat at her feet, and looked straight up her skirt: this was Monty. We used to spend every waking hour together, walking in the countryside and once even swimming together.

Why did you want to take part in the contest?
Monty was nine years old and I wanted to create some more amazing memories with him.

What made your bond so special?
Monty was very clever and picked things up quickly, but I also worked really hard on his training. His breed is renowned for having the potential for being over excitable and difficult to manage and I was determined to make sure that he wasn't a 'difficult dog'.

Monty did many things in his life. He made many, many friends - one in particular at a festival, when he escaped one morning before I woke up. I put a call out and ten minutes later I received notification from the security team that Monty had been found at the coffee shop, so I asked them to grab him for me. They had a good laugh over the radio and informed me that he was going nowhere as, while people were enjoying their coffee and donuts, he was locked in with a black Labrador - he did not look happy!

Sadly, Monty has passed away since filming.

Biography

Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham has had a long and successful career on TV, beginning with The Really Wild Show in 1986 and more recently Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and Winterwatch, Nature’s Weirdest Events, World’s Weirdest Events, Inside the Animal Mind, Operation Iceberg and Secrets Of Our Living Planet.

In 2010 Chris was awarded the Dilys Breese BTO Medal for his outstanding work in promoting science to new audiences. He was voted Conservation Hero Of The Year (2014) in the Birders’ Choice Awards (Birdwatch magazine). In 2015 he reached second place in The Wildlife Power List featured in the BBC Wildlife Magazine. In October 2016 Chris earned the top honour at the Wildscreen Panda Awards - The Christopher Parsons Award for Outstanding Achievement - in recognition of his significant contribution to wildlife filmmaking, conservation and the public’s understanding of the environment.

Earlier in 2016 he was made honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Southampton, where he had graduated 30 years before.

Programme Information

• Episode one
• Episode two