Blue Peter pets

The Blue Peter pets are the animals who regularly appear on the BBC children's television series Blue Peter. The original idea for this was to show viewers lucky enough to own animals how to care for them, and for the creatures to act as surrogate pets for children without them. For 27 years, when not on TV, these pet were often looked after by Blue Peter's long-standing pet keeper, Edith Menezes who died in 1994. The first pet was a dog named Petra in 1962 and since then there have been several dogs, cats, tortoises and horses. The current animal on the show are dogs Lucy and Mabel, Socks the cat; Shelley the tortoise, Magic the trainee Guide Dog puppy and the rarely seen Blue Peter Riding for the Disabled horse, Jet.

Dogs

Petra

Petra was a female mixed breed dog that appeared on Blue Peter between 1962 and 1977. She was the first Blue Peter pet, and remains one of the best known. She had several puppies, including Patch, who also became a Blue Peter pet, and who predeceased her. Petra lost her teeth at an early age, but this was not necessarily a bad thing; Blue Peter presenter Peter Purves apparently once said she was often bad-tempered and would "gum you to death" if she had the chance!

There is a bust of Petra in the Blue Peter garden. It originally stood in front of BBC Television Centre but was moved to the garden in 1984 due to redevelopment works.

During the 1990s it was revealed that an original (unnamed) puppy had died of distemper a few days after her first appearance on the programme. Instead of informing viewers, feeling there was no need to upset children needlessly, the programme's editor Biddy Baxter bought a similar-looking replacement puppy, which was subsequently named Petra by the viewers.

Patch

Patch (9 September 1965 - 1971) was son of Petra, he was looked after by presenter John Noakes after he joined the programme in December 1965. Patch had a patch over one eye. Patch died suddenly in 1971 from a rare disease, and was replaced by Shep.

Shep

Shep (1971-1987), a border collie, is widely considered to be the most famous Blue Peter pet. Shep was bought by the BBC to replace Patch, one of Petra's puppies, born in 1965. He became the main Blue Peter dog when Petra died in 1977. Shep was bred by Audrey Wickham (nee Hart), breeder of a number of notable pedigree border collies in the Sadghyl line.

Shep is remembered by British TV viewers as inseparable from Blue Peter presenter John Noakes. Shep was excitable, and Noakes would often have to restrain him. Noakes' common refrain, "Get Down Shep!", became a catchphrase, and the Barron Knights released a song with that title. Shep left Blue Peter when Noakes departed in June 1978.

Shep also appeared with Noakes in five series of Go with Noakes, from 1976 to 1980. Contrary to popular legend, while Shep belonged to the BBC, Noakes was not required to return Shep to the BBC when he left. Shep died in 1987.

Goldie

Goldie was a female golden retriever dog who appeared on Blue Peter from 1978 to 1986. She was owned by presenter Simon Groom. She made her first appearance on the show as a puppy and was named by viewers of Blue Peter. She went on to appear with 8 other presenters and began the long list of golden retrievers to appear on the show. In early 1986, Goldie went on to have puppies and one of them, Bonnie went on to become a Blue Peter dog after Goldie left. She left along with Simon Groom later that year and managed to live on until the age of 14.

Bonnie

Bonnie (3 February 1986 - 18 April 2001) was a female golden retriever dog who appeared on Blue Peter in the late 1980s and 1990s. She was the daughter of Goldie. She succeeded her mother as the Blue Peter dog. Bonnie appeared in 1,150 editions of the programme, alongside 16 different presenters, until she retired in 1999 to live with Leonie Pocock, her off screen owner. Bonnie died at the age of 15 in 2001.

Mabel

Mabel (born c. 1995) is a Border Collie Cross and is Blue Peter's longest serving current dog being on the show for over ten years. Mabel was rescued by the RSPCA who found her in South East London in 1995 and she was about 6 months old when she joined the Blue Peter. Mabel is noticeable for having heterochromia eyes (one blue and one brown) and distinctive ears. As Mabel's exact date of birth is unknown, her birthday is celebrated on 3 February, the same day as former Blue Peter dog Bonnie.

Lucy

Lucy (born 14 September 1998, Harrogate) is a current Blue Peter pet. A pedigree Golden Retriever she was born to Laytoncroft India of Highbrae (mother) and Lilling Dessie (father). She famously once wandered into Paul O'Grady's dressing room and was scared off by his dog.

Guide Dogs

The programme has had a long association with Guide Dogs, which stretches back to 1964 – captivating millions of viewers and helping to transform the lives of thousands of visually impaired people. The first Blue Peter guide dog puppy was Honey, whose training was charted by Valerie Singleton on the programme in 1964. Since then there has been Cindy who was puppy walked by Peter Purves in 1968; Prince, whose training was followed by Peter Duncan in 1981 and most recently a second pup called Honey – named in honour of her predecessor – who was trained by presenter John Leslie during 1991. In 2006 Andy Akinwolere began puppy walking a new Blue Peter guide dog puppy, named by viewers as Magic.

Cats

Jason

Jason (3 May 1964 - January 1976) was the first Blue Peter cat. He was a Seal Point Siamese who joined after appearing on an episode with his mother, brother and sister at just three weeks old.

Possibly Jason's finest hour came in December 1975 when he played the part of the Cheshire Cat in the show's Christmas production, Alice in Blue Peter Land. With a voice remarkably similar to John Noakes', Jason snootily pointed out he was a Siamese cat before disappearing. Jason lived until January 1976.

Jack

Jack (29 January 1976 - 20 April 1986) was a silver striped tabbie and the brother of Jill who made his television with his sister debut just three weeks after they were born. Jack and Jill became known as Blue Peter's disappearing cats, for whenever they appeared on screen they tended to leap out of a presenter's lap. A sequence of clips demonstrating the fact was put together by the production team, featuring various moments when the cats leapt out of sight. It was set to the theme of the cartoon Boss Cat, and was often requested by viewers as the clip they most wanted to see again. Jack died suddenly in 1986.

Jill

Jill (29 January 1976 - 30 May 1983) was a silver spotted tabbie and the sister of Jack. She often appeared with her bother, famously leaping out of presenter's laps whenever on screen. On 15 May 1980 Jill gave birth to two kittens who appeared with their mother on the show on 23 June. Jill died of heart failure in 1983.

Willow

Willow first appeared on Blue Peter in September 1986 as a replacement to Jack who had died a few months earlier. Viewers were asked to send in their suggestions for a name, and the name Willow was chosen, probably because of the kitten's oriental looks. Rather than follow Willow's progress as a mother, it was decided that she should be the first pet to be spayed. This decision was taken because of the vast numbers of unwanted pets destroyed by the RSPCA every year. Willow retired from the programme in 1991 to live in Sussex.

Kari and Oke

Kari and Oke were rescued as kittens and placed in the care of the Woodgreen Rescue Centre, Royston, Hertfordshire. Oke was found abandoned in a bush and the staff of the centre set about the tricky task of trying to encourage Kari's mother to adopt Oke. The plan worked and the pair became brother and sister. Six weeks after being rescued they made their Blue Peter debut. They were named after John Leslie and Diane-Louise Jordan's Summer Expedition to Japan in 1991, where they performed karaoke. Kari and Oke were retired from the programme in 2004, shortly after they had their 13th birthday. Kari died in 2006 at the age of 15.

Smudge

Smudge is one of the shortest serving Blue Peter pet. Smudge was named as a kitten by the viewers but he died when he was less than a year old in 2005.

Socks

Socks (born 29 November 2005, Hertfordshire) is a ragdoll and the current Blue Peter cat who first appeared on 9 January 2006 as Smudge's replacement. Socks is known for causing a scandal on the show after the programme's producers falsified the result of a viewer vote to choose the cat's name. Viewers had selected the name Cookie, but producers changed the result to Socks.

Cookie

Cookie was introduced to the show on 25 September 2007. Following the scandal caused by the Socks naming incident, the new kitten will be called Cookie (the name originally chosen for Socks).

Tortoises

Freda

Freda was the first Blue Peter tortoise. She made her debut on 21 October 1963 and lived to April 1979. She was originally thought to be a male and was called Fred, but renamed when it was realised she was female. Freda is best remembered for her appearances each year when she was brought onto the show and placed into a cardboard box to hibernate over the harsh British winter.

Maggie and Jim

Maggie and Jim (27 August 1974 - January 1982) were brother and sister who made their first appearance in 1974 and joined the show on a regular basis in 1979, after the death of Freda. They were named after Margaret Thatcher and James Callaghan. The two did not survive the cold winter of January 1982.

George

George (circa 1920 - 10 May 2004) was a Mediterranean spur-thigh tortoise who first appeared on the programme in 1982 and holds the title of longest serving Blue Peter pet. Originally named Pork Pie, viewers renamed him George. In 1988 George caused a scare when the home where he was kept had a break-in and he went missing. Thinking he had been killed, the production team broadcast a special tribute film about him, but George was found by a neighbour walking her dog some days later.

George made his last appearance on the show on April 14 2004, and his death was announced on May 10 2004.

Shelley

Shelley (hatched c. 1985, Morocco) is a Mediterranean spur-thigh tortoise who first appeared on the programme in 2004 as George's replacement.