Chiswick trio feature in ‘dogumentary’ about madcap world of man’s best friend

This week will see the first airing of Sky 1's ‘dogumentary’ about the madcap world of man’s best friend featuring a cast of colourful characters whose lives are dedicated to hounds of all shapes and sizes, from grooming salon workers who preen their clients from head to paw, to owners who are prepared to break the bank to ensure their pet is the most flamboyant doggy diva in the land.

If you thought couture clothing, poetry or even weddings were for humans alone – think again…

Alongside tough dog security handler Danny Lines and his not-so-tough Belgian Maliniois, Guru Kaur and her dog who has ‘chosen to come back to earth to teach us how to be human’, doggy dancing champion Richard Curtis and his latest dance partner Whizzy, fashionable doggy boutique owners Jakob and Julian whose relationship dynamics are a source of endless fascination, dog-walker to the stars Lucy Kennedy who takes her dog out for steak dinners, A Different Breed will feature Waldyr Arias and Simeon Van der Molen and their dachshund Vinnie Jones.

The couple, who live in Chiswick and run a company selling eco-friendly products, claim Vinnie's ability to sense the presence of ghosts is second to none.

"We would be sitting on the sofa together and Vinnie would suddenly start barking at the chair in the corner," Waldyr told The Daily Mail. "It was as if he had seen a ghost. His whole body would start to shake, and his hair would stand on end. We’d have to carry him into the other room to try and calm him down."

In the series, Waldyr and Simeon enlist the help of ghost expert John Pope-de-Locksley to take Vinnie on a ghost tour of London. "John said that Vinnie had seen the ghost of a headless woman, who had been murdered in the area in Victorian times. It really explained his behaviour," recalled Waldyr.

"Vinnie does seem to have an incredible sixth sense. We took him to Loch Ness and he was barking at the water. I wondered whether he’d sensed the Monster lurking beneath the surface".

April 5, 2011