The Mikey and Jaffa Show was an Emmy award winning reality television series that ran for three seasons on NBC from 2004 to 2007, bringing with it memorable episodes such as ‘the one where they ran away for five hours’ and ‘the one where they stole my Fray Bentos pie when I wasn’t looking.’ The show often featured numerous attempts on the Director’s life and currently holds the record for the most amount of dog shit featured on any television series*.
Michael Dott was the Director, Producer and host of The Mikey and Jaffa Show but most importantly he was the proud owner of those two dogs, in short, he was a pedigree’s chum.
But before Jaffa arrived, circa 2004, there was just Mikey and he was the original lone star of the show back when it was titled, ‘The Adventures of Shize Buckets.’
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There are some sounds that should never be heard. A dog screaming after being knocked down is one of them. I cursed myself for not shutting that gate, if I had done, Mikey’s life would have been different.
Pain has a sound, help has a calling and they both leaped in unison from Mikey’s mouth in utter desperation to me and Stacy’s eardrums, in an instant we knew poor Mikey was in serious, serious trouble
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‘The Adventures of Shize Buckets’ first aired on NBC in July 2003 and featured the young couple Stacy Wilson and Michael Dott. In the pilot episode, Stacy carries a young puppy in her denim jacket to Michael, who had been sitting outside for hours in the summer heat waiting on her.
The show featured elements of dramatic irony as hours before Stacy turned up, an impatient Michael was heard cursing his girlfriend for not getting him a suitable birthday present.
‘The Adventures of Shize Buckets’ was a runaway success, everyone loved Mikey and the young couple where never happier. In an interview with The Times, Michael was asked why he felt people loved the show so much, “A puppy is one of the few things in the World that can melt a heart of steel, everyone loves puppies, hey, even people who don’t like dogs LOVE puppies.”
Jonathon Ross called it “the best thing on four legs since Lassie,” after the couple appeared on his show in August 2003.
However, that year the ratings went down and NBC threatened to pull the plug on the show but Michael and Stacy had an idea to save it…Mikey needed a partner in crime.
Enter the Jaffa man.
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How many animals in the history of the World have fell victim to man and his machine? How many species are now extinct thanks to the crushing turn of human wheel?
I hold a bit of contempt for humans and I believe Slipknot summed up our race beautifully with their slogan people=shit.
Thankfully, Mikey was not a victim of man, machine, human wheel or Slipknot motto - he survived the crash but would never walk the same again.
The vet told us he would develop arthritis earlier than normal and he also lost a few teeth, lessening the strength of his jaw.
The woman who knocked Mikey down never offered us a lift to the PDSA; she was in too much of a hurry, claiming to be late for work.
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On October the 10th 2004, Michael and Stacy visited the Cardonald cat and dog home in search for a Robin to Mikey’s Batman.
The episode, ‘the one where we increase our ratings, ’ received many complaints as viewers were shocked to see the couple taking Mikey to the kennels with them, much to the distress of the other dogs in the home.
Later that day, Michael appeared on Radio Two’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon and spoke openly about the episode and complaints, “looking back, it was pretty stupid. We didn’t think Mikey was going to pick a dog or anything like that but we had no idea it was going to cause that much commotion. Almost every dog was barking at us and Mikey was barking back, you could say we were barking mad to do that, it was very naïve of us.”
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I have no idea where Jaffa’s story began but from the way he behaved and looked it was clear that he was a million miles away from the comforts of Mikey’s pampered and denim jacket wrapped upbringing.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Jaffa spent a great deal of his puppyhood in the streets of Glasgow, you might think that’s an obvious statement considering we got him from the cat and dog home but not every animal in there is snatched from the cold cradle of the streets, some are handed in by owners who can no longer look after their pets.
I would love to know what exactly happened to Jaffa in his early years, why he was disowned and where he spent his time, I can imagine it, but that is all I can do, Jaffa actually lived it.
But whatever happened to him, his spirit was not dampened, he was a very excitable dog but he was also a very skinny and anxious one, he hated being alone and he still does to this day.
In fact, Jaffa is the most inquisitive dog I have ever known, if there is two people in a room and one of them leaves Jaffa will try and follow that person to see what they are up too, you could say my shadow has four legs and his name is Jaffa!
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The pairing of Mikey and Jaffa was an initial success and it took the series to new heights but it also spelled trouble for the Director, Michael Dott.
In 2005, Stacy left the show and Michael struggled to look after the two mischievous dogs on his own.
He tried to put on a brave face when he appeared on Parkinson in early 2006 but it was clear to see he was stressed.
His interview is often compared to Meg Ryan’s as both were awkward viewing and Michael was not in a very talkative mood;
Do you have a smoke alarm? No, I have two dogs. Do you have a hot water bottle? No, I have two dogs. Do you have a trash can? No, I have two dogs. Do you have a dishwasher? No, I have two dogs. Do you have a best friend? No, I have two dogs.
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I believe every dog has a soul and each of them has their own character traits, I never did have a favourite when it came to Mikey and Jaffa but I did understand and accept their differences.
In terms of behavior, Mikey loved to sleep under the bed whereas Jaffa loved to snuggle up inside the bed, Mikey liked to play football, Jaffa just tried to eat the ball, Mikey would take his time to eat his food, Jaffa would eat every meal like it was his last, Mikey was more playful with other dogs, Jaffa tended to be aggressive, Mikey was quite annoying to walk with on a leash, Jaffa was more tolerable.
In terms of appearance, Mikey was black, a cross between a Labrador and a Spaniel which means half of him was pretty smart and the other half was downright crazy. He was a really good looking dog though, who was often mistaken for a bitch by other dog walkers, who were surprised to learn he was actually a male. Poor Mikey!
Jaffa, on the other hand, was never mistaken in terms of sex - people were more curious to find out what kind of animal he was! That’s because Jaffa looks like a fox from the front and a deer from the back but thanks to his long ears and tanned colourings it’s obvious that he is at least half Alsatian, as for the other half, I have no idea.
Mikey was Sponge Dog Square Belly, Shize boy, Shitey, Smeagol, Spunk boy and Keeshab.
Jaffa was Elvis, Jumbo Toes, Jaffamatizer, Jumbo, Sausage Boy, Jeffa and Jaffa Cakes.
Overall, I’d say Mikey was more of a girl’s dog and Jaffa was a man’s dog.
But after a year or so, I could handle neither. One or both of them had to go.
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Nine million people tuned in for the final episode of ‘The Mikey and Jaffa Show’ which was titled ‘the one where I am no longer a pedigree’s chum.’
Mikey was taken to the Dogs Trust in Ballieston after four years together with his owner.
Michael Dott refused to talk to the media after the show ended but he wrote the following on his blog, The Daily Dott, in December 2007;
“When I let go of Mikey I was left with an image of a stubborn dog, his paws were stretched out, his claws digging into the ground, stubborn because he didn’t want to go where the girl was taking him, to the unfamiliar bed and an unknown future where the only that’s for certain is that he will never be put down. When Mikey could no longer resist the pulling he let go and he was also left with an image – that of a stubborn owner.”
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Letting go of Mikey was hard, one of the hardest decisions I have made so far in my adult life but that is exactly what it was, an adult decision, it wasn’t something I had done on a whim. I originally wanted to part ways with both dogs but the Dogs Trust would not take in Jaffa because of his aggressive nature.
That behavior, that probably got him on the streets in the first place, was the same behavior that was saving him from being re-homed again.
I departed with the weakest dog because I knew he would grow stronger, Jaffa had already been through enough and it would have been unfair to put him through the whole re-homing process once more. It’s not really fair to part ways with any dog but I knew Mikey would be okay and I believed he wouldn’t be in the home for long.
Mikey might no longer be a part of the Mikey and Jaffa Show but there is no doubt in my mind that, right now, he is the star of someone else’s living room.
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On January 2010, VH1 caught up with Michael Dott at his home in Easterhouse for the show “where are they now” to talk about why he loved dogs and what he learned about being a dog owner;
“I do love dogs, I love their simplicity and their raw emotions, it all happens in an instant with a dog, humans might think that is daft but the beauty of the canine mind is that it is not contrived in any way, it simply is. To see a dog run free in the fields is a beautiful, beautiful thing, to be a part of that, it free's your spirit and your mind.
I think a dog see’s the world through its nose, they scurry around trying to piece together the puzzling scents and smells of people and animals that have previously trodden and all the while they never look up. It fascinates me.
You wouldn’t believe it but I actually started off the decade in fear of dogs, an Alsatian bit me on the arse at a caravan park and from that moment on I was always afraid of dogs.
These days I can barely let a dog go by me without giving it a smothering of love, yes, I started off in fear of dogs but now I am a bona fide dog lover.
Or should that be Bone-a-fide dog lover!
(Laughs)
How appropriate!
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