Viewers of BBC’s beloved series The Repair Shop were overwhelmed with emotion early into the show.
The heartwarming restoration programme returned with a fresh episode, featuring guests eager to see their treasured belongings brought back to their former glory by the show’s skilled craftspeople.
Neil Powell was the first through the doors on the Wednesday evening episode (January 15), hoping to restore a jacket belonging to Pepper, a heroic Border Collie. As a search and rescue dog certified at just 18 months old, Pepper had participated in critical efforts during the Lockerbie bombing disaster and even located a young German boy absent for over a day and a half in harsh conditions.
However, when the audience learned about Pepper’s sad fate, tears flowed freely. Taking to social media, which used to be known as Twitter, one person shared: “Already crying at #therepairshop.”
Another viewer wrote vulnerably: “The border collie rescue jacket will have me sobbing by the end as I’ve had a few Border collies who looked like brave Pepper.”
While another commented on Pepper’s unsung heroism: “Pepper was a hero, No idea of the story about the search dogs.”, reports the Express.
Some simply expressed their sentiment with brief words: “What is is about dog collars,” accompanied by a crying emoji.
Sadly, in 1988, after searching through the large crater left at the scene of the Lockerbie bombing, exposure to the site’s contaminants resulted in tumours for Pepper and his canine companions, tragically leading to their deaths.
Neil said: “As a result of that, poor Pepper, he and six other dogs they all developed tumours in their nose and their wind pipes.”
“Not sure if it was the aviation fuel or what was it, but they died. Yeah, it was heartbreaking, “Neil explained. For Neil, it was important that Pepper’s well-worn search and rescue jacket and collar were restored to keep his memory alive.
Later on in the show, viewers saw expert Suzie bring the leather collar back to life, while Rebecca washed away years of dirt from the jacket.
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
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