Meet Ireland’s most loveable canine rogues in new RTÉ series Madraí!

Friday 3rd February, 8pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player 

What do you do with a Bulldog who won’t budge? A Retriever who won’t retrieve? Is it ever ok for your pup to chew shoes? Or what about the dog who likes walks… but only in a buggy?! 

The pandemic puppy boom brought a whole heap of canine cuteness through our doors – but with puppies come problems. Madraí, a brand new 6-part Irish language series, launching on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Friday 3rd February at 8pm is here to help!

While filming RTÉ’s hit series Peataí in 2020, vet Ellen Hegarty and behaviourist Paula Doohan heard the howls for help from the nation’s dogs (and their owners!) and decided to do something about it.

A national callout was launched last summer, inviting families who were finding it hard to cope with their canines to get expert advice from Ellen and Paula. The pair were inundated with videos and pleas for help from all over the country detailing every type of dog distress – from separation anxiety to lead-pulling; non-stop barking to furniture-chewing; food allergies to medical anomalies.

The new series explores a variety of different cases which span a range of common – and not-so-common dog issues. On a case-by-case basis, Madraí’s experts observe the behaviour, diagnose the cause of the problem, and give advice and recommendations for the dogs – and often their owners too!

In the weeks and months after Paula and Ellen work with each family, they revisit them to find out how things are working out for the owners and their pooches – and what may have changed for the better, or worse! Along the way, Paula meets Belfast’s Broony, a rescue dog with a taste for blankets and towels, who’ll soon have to adjust to the twins his owner is expecting.

Ellen meets Cabríní and her trio of Chihuahuas, all competing for the title of ‘Madra Top Model’ as they overcome their eating issues. Meanwhile Paula helps owner Siobhán get a grip of Fred, a dog who loves his walks so much he’s pulled his owner into oncoming traffic. With its cast of loveable canine rogues and easy-to-follow tips and strategies to cope with a range of pooch problems, Madraí is the paws-itively perfect series to get tongues (and tails) wagging this Spring!

Tune in to the new series of Madraí on Friday 3rd February, 8.00pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.