IT shouldn't happen to a vet – but according to Ammanford vet Geraint Jones it quite often does!

Geraint, one of the subjects of the new fly-on-the-wall documentary BBC Wales TV series Vets 24/7, recalled some of the more bizarre episodes of a vet's life this week.

"The call that had been received one really dark and horrible morning indicated I'd be going out to put a dog down," Geraint, 32, who grew up in Heolddu, told the Guardian. "The poor thing had apparently been fitting all night so the outlook looked pretty bleak.

"When I got out there the owner was quite distraught and obviously prepared for the worst, but a quick check-up revealed there was nothing wrong with the dog – he simply had his foot stuck in his collar!

"So all I had to do was unfree the foot and all was well – I wish all my jobs were that easy...

"This is the type of occupation where you do experience some strange scenarios, as well as meeting some real characters almost on a daily basis.

"One of my customers told me that his wife had given him an ultimatum: 'It's the dog or me!' He said: 'Obviously, I decided to keep the dog'."

Geraint, who works for St James Vets in Sketty, knew what path he wanted to follow from an early age. "I think the seed was planted when I was around six or seven," he says. "I was always playing with our neighbours' dogs and – like most kids – I had pets like guinea pigs and rabbits.

"My brother wanted to be a doctor but I didn't want to do the same job as him, so I suppose I decided that becoming a vet would be the next best thing."

The former Amman Valley Comprehensive schoolboy qualified following six years of intense study at Bristol University and, eight years on, has never looked back.

The first successful series of Vets 24/7 gave Geraint something of a crash course in becoming a TV "performer", but he feels the experience has stood him in good stead for the second series.

"I guess we – the vets – are slightly more relaxed about being on camera this time round because we had a bit of a taster with series one.

"Of course it's always a bit nerve-wracking dealing with animals because you never quite know how they're going to behave, but I think the unpredictability of the programme is one of the reasons people like to watch it."

Geraint says the best part of the job is the "self-satisfaction when things go right". He reflects: "That comes through doing your best to help an animal in distress and seeing the positive effect on the owners at the end of it."

Vets 24/7 will be shown on BBC One Wales on Monday, September 2, at 7.30pm.