Blue Peter pets first "Blue Peter" dog whose death was not mentioned on the programme. Barney is believed to be an Irish Setter/Dachshund cross and officially joined the "Blue Peter" team on 22 September 2009. He is the show's ninth dog. Barney is a former stray and was given to presenter Helen Skelton by the Dogs Trust. Barney left the show along with his owner Helen on 26 September 2013. The programme has had a long association with guide dogs, which stretches back to 1964 – captivating millions of viewers and helping to transform the lives of thousands of visually impaired people. The
Pole to Pole was to follow the 30 degree east line of longitude, which would cover the most land. A last-minute diversion to Chile included South America in the series. Using aircraft as little as possible, the whole trip lasted 5½ months. The programme has been sold to many television stations around the world. It was also released on video tape and later on DVD. Following the trip Michael Palin wrote "Pole to Pole" describing the trip. The book contains many pictures from the trip, almost all taken by Basil Pao, the stills photographer on the team. Palin begins at the North Pole,