The DogCast Radio blog

The primetime ITV series about Battersea, Paul O’Grady. For The Love of Dogs, scooped the Best Factual Entertainment Award at last night’s prestigious National Television Awards, broadcast live on ITV.

The series, based at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, captured the hearts of the nation with its unforgettable and emotional tales of dogs searching for a second chance in life.

Dogs Trust West Calder has the Collie wobbles as rising numbers of the working breed are abandoned

Dogs Trust West Calder has seen a sharp increase in stray and abandoned Collies and Collie crosses across the region as the working breed now amounts to one in five of all dogs taken in by the Scottish rehoming centre. Dogs Trust would like to urge anyone considering a dog to think carefully about their chosen breed, ensuring it is best suited to their lifestyle.

Susan Tonner, Dogs Trust West Calder Rehoming Centre Manager explains:

“It is heartbreaking when we see well socilaised,

While heavy snowfall has caused travel chaos across most of the UK, dogs at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are making the most of Britain’s blizzard.

Many of the 450 dogs at Battersea have had their first taste of snow today, such as six month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross Hudson, who arrived at the Home as his owners could no longer care for him. Like Hudson, many of the dogs being walked this weekend will be wrapped up in handmade knitted pullovers sent in by the charity’s supporters to help keep them warm.

Akita cross Harvey is another one of Battersea’s canine residents who is enjoying the snow. However, unlike Hudson, Harvey has a thick fur coat to keep him warm. Akitas originate

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is appealing to animal loving Londoners to help foster dogs and cats who were bought as Christmas presents and then discarded.

The charity is preparing for an increase in the number of dogs and cats in need of its help, which normally happens in March. Battersea believes this worrying trend is fuelled by animals who are bought as Christmas presents and then given up. To help care for the influx of new arrivals, the charity is currently recruiting dog and cat foster carers in the Greater London area. Fosterers take animals into their home and care for them while they recover from operations, or to give them a break from kennel or cattery life.

Last March 443 people contacted Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line after finding a stray dog, which is a 17% increase compared to an average month. While some of the dogs were collected by dog wardens, many came to Battersea, and last March 307 dogs and puppies arrived at the London centre, which is up 13% on a normal month. Volunteer Manager Carly Whyborn explains: “We believe many of these strays were deliberately abandoned. Puppies and kittens are always very cute, but many people forget they will soon need training. Once they start scratching the sofa or chewing

I'm very excited!

Celebrities and their dogs hit the headlines for all sorts of reasons - some good, some bad - but I spotted a story this morning that made me smile. Courteney Cox (star of Friends, the Scream movies and Cougar Town) has two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Hopper and Harley and along with her daughter Coco, the whole pack recently moved into a 25th floor apartment. Courteney was faced with the problem of needing to let her dogs have toilet breaks late at night without leaving Coco alone. Practical Courteney installed a grass pad on the balcony, but the dogs wouldn't "go" on it.

The Welsh Government is looking for feedback to its Control of Dogs Bill. Do you think a dog is in the wrong if it bites a burglar? Should the law persecute a dog in such a situation? If you have a strong opinion on the subject do feedback - you have until the 1st March 2013.

Here's the info from the Welsh Government website:

Rehoming centre to host first ever Burns Night

Dogs Trust Shrewsbury is inviting local dog lovers to the centre for its first ever Burns Night. The traditional celebration, in honour of Scottish poet Robert Burns, will be held at the rehoming centre in Roden Lane Farm on Saturday 26th January at 6.30pm. Guests on the night can expect a light Burns supper, the traditional “address to the haggis” and authentic Scottish folk music and dancing, all in aid of for the four-legged friends at the centre.

Dogs Trust Shrewsbury Manager, Louise Campbell, says:

On New Year’s Eve five puppies were heartlessly dumped outside Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s centre at Old Windsor, Berkshire, and staff fear they may have been bred as Christmas presents but failed to sell. With no food or water and filthy coats, the 12 week old English Bull Terrier cross puppies were trapped inside a small box and were very scared and cold.

2012 has seen a whole host of dogs and cats from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home hit the headlines, as a bus-boarding Dalmatian, animals named after Olympic champions, and the charity’s oldest ever dog captured the nation's imagination.

Every year Battersea cares for nearly 9,000 animals, each with their own heart breaking, challenging or inspirational story. As well as winning a special place in a new owners’ heart, many of these dogs and cats go on to become international superstars. Here, Battersea rounds up the homeless dogs and cats that made the news in 2012:

January