Record numbers of pet owners are giving up their dogs and cats and leaving Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to pick up the pieces. The world famous charity has received almost 5,000 enquiries this year from members of the public struggling to care for their dogs, a 50 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Battersea is releasing the shocking figures as a new series of Paul O Grady: For The Love Of Dogs airs on ITV. This eight-part series reveals the work that goes into caring for thousands of abandoned dogs every year.

If you fancy trying something new with your dog, the APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers - has an activity weekend in June that could be just what you're looking for. You can attend and participate with your dog, or you can just watch what's going on. So if you'd like to find out more about gundog training, search and rescue, treibball (a dog sport that's very new to the U.K.), working trials or rally, and even have a go at any of them with your dog, all the information you need is here:

World famous animal charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has already welcomed its 1000th dog of 2013 to its iconic London centre.

Seven week old Mongrel puppy Emerald arrived at the charity along with his mum and five littermates after his owner was no longer able to care for them and turned to Battersea to help find them a new home.

Battersea takes in an average of eight dogs every day, and precious little Emerald is just one of the thousands of dogs that Battersea will care for this year. Last year the charity cared for 5,880 dogs, nearly half of which