For the Love of Dogs


For the Love of Dogs with Alison Hammond is a multi-award winning British reality documentary television series set at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, presented by Paul O'Grady until his death in 2023, and by Alison Hammond from 2024. Under O'Grady it won numerous awards. The show is made by MultiStory Media and premiered on ITV on 3 September 2012.

O'Grady era

O'Grady commented that he had wanted to do such a show for years and that he took to it with an "enthusiasm that surprised everyone except me". Although scheduled to initially film at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home for six days, he stayed as a volunteer for six months. At the end of the first series, O'Grady was invited to become an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
Following O'Grady's death, the episode titled A Royal Special, which originally aired in December 2022, was repeated on ITV on 29 March 2023.
In October 2023, Battersea announced that they would be naming a new veterinary hospital after O'Grady, and a "tribute fund" set up in his honour would go towards "life-saving and transformative medical procedures" for dogs and cats which need specialist care and treatment.

Format

Throughout the series, members of the staff talk about the dogs in their care, including head vet Shaun Opperman and head of canine welfare training Ali Taylor. Each episode showcases a few of the dogs who come to Battersea as strays or because their owners can't look after them anymore, and follows each dog's progress through the home.

Transmissions

Episodes

Series 1 (2012)

Series 2 (2013)

Series 3 (2014)

Series 4 (2015)

Series 5 (2016)

Series 6 (2017)

Series 7 (2018)

Series 8 (2019)

Series 9 (2021)

Series 10 (2021–22)

Series 11 (2023)

Series 12 (2024)

Specials

Awards

For the Love of Dogs has won a number of awards. The show has won two consecutive National Television Awards for 'Most Popular Factual Entertainment Programme' in 2013 and 2014. In 2014, it was nominated for a third National Television Award, this time under the category 'Most Popular Factual Programme', but lost out to Gogglebox. It won again in 2019 after beating Gogglebox for the first time in five years, and then in 2023.
The show was also nominated for a BAFTA for 'Best Features Programme' in 2013.
YearGroupAwardResultReferences
2013National Television AwardsMost Popular Factual Entertainment ProgrammeWon
2013Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest Factual Entertainment
2013BAFTA Television AwardsBest Features Programme
2013TV Choice AwardsBest Factual Entertainment & Lifestyle ShowWon
2013TV Times AwardsBest Factual Entertainment & Lifestyle ShowWon
2014National Television AwardsMost Popular Factual Entertainment ProgrammeWon
2014Broadcast AwardsBest Popular Factual Programme
2014TRIC AwardsFactual ProgrammeWon
2014TV Times AwardsFavourite Factual ShowWon
2015National Television AwardsMost Popular Factual Programme
2015TRIC AwardsFactual Programme
2015TV Choice AwardsBest Factual Entertainment Show
2015TV Times AwardsFavourite Factual ShowWon
2016National Television AwardsFactual Entertainment
2016TRIC AwardsFactual Programme
2016TV Choice AwardsBest Factual ShowWon
2016TV Times AwardsFavourite Factual ShowWon
2017National Television AwardsFactual Entertainment
2017TV Choice AwardsBest Factual ShowWon
2017TV Times AwardsFavourite Factual ShowWon
2018National Television AwardsFactual EntertainmentNomitated
2018National Television AwardsSpecial RecognitionWon
2019National Television AwardsFactual EntertainmentWon
2020National Television AwardsFactualNomitated
2021TV Choice AwardsFactual ShowWon
2021National Television AwardsFactualNomitated
2023TRIC AwardsFactual ProgrammeWon
2023National Television AwardsFactualWon