A year has passed since celebrity animal advocate Paul O’Grady passed away at the age of 67, after many years spent helping to rehome hundreds of abandoned pets.
With many dogs of his own and five at the time of his untimely death from cardiac arrhythmia on 28th March 2023; the comedian, actor and animal lover was a high profile supporter of Battersea dogs home, giving the charity invaluable publicity on his TV show, For the Love of Dogs.
O’Grady ranked Queen Camilla the Queen Consort as a friend after they worked closely together to support Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home. He even prided himself on trying to persuade the late Queen Elizabeth II to rescue another corgi, her favourite breed, when she visited the charity HQ in 2015!
O’Grady’s legacy lives on after Battersea named its new veterinary hospital after the late presenter, providing much-needed care and treatment for dogs and cats.
Buster
Between 1995/96, Paul starred in the musical Prisoner Cell Block H. This was the first time people became aware of his great love of dogs, as he took Buster, a small crossbreed, on tour with him, not wishing to be parted for months on end.
Buster had “never been happier” than when involved in the show, according to O’Grady, prompting the star to give his dog a regular slot on ITV’s The Paul O’Grady Show in 2004.
He had retired the Lily Savage persona in 2000 and began appearing as himself from this time onwards.
Regularly attracted 2.7 million viewers during its 11-year run until 2015, the TV chat show cemented O’Grady’s place as an iconic presenter who connected with viewers in a way few stars could. Buster would sit on the table in front of him, to the delight of viewers and guests, until 2009, when sadly he died. Paul was devastated.
In 2013, Olga the Cairn terrier began appearing regularly on the show, following in Buster’s footsteps.
Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs
For Paul O’Grady, Battersea was more than just a charity - it was his vocation in life.
His long association with the dogs’ home began in October 2010, when he was invited to the opening of its new cattery.
Local animal lover Mary Tealby had founded The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs in 1860, after taking in a stray dog herself. It later became the Battersea charity and within four years had helped around 2,000 dogs.
The cattery was being opened by Queen Consort Camilla to celebrate Battersea’s 150th anniversary. Meeting for the first time at the event, Camilla and O’Grady formed a firm friendship, bonded by their love of dogs.
They worked together to win publicity for the shelter for the next 13 years until O’Grady’s untimely death.
He began presenting the ITV documentary series, For the Love of Dogs, in 2012, when his heartwarming affection for the resident Battersea dogs shone through. The show ran for 92 episodes over 11 series, highlighting Battersea’s hard work caring for and rehoming abandoned pets.
The eleventh series was broadcast posthumously after O’Grady’s death. It topped the viewing ratings, attracting more than 4.1 million viewers in the 8.30pm slot.
The star threw himself heart and soul into getting to know every dog individually, walking them and even sitting on the floor in their pens to highlight their plight. He wanted viewers to know how loving and well-behaved the strays were and spent hours trying to find each one a home.
If the dogs were visibility afraid, he would stroke and talk to them to help keep them calm. Often, his eyes would fill with tears at their poignant stories.
New veterinary centre
O’Grady is still greatly missed by staff and volunteers at Battersea, but his legacy will live on, thanks to the charity’s veterinary hospital.
Following his death, Battersea set up a Paul O’Grady tribute fund in his memory. To date, it has raised around £480,000, making the veterinary hospital a reality.
Charity bosses have described the “outpouring of support and sympathy” after he passed away, praising the fundraising total as “staggering” and a “real testament” to his legacy.
The money will provide life-saving surgeries for dogs and cats in need of specialised treatment and care and the required veterinary supplies.
Paul O’Grady’s dogs
O’Grady had owned many dogs himself, including the late Buster and Olga, followed by the five dogs at the time of his death - Nancy, Arfur, Eddie, Sausage and Conchita.
He had adopted Nancy during the Covid pandemic in 2020, when Battersea staff asked if he would like to foster her when the home had to close temporarily during the lockdowns. Fortunately for Nancy, O’Grady was a “failed foster”, as he kept her, later admitting this was always his plan from the start!
His husband, Andre Portasio, a former dancer with the English National Ballet, is caring for all five dogs now.
O’Grady also helped rehome around 80 Battersea dogs during the difficult times of the pandemic.
As well as supporting Battersea, he became an ambassador for the Save the Children charity in 2008. He was also a supporter of the Pedigree Feeding Brighter Futures campaign to donate one million meals to UK rescue dogs.
He won the RSPCA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Animal Welfare in 2016 at the Animal Hero Awards.
As the anniversary of his death approaches, his legacy is also living on in Liverpool, where a number of animal rescue centres have each received £20,000 in his memory, including Carla Lane Animals in Need, Freshfields Animal Rescue and The Oldies Club.
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