Dogs and owners raise more than £55,000 in obstacle course at Crystal Palace

Pet lovers and their dogs have raised more than £55,000 for Battersea Dogs & Cats in an obstacle course around Crystal Palace park.

The Muddy Dog Challenge, one of the UK's biggest obstacle courses where people run with their dogs, saw more than 480 participants take on the course this year, raising a grand total of £56,350 for Battersea.

The money raised will help the charity in caring for dogs and cats across their three centres and support their work campaigning for animal rights and assisting other rescues around the world.

This year's Muddy Dog Challenge was supported by Pedigree and Mars Petcare.

The event took place on May 4 in London's Crystal Palace Park, where participants wriggled through the Canine Crawl and leapt over the Hurdling Hounds before ending their journey at the Pedigree Pamper Pawlour.

The challenge raised more than £55,000 for Battersea Dogs & Cats (Image: Battersea)

Each participant was awarded a Muddy Dog Challenge medal, while their furry friends were given a rosette.

Among the challengers were Sammy and Luke, the owners of a two-year-old German Shepherd named Voodoo.

They decided to participate in the event in memory of their previous dog, Alfie.

Sammy said: "We were completely heartbroken after losing our beloved Alfie, and Voodoo made our family feel whole again.

"Voodoo absolutely loves the outdoors and spending time around other dogs, so the Muddy Dog Challenge felt like the perfect way to remember Alfie whilst raising money for a cause that's close to our hearts."

Sammy, Luke and their dog Voodoo took part in memory of their previous dog Alfie (Image: Battersea)

Another participant, Payal, and her nine-year-old Jack Russell Cross, Cooper, successfully raised more than £800 for the charity.

Payal said: "Myself and my friends wanted to take part in the Muddy Dog Challenge as we all grew up with dogs and couldn’t think of a better charity to raise money for.

"Battersea does so much for dogs and cats for as long as they need them."

All the money raised will help the charity care for cats and dogs across each of their three centres (Image: Battersea)

Battersea's senior challenge events officer, Jasmine Monk, said: "Thank you so much to everyone who came and took part in the Muddy Dog Challenge with us in London for the first time.

"We are grateful to everyone who came along – whether they were taking part, volunteering or cheering their loved ones on.

"All the money raised will allow Battersea’s dedicated staff to care for the thousands of dogs and cats that need our help, for as long as they need us."

For those interested in participating in other events taking place this year, you can register your interest on the Battersea website.