Eager celebrities have been jumping at the chance to ‘Draw a Dog’ and to help out this most worthwhile charity. Liverpool Football Club, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Lord Heseltine, Terry Wogan and Joanna Lumley have all produced artistic pieces for the campaign. World-renowned artists, Tracy Emin, Antony Gormley and Craigie Aitchison have also submitted works of their favourite doggy to put up for auction. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Joanna Lumley’s are shown above.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen explains why he got involved: “My mother suffered with MS for 40 years. She was a wheelchair user and as my father was an orthopaedic surgeon, I grew up seeing the effects of disability. So I love Dogs for the Disabled. These dogs can open and close doors, help a person undress, switch lights on and off. I just love the charity.”

Peter Gorbing, chief executive of Dogs for the Disabled spoke excitedly about the auction: “We have been delighted with the response to the Draw your Dog campaign and we have received some extremely creative efforts from lots of celebrities – so whether you dream of owning an original Tracey Emin or have always been a big fan of Eastenders there is always something for everyone. On a more serious note, all the money raised on the night will help us train more of our inspirational partnerships between disabled person and their assistance dog.”

Dogs for the Disabled train dogs to help disabled adults and children with practical everyday tasks from opening and closing doors, turning on and off light switches, helping people undress, even emptying the washing machine.

The auction will take place at the Kennel Club, Piccadilly, London, on December 1st, and tickets are on sale now for £35 each. Contact Dogs for the Disabled by email on info@dogsforthedisabled.org or by calling them on 08700 776600 if you wish to attend to pick up a unique work of art from your favourite celebrity or artist. The Kennel Club Gallery will be giving a preview exhibition of all the art works from 21-25th November.