America’s first all-star dog adoption telethon has proved a barking mad success, with more than 4,400 people signing up to take in homeless four-legged friends.

Michael Levitt executive producer of Cause For Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular, says it would have been huge even if only half the applications resulted in adoptions. And he thinks anyone who watched the show will strongly consider a rescue next time they get a dog.

Seventy dogs from rescue centres across the country were featured on the two-hour TV show, co-hosted by actresses Hilary Swank and Jane Lynch on the Fox Network.

More than four million people tuned in to see the programme and the producers now hope it becomes a future fixture.

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