A lurcher called Red out-smarted staff at Battersea Dogs' Home by breaking out of his kennel on a nightly basis to raid the kitchen, and taking his canine friends with him.

The greyhound cross, described as "a fun dog with a cheeky side", unbolted his door before releasing other dogs. Mystified staff at the animal shelter in south London arrived in the morning to discover the dogs running amok through the centre.

The reason for the break-outs only came to light after video surveillance was installed to catch the culprit. Shown on GMTV this morning, the images show Red escaping and then pushing back the bolts on the other dogs' kennels to free them too before they gathered in the kitchen.

Becky Blackmore, from Battersea Dogs' Home, said staff had been baffled by the animals' means of escape. "We had come in to chaos in the morning. It happened probably about a dozen times. We would come in to lots of dogs out on their block.

"They had had lots of food, lots of fun and lots of fun and games and caused loads of mess. We weren't too sure what was going on. There are lots of stories about Battersea being haunted so we wanted to make sure that there was an explanation for what was going on and we managed to catch the culprit."

Ms Blackmore told GMTV: "It is amazing really because lurchers aren't particularly renowned for their intelligence. It is amazing that he has worked out how to get out of his own kennel but then also that he goes and lets all his friends out."

Red, approximately three to five years old, arrived at Battersea Dogs' Home in June in an emaciated state which, staff believe, is the reason for his urge to seek out food every night.

Since his video exploits appeared on television this morning the dogs home has received more than a dozen calls from potential owners. In the meantime, his kennel has been made more secure to stop him escaping at night.

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