Ten Bath business figures who swapped their offices for a day in the dog house have raised more than £15,000 for charity.
The group were locked up in a dog kennel at Bath Cats and Dogs Home for its annual Kennel Break challenge. 
The inmates were allowed to use their laptops and phones to get contacts to pledge the minimum £1,000 bail payment to buy their freedom.
But to raise extra cash, some had to dress up as dogs, perform or get soaked by wet sponges thrown by colleagues and friends.
And even when they reached the £1,000 mark, some chose to remain inside their kennels for longer, to bring in more funds for the animal rescue charity.
Money raised during the Kennel Break day will help to support the £1.4m annual running costs of Bath Cats and Dogs Home – one of the busiest and biggest animal adoption centres in the South West.
The fundraising event has now secured nearly £60,000 over the past five years.
Fundraiser Zena Jones said: “The demand we experience to accommodate unwanted and abandoned animals, sadly, never lessens. Kennel Break is one of our biggest annual fundraising events – the support we receive from these is vital to the work we do here.
“Each business that put forward people to spend a day in the dog house has helped to make the fifth Kennel Break challenge a howling success. 
“We are really thankful to all who took part and contributed donations. It’s been such a positive event – all of the businesses involved were quick to join in with the fun spirit of it all.
“The inmates created a huge buzz on social media channels to raise their bail money, so the event was also a great way of raising awareness for the pets we rescue and rehome.
“The money raised will enable us to make a real difference to the lives of lots of vulnerable animals this summer.”
Taking part in the Kennel Break were veterinary surgeon Gwen Cardiff and nurse Tracie Farion from Bath Vets; Steve Smitherman, business manager of Barclays’s Bath branch; Brian Topper, managing director, and Andy Paull, finance director, from Centaur; Natalie Giles, senior lettings negotiator at Zest Lettings; Lauren Barnes, owner, and Kate Hornby, day care assistant, from Houndbound; Nick Raine, director of operations at Novia; financial advisor Adam Davitt of Smart Advice Financial Solutions and Smart Property Agents; Martin Spiller, chairman of Systemagic; and from Bath Cats and Dogs Home, HR and facilities manager Angela Chapman and administrator Kevin Ravelin. 
Last year Bath Cats and Dogs Home took in more than 1,300 animals from across Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire, reunited 212 strays with their owners, and found homes for 1,348 animals.
To sign up for 2017’s Kennel Break challenge, call 01225 787335, or email zenajones@bcdh.org.uk
Pictured: Top, Martin Spiller of Systemagic; centre, Lauren Barnes and Kate Hornby of Houndbound; bottom, Andy Paull and Brian Topper of Centaur
