VIDEO: Who Let the DOGS Out?: The Great Shelter Escape!

Caught on video! Red, the Lurcher becomes a suspect in the Greatest Shelter Escape of all time! | YouTube

Closed circuit television (CCTV) today has become a standard in security for many businesses. For humans, it is simply beyond Big Brother looking in, it has become a portal into revealing unknown mysteries. But what happens when that mystery is from the Pet World? Let's journey back in time to 2004 to witness the Pet World's greatest dog escape!

A shelter dog at Battersea awaits the Great Escape | YouTube

The staff at the Battersea Dogs' Home in South London became astonished to discover several mornings in a row that several dogs had escaped and raided their kitchens. It began with one to two doors being opened over night and soon became 10-12 dogs running free and stealing food from the kitchen.

THE GREAT MYSTERY

This baffling mystery prompted managers in installing video cameras at different points of the shelter including the end of the aisle of the kennels, the kitchen and a camera in one kennel where one dog named Red, a 4-year old Lurcher who was always found with his doors open.

Red the Lurcher frees his friends in the Great Escape | Jenny Goodall

“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,” said Becky Blackmore of Battersea Dogs' Home, according to The Telegraph.

“They had had lots of food, 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. “It is amazing really because lurchers aren't particularly renowned for their intelligence," said Ms. Blackmore.

Red the Lurcher demonstrates his escaping skills

THE TOP DOG

After the cameras were installed, two nights went by without any occurrence. But, the third night revealed the true culprit. Red was caught on camera demonstrating his amazing ability to unlock his own kennel and freeing others to wreak havoc at the shelter. Surveillance video revealed his this smart Lurcher freeing other dogs to raid the pantry. Footage also revealed that Red also made sure to free his special friend Sage, a female dog who always spent time with him in his kennel.

A NEW HOPE

It was believed by staff members that Red's emaciated condition when he was brought into the shelter as stray, could explain his tenacious nature for tracking food down. Red had since been adopted shortly after his story was broadcasted on British television.

To learn more about Lurchers the Battersea Dogs's Home has made a Lurcher fact sheet available for download.