It's too hard to say goodbye..

How tragic Paul O'Grady choked up on his final dogs TV'series

- TOM BRYANT

ANIMAL hero Paul O'Grady will have his grieving fans weeping once again when he returns to TV in a tearjerker where he has to say goodbye to Peggy, a dog who stole his heart.

In the new series of Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs, filmed last year, he helps nurse Newfoundland Peggy back to health after an operation.

The star, who died last month, aged 67, desperately wants to adopt her, but says there is "no room at the inn".

Paul had already adopted several dogs from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where the series is set, including Chihuahua-Jack Russell cross Eddie, shih-tzu Boycie, Maltese Conchita, mongrels Arfur and Nancy, and a dachshund called Sausage.

Peggy had a three-and-a-half-hour operation at the Royal Veterinary College to repair her back legs.

Helped by Paul and a team of experts, the two-year-old then had eight weeks of physio, hydrotherapy and assisted walks in a supported harness before she could be rehomed.