Hey, beagle fans!

I'm raising money for Beagle Welfare at this year's London Marathon.Here's why.

Did you know that beagles are, in comparison with other breeds of dog, very similar to one another? You know how sometimes you'll come across two dogs that are supposedly the same breed, but don't really look like each other? When you see beagles, they are always recognisably beagles.

It's a cute feature, but has one drawback: it means that animal testing scientists get a glint in their eyes when they look at beagles, because their breed similarities make them perfect subjects for testing. The scientists know that their results will be useful, because of the similar biology of our long-eared friends.

What's more beagles are small, easy to move around and super, super friendly. Just think of those wagging tails as they, unsuspecting, happily approach men and women in white coats, wondering what fun games they have in store. Hhmmm.

You probably won't want to see what happens, but if you're curious, check this video of beagles in a testing lab out. Got to warn you: it's not happy viewing. You'll probably spend the rest of the day in tears at what you see.

Here's a stat you won't feel comfortable reading: Of the 8,018 dogs used in testing in the UK in 2004, 7,799 - or 97.3% - were beagles.

Beagle Welfare run a campaign called "RUN FREE" that aims to abolish the breeding and use of Beagles for animal experimentation in the UK. Yeah, you have your Oxfams, British Heart Foundations and NSPCCs, but I can't think of anything I'd like to raise money for.

Beagle Welfare do so much more than just campaigning, however. They work to give help and advice on beagles and re-home beagles who've been given up by their owners.

Why would you want to give up such an adorable dog?

Here's the thing: beagles are completely adorable, but can be a little bit - ah - high maintenance from time to time. They are like little Mischief Bombs when they're awake and running around - believe me, when they're on, they're ON.

And some people aren't able to deal with that.

They look at the pictures, think "Awwww, so cuuuuute!" (which is true) and imagine life with a dreamy, obedient little Snoopy. When they eventually find out how much energy, time and patience you need to keep a beagle, it's often too much for them and they end up giving the dog away. It's only one or two steps from "giving the dog away" to "no other option but to euthanise".

That's where Beagle Welfare help. They helped us - Bertie and Eddie, the two heartbreakers whose pictures you see on this page? Both rescue dogs, from the North Kent regional centre run by (the lovely) Helen Rogers.

If you give me a few quid to schlep around London next April, think about

a) How much fun it'll be to imagine the sheer agony I'll be going through early on a Sunday morning as you yawn, scratch your bum and scoff your coffee and croissant/full English/pancakes.

b) Realise, as the caffeine starts to arouse the brain cells, that you are partly responsible for not just this Dan Pain (excellent), but for making a few gorgeous, black, brown and white dogs wag their tails with a lot more joy than before.

COME ON! There's no down side to this. Beagles happy; Dan in agony as he shuffles down Victoria Embankment. What's not to love?

They give us so much pleasure and love (even if I do have a small, but growing, amount of scar tissue thanks to Bertie's fangs). If you have a "charity budget" this year, BY ALL MEANS give most of it to the British Heart Foundation, Oxfam, Mencap et cetera - let's keep things in perspective, after all. But save a few pounds for the cute ickle beagles. G'wan. Look at those photos again and tell me you can't!

Here's the JustGiving terms and conditions stuff:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate.

So if you're not doing anything next April 21, keep an eye on the telly. That St. John's ambulance you see screaming off to the nearest emergency ward? That'll be me.

Oh, and the target of £5,000? Well... You've got to be ambitious!