For The Love of Dogs fans were left switching off within minutes of the show airing as they claimed that Alison Hammond was the wrong replacement for Paul O’Grady.
O’Grady presented the heartwarming show from 2012, up until he died back in 2023, leaving fans of the comedian and the show heartbroken.
Months after his death, Hammond – who currently presents This Morning – was announced as O’Grady’s replacement on the show.
Fans were furious at the signing and made their feelings known on their social media, with many threatening to boycott the series.
During tonight’s first episode, Hammond bottle-fed a three-day-old puppy who was found abandoned in a bin, met a toy-obsessed terrier in training to be a sniffer dog, and fell head over heels for Nelly, a spaniel with a rare eye condition.
However, whilst Hammond was doing her best to carry on the legacy O’Grady had built and left behind, fans of the show were quick to criticize.
For The Love of Dogs viewers were quick to switch off of Alison's debut episode
ITV
One fan complained: “Loved seeing Battersea dogs & all Paul did. Won't be watching #ForTheLoveofDogs & ITV's hire of overexposed Alison Hammond.
“Reading she'll be putting her own stamp on show & zero experience with dogs, has not changed my mind. Just another job.”
“Gonna take a bit of getting used to without Paul,” another penned before a third added: “How can ITV justify replacing the wonderful Paul O’Grady with the loud-mouthed Alison Hammond?”
One user exclaimed: “It still beggars belief that these people who hired Alison thought she’d be the one to fill the impossibly big shoes of our Paul. He didn’t deserve this.”
Alison noted that she didn't care what the trolls had to say and told them not to watch
ITV
“I don’t think I can sit through an hour of this!” another quipped before a sixth stated: “Tried to watch #ForTheLoveOfDogs. But had to switch over.”
However, not all viewers were left unimpressed with Hammond’s new role, as one said: “Not a fan of #AlisonHammond but I'll wait until I've watched #ForTheLoveOfDogs to voice my opinion!”
Another complimented: “No one will ever be Paul but he would want the show to live on and keep fighting for these animals. Give Alison a chance and be grateful she’s keeping this show going.” (sic)
Hammond hit back at the negative comments she received ahead of her debut and told The Sun: “I was actually surprised with how much I got for doing the show.
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Alison Hammond replaced Paul O'Grady on his ITV show
ITV
"I could understand in the sense that Paul was so loved, and people were saying: 'How can she do Love of Dogs when she doesn't have a dog? How does she love dogs when she doesn't have a dog?'
"It's like saying: 'How can you love children when you haven't got kids?' If you don't want to watch it, don't watch it.
“That's what I would say to those trolls: 'Don't watch it then. If you don't want to help Battersea, don't watch it'. Trolls will be trolls and I'll still do what I do best, which is TV presenting and you'll see for yourself, I think it's authentic and I loved doing it.
“Trolls are trolls, it says more about them than it does me, really. I would never troll anybody, even if I thought it, I wouldn't go online and put it down."