A plush new animal centre is being planned to provide shelter for hundreds of homeless pets.

Under-floor heating to keep them cosy and glass windows instead of wire mesh to add a little sound-proofing will ensure pooches have a comfortable stay at the National Canine Defence League's rehoming centre in Shoreham while they find a new place to live.

The new units will also cut down unpleasant smells and keep the animals a little calmer as the sound-proofing should ensure they do not set each other off barking when one of them starts to howl.

The work will turn the centre from an old-fashioned kennels into something resembling a posh health farm for pets, who will even have their own in-house medical centre.

The centre currently has four blocks of kennels, called Cabbage, Toys, Ranch and Brick, which home up to 110 dogs.

However, the charity has decided these outdated concrete and wire mesh homes need to be improved.

Nicole Baker, one of 17 members of staff at Shoreham, said: "We are aiming to be able to take in the same number of dogs but with much-improved facilities and higher-quality materials.

"Although there will be under-floor heating, which is expensive to put in, it will be cheaper to run."

The bulldozers are due to move in within the next few weeks and the rebuild will take about ten months.

The medical suite will enable the centre to offer subsidised neutering for dogs, which may reduce the number of strays.

The charity's headquarters has just revealed that the number of stray dogs wandering the UK streets has risen for the first time in six years to about 117,000 - equivalent to one dog for every 500 people.

Last year, the Shoreham centre managed to rehome 586 of the 741 dogs which went through its doors.

Only 121 of the 223 strays found wandering in the Adur and Brighton and Hove areas were claimed by their owners.

The organisation, which has a policy of not putting down healthy dogs, is a keen supporter of pets being microchipped with a code number.

Nicole said: "If everyone had their pets chipped it would save so much time and effort."

The NCDL often holds free microchipping sessions for pensioners' dogs and subsidised chipping for other owners.

The charity also appeals for people to sponsor a dog and pay a small fee. They can visit and even take the dog out for walks.

Cross-breed JG is a typical example. Born doubly incontinent, she would be hard to rehome but she has people who visit regularly and take her out for walks.

Nicole said: "She's lovely and has a great life. She gets a lot of cuddles and love but would be difficult to rehome because she needs a lot of hard work."

There is also the foster scheme for the many older dogs who need medical care. They can go to foster homes and the charity pays any medical fees.

And under its unique Canine Care Card Scheme, the charity will try to re-home a rescued dog again if its elderly owner dies.

All NCDL dogs are neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, vet checked and behaviourally assessed before being rehomed.

The Shoreham centre is open from noon to 4pm every day, except Tuesdays. It can be contacted on 01273 452576.