SPUD - he's scatty and accident prone - but good with the gadgets . . .

STAR - she's super smart and ready to pounce

Together they're SPY PUPS, following hot in the paw prints of mum LARA (that's Licensed Assault and Rescue Animal to you).

Spud and Star are on a daredevil rescue mission to save Lara from the evil Mr Big! He's been in prison plotting his revenge and unless the pups can outwit him, Lara is in deadly danger.

Can the Spy Pups jump into action and save the day - and their mum?

Andrew Cope announces the winner and five runners up of the My Pet's Got Talent Competition! Watch the video to find out who won...

How did you find your rescue dog Lara?

We adopted Lara from the RSPCA when she was a pup. She’d been abandoned in a litter bin when she was very tiny – some horrible person had just left her there! And the RSPCA saved her life and looked after her until she was old enough for adoption. We came along and fell in love with this cute little puppy. Little did we know she’d turn out to be the inspiration behind Spy Dog!

What was it like adopting a dog from the RSPCA?

There was great excitement in our family. I hadn’t promised we would get a dog – I’d told the kids we could go and have a look at what the RSPCA had. We walked along the line of dogs and they all looked desperate for a good home. We came to the end of the line and my little boy was stroking a puppy through the bars. He was pleading with his eyes – and the puppy was pleading too! We fell in love with puppy Lara and eventually took her home. The great news is that Lara had been really well looked after by the RSPCA and she’d had all her vaccinations, and she fitted perfectly into our family!

Where did you get the idea for your books?

It was a throwaway idea really. I had just watched a James Bond film and Lara had spent the entire time lazing by the fire. I said to my daughter: “What if Lara is like James Bond? What if she’s actually a secret agent, undercover in our house, patrolling the neighbourhood and sweeping crime off the streets?” I thought it was quite a cool idea. The next step was to write the story.

What do you love about writing books?

I love the fact that, as the author, I can make anything happen! I also love the act of writing. It’s a great feeling to have a head full of ideas and to get them down in some sort of order, although it’s not so good if you have a day when there aren’t any ideas!

What advice would you give to any wannabe writers?

My advice is to read loads of books and magazines – because it’s great for your brain and your vocabulary. And then to reduce the TV you watch and the video games you play by 50 per cent and get your book written. Remember, When Andrew Cope adopted Lara from the RSPCA he did more than take on a new dog. He became a successful author and Lara became the main character in a set of brilliant books called Spy Dog! the world is full of wannabe writers who have loads of ideas but can’t be bothered to actually write them down – let me make this clear, your book will not write itself! And, thirdly, never, ever give up!

What would you say to anyone who’s thinking of adopting an animal from the RSPCA?

You need to take responsibility for your pet and that means feeding, watering, changing its straw (unless it’s a fish!), walking it (see previous brackets) and sometimes even cleaning up its poo! If you are prepared to go to these lengths, then go for it. A pet will give you massive pleasure.

Do you have any other pets?

Oh yes! At last count we had two dogs, a cat, four fish, two guinea pigs, a hamster and two pigs. My pigs are very special pets. They aren’t normal pink pigs, they’re ginger and black and hairy and are called Hargreaves and Rooney.

What’s your favourite book?

My fave book of all time is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Genius from start to finish. A great story, super characters, humour, action, adventure, oompa loompas, chocolate… what more could you want from a book?

Interview © RSPCA 2010. Read more about the RSPCA Animal Action Club.