A BIDDING frenzy was already well underway this evening before the Snowdog auction opened.

Eager bidders were making big offers early on for some of the giant models which went under the hammer from 7pm.

Bow Wow – the David Bowie themed dog – emerged as leader of the pack, attracting more than £5,000 in bids yesterday afternoon. It was expected to be one of the most popular with collectors.

Prices were also rising for other dogs including Gizmo, Disco Dog, Dave the Dog, Rose, Blot the Dog, Brighton Belle, Roodle and Bella before celebrity auctioneer Tim Wonnacott opened the sale at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds is expected to be raised for The Martlets hospice after the popular public art trail took place in Brighton and Hove for 10 weeks.

Successful bids are anticipated to be in excess of £4,000, but there is no reserve. Although starting prices online are £1,000. Prices are thought to be significantly higher for some of the designs - particularly those with links to celebrities.

Watch the auction live here www.theargus.co.uk/snowdogslive .

The Argus is the official media partner for the Wild in Art project.

See theargus.co.uk later to find out how much money the auction raised and see Thursday’s newspaper for full coverage of the event.