diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index d6292ec882e15084f53dfacb41b3e033255801f4..87d32844e094b31ee5137ece26fec15fc606a8c9 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ version 0.9.7 -- UNRELEASED
 	maildir:
 	 . fix location of deleted_on file
 	 . add missing destid_file options to ssh connections
+	mysql:
+	 . Options passed to mysqldump are now customizable with the new
+	   sqldumpoptions configuration variable. Thanks to Chris Lamb for his
+	   preliminary patch (Closes: #502966)
 
 version 0.9.6 -- July 21, 2008
     backupninja changes
diff --git a/examples/example.mysql b/examples/example.mysql
index bd996e7ccaafe96197c065c64b96dd6b06d7c2ad..de9651fb5e1b6e6cda11855e98bbbbe214ce296a 100644
--- a/examples/example.mysql
+++ b/examples/example.mysql
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ compress    = yes
 # make a backup using mysqldump. this creates text files with sql commands
 # sufficient to recontruct the database.
 #
+# sqldumpoptions = <options>
+# (default = --lock-tables --complete-insert --add-drop-table --quick --quote-names)
+# arguments to pass to mysqldump
+#
 # compress = < yes | no > (default = yes)
 # if yes, compress the sqldump output. 
 #
diff --git a/handlers/mysql.helper.in b/handlers/mysql.helper.in
index 9622d41d8080ffbb4d69bae7058df81c7881a1f0..00eeca0ce15e2f142e0a263f34ba09a17d9caae5 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql.helper.in
+++ b/handlers/mysql.helper.in
@@ -94,6 +94,11 @@ $hotcopy
 #
 $sqldump
 
+# sqldumpoptions = <options>
+# (default = --lock-tables --complete-insert --add-drop-table --quick --quote-names)
+# arguments to pass to mysqldump
+# sqldumpoptions = --add-drop-table --quick --quote-names
+
 # compress = < yes | no > (default = yes)
 # if yes, compress the sqldump output.
 $compress
diff --git a/handlers/mysql.in b/handlers/mysql.in
index fe1e7832f32ee43c090cf5e17d6e985e040f8376..c80a36a3d95881ba0aa8b4f8ba5fd20ec3efce05 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql.in
+++ b/handlers/mysql.in
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ getconf nodata
 getconf dbhost localhost
 getconf hotcopy no
 getconf sqldump no
+getconf sqldumpoptions "--lock-tables --complete-insert --add-drop-table --quick --quote-names"
 getconf compress yes
 getconf vsname
 
@@ -245,7 +246,7 @@ then
 
 	for db in $databases
 	do
-           DUMP_BASE="$MYSQLDUMP $defaultsfile --lock-tables --complete-insert --add-drop-table --quick --quote-names"
+           DUMP_BASE="$MYSQLDUMP $defaultsfile $sqldumpoptions"
 
            # Dumping structure and data
            DUMP="$DUMP_BASE $ignore $db"