TALKING DOGS
Catch up on all the latest news and chat from the dog world.
The UK’s largest dog welfare charity has welcomed the 5,000th puppy onto its landmark canine study.
Cross-breed Jack has joined Dogs Trust’s ‘Generation Pup’, taking the trailblazing project to its halfway point.
Launched in 2016, the first-of-its-kind dog welfare study tracks puppies through to adulthood, to learn how their early experiences, environment, diet, and exercise affect their health and behaviour later in life.
It is enabling researchers to gain groundbreaking new insights into our canine companions to improve dog welfare for future generations.
Jack, who is a 14-week-old Springer Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Jack Russell Terrier mix, was signed up by his owner Ruth Lewis, after she enrolled him in puppy training classes at Dogs Trust Dog School Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Dr Jane Murray, research manager for Generation Pup at Dogs Trust, said: “It’s wonderful that we’ve recruited 5,000 dogs, and we’re so grateful to all the owners who give up their time to help with the study.
“The more puppies we have signed up, the greater potential we have to understand more about our dogs and how to help them in the future.”
Dogs Trust is hoping to recruit 10,000 puppies onto the study, which is open to all breeds and cross-breeds aged up to 16 weeks (21 weeks for puppies who have gone through quarantine), based anywhere in the UK or Ireland.
● To sign up a new puppy or find out more, visit www.generationpup.ac.uk