Rachel leads the Generation Pup project. She is a veterinary surgeon, European specialist in veterinary behavioural medicine and welfare scientist. Rachel has particular research interests in identifying early life risk factors for undesired or ‘problem’ behaviours in companion animals so that these can be prevented, veterinary epidemiology and identifying the best ways to measure and improve the welfare of dogs.
Jane is in charge of the day-to-day management of Generation Pup. Jane has vast experience in analysing risk factors for disease and behaviour problems in companion animals. She set up and led the feline sister project of Generation Pup called ‘Bristol Cats’ which follows kittens through life – her experience is invaluable in ensuring that we ask, and answer, all the right questions so that this project is as successful as it can possibly be!
Séverine is a veterinary surgeon, European specialist in internal medicine and researcher in infectious diseases. Séverine is most known for her work with cats, but has crossed species to help lend her expertise to Generation Pup. Her role is to help co-ordinate the input from a range of veterinary specialists to make sure that we collect the right information to investigate the occurrence of disease in the ‘Generation Pup’ puppies.
Rachel holds a BSc in Biology and a MSc by Research in Epidemiology. Rachel has a particular interest in how pet owners’ behaviour, attitudes, and knowledge may affect animal welfare. She takes responsibility for the delivery of specified research-related tasks, projects and publications.
Sara holds a BSc in Anthropology, a MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour, and she has a PhD focusing on perception and prevention of dog bites. Sara supports Generation Pup by helping with data analysis and writing research findings.
James is due to submit his PhD thesis in human-dog interactions in 2023. He has gained a Masters by Research in Applied Biology and holds a BSc (Hons) in Animal Management. He has a keen interest in human-dog interactions, dog behaviour and welfare. James joined the Generation Pup team in May 2023.
Chloe holds a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare. Chloe will use her skills in data analysis and writing evidence-based literature to support the Generation Pup team as a Research Assistant.
Zera GentleZera joined the project in August 2022 as Administrator, having previously worked in Administrative, Information Reporting and Customer Service roles across both Public and Private Sector in a variety of industries.
Adam WilliamsAdam holds a MSc in Physics and previously worked in energy before joining Dogs Trust. He supports Generation Pup by using his coding skills to extract, validate and analyse data.
Dr Ben CooperBen is a data scientist with an academic background in animal behavioural individuality. He assists the team with coding support, statistical analysis and data visualisation.
Chris NewtonChris holds a BSc in Geography and Environmental Management, an MSc in Geographical Information Science and an MSc in Data Analytics and Society. He supports the Generation Pup team with coding for data processing and analysis.
Dr Kirsten McMillanKirsten is a research professional and data scientist, with a PhD in wildlife epidemiology. She manages a technical unit of data professionals within the Dogs Trust Research team. Along with Adam, Ben, and Chris, she assists Generation Pup with coding, statistical and data visualisation support.
The Generation Pup team at Dogs Trust are very grateful to the following veterinary practices for their assistance in recruiting puppy owners to the study, thus helping our research which aims to improve the health and welfare of dogs in the future. Dogs Trust does not endorse or recommend services provided by research partners of Generation Pup.
A-F:
Adelaide Veterinary Centre | Albert Cottage Veterinary Clinic | Alexander Vets | Axe Valley Vets | Behavioural Referrals Ltd Vet Practice | Blairgowrie Vets Ltd | Braid Vets Mayfield Road | Bridge Vets, Bridge of Don | Bridge Vets, Portlethen | Brookfield Veterinary Practice | Burnham House Veterinary Surgery | Cedar Veterinary Group | Chandlers Ford Veterinary Surgery | Cherry Tree Vets | Crab Lane Vets | CornYard Vets | Culloden Veterinary Clinic | Folly Veterinary Centre
G-L:
Haven Veterinary Group Ltd | Hawick Veterinary Practice | Hitchin Veterinary Surgery | Kingston Veterinary Group, Anlaby | Kingston Veterinary Group, Beverley Road | Kingston Veterinary Group, Cottingham | Kingston Veterinary Group, Holderness Road | Kingston Veterinary Group, Park Street | Kingston Veterinary Group, Thorngumbald | Lakeview Veterinary Centre | The Linnaeus Group | London Road Veterinary Centre
M-R:
MBM Vets Kilmarnock | Millennium Veterinary Practice | Millpark Veterinary Centre Ltd | Minster Veterinary Clinic | Northdale Veterinary Practice | Orchard Veterinary Surgery | Penbode Vets | Provost Vet Group | Purton Vets Swindon | Rhodes Vets, Kingsthorpe | Rhodes Vets, Far Cotton | Ribble Vets Penwortham Surgery | Rutland House Veterinary Hospital
S-Z:
Stow Veterinary Surgeons | The Avenues Veterinary Centre – Rutherglen | The Brook Veterinary Clinic – Enniskillen | The Oak Veterinary Group | The Veterinary Centre, Lipson | The Veterinary Centre, Plympton | The Veterinary Centre, Plymstock | The Veterinary Centre, St Budeaux | The Veterinary Hospital, Estover | Vale Vet Animal Hospital | Vets4Pets Brislington | Vets4Pets Bournemouth | Vets4Pets Leigh | Vets4Pets Newtownabbey | Vets4Pets Newtownards | Vet4Pets Rawtenstall | Vets4Pets Trescott Road | Village Vet Cayton | Watkins & Tasker Vets | Wilson Veterinary Group
Hoi-Lam Jim joined the team in September 2022 and worked on the project for 8 months. Her background in psychology and animal behaviour and cognition helped Hoi work on two specific projects while she was with us.
.
Ben Rosier worked on the project for two years (2020-2022). Ben used his various skills from his background in healthcare and local government to ensure the administration aspects of the project ran smoothly.
.
Rosa Da Costa worked on Generation Pup for 4 years (2018-2022) as a Research Assistant. She contributed to the daily running of the study as well as analysing data. Rosa used her background working in the veterinary sector and her Masters degree in Animal Welfare to set up the process of retrieving vet records and worked to increase recruitment onto the study.
Professor Toby Knowles was a key contributor to the Generation Pup Project from 2015 until his retirement in 2021. Toby, a very experienced statistician with a background in animal welfare research, was fundamental in setting up the project, advising on data collection, data analysis and reporting of study results.
Kate Main worked part-time with the Generation Pup team during 2021. As a veterinary surgeon, she worked hard on raising awareness about Generation Pup within the veterinary community. Kate also prepared a large dataset as part of our collaborative research and assisted with research publications and study analysis.
Jessie Fitts worked part-time with the Generation Pup team during 2021. Jessie was involved in several projects, but her main focus was to help with participant recruitment and engagement, and study analysis.
.
Josh Woodward worked part-time for 2 years with Generation Pup (2018-2020), assisting in the daily running of the study and working on research publications. Josh created infographics to share early findings with participants and helped create the photo gallery and doggy dossier – features that allow owners to see their dog’s progression during their time on the project.
Dr Emma Buckland worked part-time with the Generation Pup team (2018-2020). Emma assisted in the creation of research protocols and data cleaning processes, researching and creating survey questions and helping to spread the word about the study to help recruit study participants.
