Episode 20 - Dr Paula Boyden - Dogs Trust

In this episode we catch up with Dr Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust, to find out more about their work. Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare organisation in the UK, rehoming 14,000 dogs a year and many of you will be familiar with their work.  Alongside their rehoming work, they work across public affairs, outreach, and dog behaviour. A current focus for them is  the push for stronger legislation to address puppy smuggling, a topic which we find out more about, as well as discussing the current challenges of dangerous dogs legislation. But their work doesn’t just focus on dogs – a large part of their work is about people. And so we decided to split this interview into 2 parts, with part 1 focussing on Dogs Trust, and part of 2 focussing on their work around domestic abuse, through key projects like Freedom for domestic abuse survivors, and Paula’s work with The Links Group. 25th November to 10th December marks 16 days of activism against gender based violence; and it will be no surprise there is a spike in domestic abuse incidents around Christmas. The work of the Freedom project and The Links Group is important all year, but particularly around Christmas, and so we wanted to highlight this. So, there will be another special episode of the podcast released on Monday.   Further information Dogs Rehoming & Dog Rescue Charity | Dogs Trust The Links Group Freedom (fostering for dogs belonging to people fleeing domestic abuse) Puppy Smuggling – Westminster - recent news   Biography Paula Boyden graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1992. She spent 11 years in general practice, before moving into a technical role in industry in 2003. Paula joined Dogs Trust in 2010, where she is now Veterinary Director. Her responsibilities include oversight of Dogs Trust’s veterinary matters, outreach and public affairs work.   Paula has a particular interest in the link between abuse of animals and abuse of people and is current Chair of the Links Group. She also chairs the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), is vice chair of the Canine and Feline Sector Group, sits on the RSPCA’s Prosecutions Oversight Panel and is a member of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission. Paula is a founder member of the Association of Charity Vets.   In 2017, Paula received BSAVA’s J A Wight Memorial Award for her contribution to the welfare of companion animals, and in 2023 the WSAVA’s Global One Health Award.