16 Sept 2021
Cross-breed becomes 5,000th puppy to join Dogs Trust project that aims to track the lives of pets from birth to death and catalogue their experiences.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
A research project launched by Dogs Trust to track the lives of pets from birth to death has just recruited its 5,000th puppy.
Generation pup seeks to catalogue different experiences throughout a dog’s life by having the owners fill out a series of questionnaires at different stages in their life.
The questionnaires cover topics such as behaviour, training, health, diet and experiences, and are due every six months.
The project has recently welcomed its 5,000th puppy with black and white cross-breed Jack joining the study.
Lead researcher Rachel Casey said: “Generation Pup is a ground-breaking longitudinal study generously funded by Dogs Trust. By following puppies throughout their lives, we can investigate the relative influence of environmental, managemental and genetic factors on the development of both canine health and behaviour conditions.
“This has the potential to provide us with invaluable information regarding how to best prevent and treat these conditions in the future. However, to make this study a success, it is vital that we recruit enough puppies. By reaching 5,000 we are halfway to our recruitment target of 10,000, which is a fantastic achievement, but we need your help recruiting the next 5,000.”
Owners can provide consent for optional extras, including collecting biological samples such as urine, faeces, skin swabs, buccal swabs and hair brushings. Also by completing vet record cards and consenting to the retrieval of veterinary clinical notes.
Vets can help contribute to the project by making staff aware of the project and helping new dog owners to take part in the study as it strives to reach 10,000 dogs.
