Study reveals extent of funding for UK’s canine research

Charities and not-for-profit organisations invested nearly £60 million in canine health research projects across a 10-year period, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

The likes of Dogs Trust and The Kennel Club Charitable Trust are among those leading the way on dog-centred health research, for instance, on breed-specific disease around conformation.

While the lion’s share of canine funding comes from larger organisations and public bodies, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) councils and the Wellcome Trust, it tended to finance broader projects – for example, studies covering one health aspects.

Investment

The RVC said its study for the first time revealed the level of investment by not-for-profit bodies in all research work in the UK involving dogs.

According to its findings, 109 UK funders provided £57.8 million between 2012-22  in “traceable canine-relevant funding”.

Researchers for the RVC assessed all projects in the period and assigned definitions on type of funder and research.

Animal-directed funders, such as dog-focused charities, tended to target their funding for specific disease and canine health-related projects.

Impact on humans

Analysis of the 10-year data found wider funders, such as the public bodies, concentrated on projects that addressed canine health alongside an impact on humans, – for example, behavioural interactions.

The latter type of funder provided £41.2 million – or 71.2% – of the total funding between 2012-22, with animal-directed organisations providing £16.3 million. Breed-specific groups provided £370,000.

Individual research grants ranged in size from £300 to £2.3 million, and among animal-directed organisations, the largest funders were Dogs Trust (£7 million), The Kennel Club Charitable Trust (£4 million) and PetPlan Charitable Trust (£2.8 million).

Universities

Universities and institutions to receive the most funding for projects in the period were the University of Edinburgh, which attracted £10.3 million, the RVC, with £7.6 million and the University of Liverpool, with £5.6 million.

Those behind the funding study, which is published in Plos One, hope metrics within the research will help inform future research projects looking to improve dogs’ lives.

Dan O’Neill, associate professor in companion animal epidemiology at the RVC and co-author of the paper, said: “With around 11 million dogs currently estimated in the UK, this new study identifies that more than £5 per living dog has been invested in research over the past decade.

“This highlights both how much the UK public loves their dogs, but also how concerned we are about their health issues.

“While more funding and research is certainly needed to ensure we can continue to enhance the lives of our canine friends, these findings set the benchmark and will help ensure future funding is distributed effectively.”

‘Real difference’

Alison Skipper, canine health researcher at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “Research funding from charities and similar organisations makes a real difference in tackling specific canine problems and how important it is that funding continues to be invested so we can further improve canine lives.”

Some research topics have only advanced because of funding from animal-directed funders. As an example, research projects on the welfare of dogs in shelters received around £250,000 – all of it provided by Battersea, Dogs Trust, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and Waltham.

Andrew Higgins, trustee of The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, said: “It was exciting and rewarding to bring together dog charities to fund this important piece of work, which the trust was very happy to support.”

The full paper can be read here.