Dogs Trust Wins 'Data for Good Initiative of the Year'

(Above image: The winning trophy awarded to Dogs Trust for ‘Data for Good Initiative of the Year 2025’)

We are the proud joint winners of the ‘Data for Good Initiative of the Year’ award at the British Data Awards 2025 – alongside West Yorkshire Police. 

In addition, we were honoured to be finalists in three other categories: Not-For-Profit of the Year, Data Team of the Year (20+ People), and Data Transformation of the Year. Here are the list of all the winners from awards night. 

This prestigious recognition not only showcases our commitment to excellence but also embodies our spirit —dreaming big, being on the ball, and making things happen. It shows what we can achieve together: demonstrating that through collaboration, we can reach remarkable outcomes for the dogs and communities we serve.

Competing against a record 448 entries, our victory is a remarkable achievement. The British Data Awards, with headline partner Data Literacy Academy, is an annual quest that aims to discover and celebrate the UK’s data success stories. Now in its fifth year, we’re particularly proud to be considered for four awards among such a range of impressive organisations, which together showcase the vibrancy and diversity of the UK data world. The competition was fierce, and being named a finalist, let alone a winner, speaks to the significant impact that together we are making for dogs. 

(Above image: The prestigious award British Data Awards ceremony with headline partner Data Literacy Academy, was hosted by Jo Caulfield at The Brewery, London)

Our winning initiative focused on leveraging data to enhance dog welfare and the rehoming process. We gather insights that inform our activities before and after adoption, enabling us to better support dogs and their owners throughout their journey. This achievement is rooted in collaborative efforts across the organisation (‘working together’), with multiple projects playing a pivotal role. 

Some key areas and projects highlighted in the award submission included: 

• Fireworks Noise & Dog Behaviour: In collaboration with the University of Salford, we conducted an acoustic analysis of fireworks, in conjunction with a study of dog behaviour in response to fireworks which helped advocate for fireworks exclusion zones.
• National Dog Survey: Captured data on 430,406 dogs in 2024, the largest known dataset of UK pet dogs, leading to initiatives like pet food banks for owners in need.
• Stray Dog Survey: Annual data collection from Local Authority dog wardens estimates the number of stray and unwanted dogs in the UK, aiding responsible ownership promotion.
• Operations Digital Transformation: Digitisation of data collection in rehoming centres to provide better care for dogs in our centres.
• UK Pet Dog Population Project: Developed a method for estimating the UK dog's population, resulting in a comprehensive dataset that reshapes our approach to dog welfare.
• Generation Pup: A longitudinal study of 10,000 dogs that informs Dogs Trust’s policies on puppy socialisation, training and behaviour.
• Choosing My Dog: Enhanced understanding of the dog acquisition process, influencing pre-adoption advice for owners through data collection at community events and resultant training for operational teams.
• Behaviour Support Line: An evaluation of our BSL service, to examine what was working well and areas for development, to maximise impact in offering free support to owners facing training/behavioural issues with their dogs.
• Post Adoption Support: Tracks rehomed dogs through follow-up calls, identifying risk factors for behaviour and health problems within the first four months and informing relevant advice.
• Dashboards & Reporting: Provides actionable insights and real-time visual analytics to support data-driven decision-making and growth.
• Interactive Whiteboards: Being installed in our centres to enable digital data entry to be embedded into dog care routines, allowing staff to focus more on direct dog care and demonstrating early efficiency gains.
• Monitoring & Evaluation:  Dogs Trust conduct a variety of projects that aim to understand, monitor and communicate impact. This includes design and development of Theory of Change models, and robust impact measurement tools to assess outcomes, and monitor impact.

A BIG thank you!

Underpinning these achievements is the dedication of staff across various departments that ensure our projects run smoothly and ethically. A special shout out to the following our departments/teams, who have contributed significantly to several projects/areas noted above:  Rehoming Centre Staff, Customer Support Centre, IT, Legal, Public Affairs, Communications, Digital, Fundraising and the Science Advisory Board & Ethical Review Board.

Several projects, particularly Generation Pup and the UK Pet Dog Population project, collaborate with a number of external academics and contractors who work hard to make our research possible. These include the Clinical Investigation Centre at the Royal Veterinary College who process, record and store biological samples for Generation Pup, before the samples go to Astoriom for long term storage. City Digital Limited who mailout sampling packs and vet cards to study participants, Webtree Limited who develop and maintain the online surveys, SQL database and participant dashboards for Generation Pup, Hyve and WoodForTrees who provide technical support, Aproco web design and DisplayBlock who help with participant communications. Our academic collaborators who provide expertise and help us make the most of our data and samples include academics from universities including University of Bristol, University of Liverpool, University of Exeter, University of Cambridge, University of Glasgow, and the Royal Veterinary College, among others. 

Ultimately, these awards reflect our commitment to making meaningful changes for dogs and owners across the UK. As we celebrate this achievement, we recognise that it symbolises our shared journey and all that we can accomplish when we unite in purpose and passion.

(Below image: Kirsten McMillan (Deputy Head of Research) and Katey Anderson (Research Officer) receiving the award on behalf of Dogs Trust, presented by Jo Caulfield and Data Literacy Academy’s CEO Greg Freeman).