The following experts co-authored the independent scientific report commissioned by the RSPCA:
Pedigree dog breeding in the UK: a major welfare concern? (PDF 885KB)
- Dr Nicola Rooney (BSc PGCE PhD) is a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. She has a PhD in dog behaviour, and for more than ten years she has managed a research programme on working dog ability and welfare.
- Dr David Sargan (MA PhD) is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cambridge Veterinary School, and a comparative geneticist with a special interest in canine genetic diseases.
He curates the database ‘Inherited Diseases in Dogs’, and has produced a number of DNA-based tests for canine inherited diseases.
The following experts each contributed a section to the report:
- Dr Matthew Pead (BVetMed PhD CertSAO FHEA MRCVS) is a Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the Royal Veterinary College. He has over 15 years experience in treating bone and joint conditions in pedigree dogs.
He was part of the team that set up the British Veterinary Association (BVA) / Kennel Club (KC) elbow screening scheme, and is focused on canine welfare through teaching future veterinary surgeons, and as a trustee of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
- Dr Carri Westgarth (BSc PhD) is a Research Associate at Liverpool University. She has a BSc in Zoology and Genetics, and a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology*.
She has previously trained Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and currently works as a Consultant in Animal Behaviour, instructs dog training classes, lectures, and carries out post-doctoral research into the human-companion animal bond.
*Epidemiology is the study of how often and why diseases occur in different groups of animals and/or people.
- Dr Emma Creighton (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Chester, and specialises in human-animal interactions and the welfare of companion animal species.
- Dr Nick Branson (BVSC PhD) is the Animal Welfare Officer at Deakin University in Australia. He completed a doctorate by research in applied canine behaviour and neuroscience, and has spent over 10 years in private veterinary practice.