Dogs Trust are conducting a research project to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people and their dogs in the UK.
What is this study about and do I have to take part?
Dogs Trust would like to know more about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting dogs and their relationships with their humans. This study will involve sharing your experiences via a survey. Participation is open to people aged 18 years or over, living in the UK, and is entirely voluntary.
What will taking part involve?
If you choose to take part, you will be asked to answer questions about you and your dog, what sorts of activities you do together, and how things might have changed as a result of COVID-19.
What will happen to the information I give you?
For over 50 years, we've promised to never put down a healthy dog. We keep our promises, and that includes treating your personal details with care. The information you provide will include personal data which will be securely stored by Dogs Trust in accordance with our data protection policies. The information you provide will later be pseudonymised by Dogs Trust (i.e. the information we collect will be stored separately from any personal details that you may choose to provide, such as your name and email address).
The information you provide will be used for the purposes of research. We sometimes share our research with universities and/or research institutions for the purpose of benefiting dogs, and to achieve our charitable aims. Findings from this research may be published. We will remove all personally identifiable information before we share it so that no one else will know that you were involved in the research.
For more information on this, please visit the privacy section of our website: dogstrust.org.uk/privacy. How can I withdraw from this study?
You may stop answering questions at any time. If you have already submitted your survey responses, you may withdraw from the study at any time without prejudice. You can change your preferences at any time by contacting research@dogstrust.org.uk or by phoning 020 7837 0006.
What if I have any concerns?
Please note: We will be asking questions related to COVID-19. If this causes any personal distress you can stop taking part in the survey at any time by closing the browser window. Participation in this survey is voluntary. Most questions are optional: if you don't want to answer a question just leave it blank. The few compulsory questions are marked with an asterisk (*).
You may find the following links useful:
• Dogs Trust have some advice for dog owners staying at home;
• Symptoms and advice about COVID-19 can be found on the Gov.uk and NHS dedicated websites;
• Mind have advice about wellbeing and self-isolation;
• Samaritans provide resources about mental health during the pandemic. Their free helpline is open 24 hours, 7 days a week - call: 116 123. This question requires an answer
1. By taking this survey (which may take around 25 minutes to complete), I confirm that:
- I would like to participate in this Dogs Trust survey;
- I am 18 years of age or older;
- I live in the UK;
- I have read and understood the above information.
*