![](/images/ORS/Volunteering/ProBono/Pro-Bono-case-studies/RSPCA.jpg)
The Approach
A team of four Pro Bono OR volunteers from DECC set out to help the clients establish a consensus view of how many dogs there are ‘in the system’ and how they move between different parts of the system, such as strays and rescue.
The scope of the project covered:
Reviewing the available data, by means of a literature review, in order to produce a snapshot of the UK dog population.
Designing and building a stocks and flows model to investigate the movement of dogs from ownership (including working dogs), through welfare organisations (including strays).
Developing recommendations for possible uses and future development of the model, taking account of potential additional sources of data (e.g. Kennel Club, PetLog, DEFRA).
"The DECC team brought a disciplined approach to this project and really highlighted the data and evidence challenges in this complex social policy area."