Speaker bio page for Samantha Gaines

Bio

Dr Samantha Gaines is Head of the Companion Animals Science and Policy department which sits in the Advocacy and Policy Directorate at the RSPCA. She manages a team of scientific and technical officers who, using animal welfare science, develop policy, position, advice and information to protect and improve companion animal behaviour and welfare. She is the Society’s science and policy lead on a variety of issues that affect dog welfare including Breed Specific Legislation, racing greyhounds and dogs kept for working purposes.

Prior to working at the RSPCA, and after gaining an BSC in Animal Science from Nottingham University and an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Sam worked as a research scientist for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. She was involved in various projects studying the behaviour, performance and welfare of working dogs. During this time she was also awarded a PhD which studied the effects of housing and husbandry on the welfare of kennelled dogs.