Meet the Founder

From Passion to Purpose

My journey began with an ambition to create a safer, more responsible alternative to online marketplaces and social media platforms where dogs can be rehomed without adequate safeguards or consideration for their long-term welfare.

That idea became HomeWagger, our dedicated dog-rehoming app.

As the concept developed, I began looking more closely at the circumstances that lead people to rehome their animals.

I recognised that many of these decisions are influenced by difficult circumstances, including homelessness, housing insecurity, mental health challenges, domestic abuse, financial hardship and changes in personal or family circumstances.

These experiences reinforced something I had already encountered through my own life and frontline work: the relationship between a person and their animal can be fundamental to their emotional wellbeing, stability and sense of security.

I also came to understand that the fear of losing a companion animal can itself become a barrier to accessing essential support.

Someone may decline accommodation, hesitate to engage with a service or delay leaving an abusive relationship because they are unable or unwilling to leave their animal behind.

This strengthened my belief that recognising the human–animal bond is not simply an animal welfare issue. It can also be an important consideration in people’s safety, wellbeing, choices and access to support.

Through my research, I discovered a growing body of evidence, established specialist expertise and valuable guidance supporting pet-inclusive approaches.

What struck me was that much of this knowledge already existed, but was often spread across research, specialist organisations and different professional sectors.

I saw an opportunity to help make this expertise more accessible and practical for frontline services.

Turning Evidence into Practice

Drawing upon academic research, sector guidance, specialist knowledge and frontline experience, I developed the PAWP Pet-Inclusive Practice Implementation Framework.

The framework is designed to help organisations recognise when a companion animal may be relevant to the circumstances of someone they support, and respond in a structured and proportionate way.

It follows six connected stages:

The aim is not to replace specialist animal welfare organisations, safeguarding procedures or professional judgement.

It is to help existing services recognise when companion animals matter, access relevant expertise and embed more consistent pet-inclusive practice within their everyday work.

This framework forms the foundation of PAWP Connect, our professional practice platform.

One Mission. Connected Initiatives.

What began as a dog-rehoming concept has evolved into a wider social-purpose project: PAWP — The People & Animal Welfare Project.

PAWP brings together welfare-focused initiatives, evidence-informed professional practice, collaboration and digital technology.

Through our website, we aim to make guidance, resources and appropriate support pathways more accessible to individuals and organisations.

PAWP Connect is our professional platform, designed to help frontline services recognise the relevance of companion animals, use structured assessments and practical toolkits, and develop more consistent pet-inclusive practice.

HomeWagger remains our dedicated dog-rehoming app, developed to provide a more responsible, welfare-first alternative to informal rehoming through online marketplaces.

These initiatives reflect the same belief: where people and their animals can safely remain together, appropriate support should be considered. Where rehoming is necessary, decisions should be thoughtful, informed and centred on long-term welfare.

Looking Ahead

I believe supporting people and protecting animals should not be treated as separate priorities.

My hope is that PAWP can contribute to a future where the human–animal bond is better understood and appropriately considered within the services and decisions affecting people’s lives.

A future where pet-inclusive practice becomes a more familiar part of everyday frontline support.

Where established animal welfare expertise is easier for mainstream services to access and apply.

And where fewer people face unnecessary separation from companion animals simply because appropriate guidance, pathways or support have not been identified.

Claire Davies Founder, PAWP

For people, for pets, for purpose.