Paula Boyden graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1992. She spent 11 years in general practice before moving into a technical role in industry in 2003. Paula joined Dogs Trust in 2010, and was Veterinary Director from 2011 - 2025. In addition to veterinary matters, her responsibilities included Dogs Trust’s outreach and public affairs work. Paula has been involved in highlighting the issues around puppy smuggling and importation dogs since the rules of pet travel were changed in 2012. Paula also has a particular interest in the link between abuse of animals and abuse of people; she is current Chair of the Links Group, has spoken widely on the subject and is regularly involved in undergraduate training on Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) across the UK veterinary schools.