Pembrokeshire County Council have scooped a special honour from RSPCA Cymru as part of the animal welfare charity’s prestigious PawPrints Awards

Public services have been showing they are “for every kind” by working in close partnership with the RSPCA to improve their animal welfare standards.

Now those who have excelled have been recognised and celebrated as community heroes as part of the RSPCA’s one-of-a-kind PawPrints Awards scheme, which first launched in 2008 - and this year, a glittering awards ceremony will take place in Cardiff in November.

More than 113 awards have been handed out as part of the trailblazing scheme across England and Wales - and this year six platinum awards have been handed out to four organisations in Wales:

PawPrints works with councils, emergency services, vets and other public-sector individuals, teams and organisations to recognise and celebrate those who surpass legal standards and raise the bar in animal welfare.

This year’s awards focused on prevention - spotlighting how early intervention and responsible pet ownership can improve animal welfare outcomes while reducing long-term demand and cost pressures on public sector services.

Pembrokeshire County Council scooped the Responsible Pet Ownership Award in the Hero Awards category for their Responsible Pet Ownership initiative, which alongside partners has transformed responsible dog ownership from a reactive enforcement issue into a coordinated, preventative service.

New tenants now receive clear ownership expectations, early Dog Warden visits, welfare assessments and pet contingency planning - while house providers, police and council teams share intelligence and use graduated interventions consistently.

Case studies demonstrate owners changing behaviour, complaints ending and dogs being protected - helping owners succeed while protecting animals and communities.

Sioned Nikolic, RSPCA Cymru Public Affairs Advisor, said: “It’s really important to highlight the incredible efforts we know so many go to for animals across Wales and we are thrilled to recognise so many outstanding organisations for their pioneering work. It’s vital to celebrate the fantastic efforts being made to improve the lives of animals wherever possible.

“This year, we placed a particular focus on prevention - recognising the vital role that early intervention, responsible pet ownership, and proactive approaches play in improving animal welfare outcomes - and we were so impressed by all the entries we received.

“By acting earlier, public bodies can not only protect animals from harm but also reduce long-term demand and cost pressures on already stretched local services.”

Judges were particularly impressed by finalists helping people and pets remain together through homelessness and crisis, developing specialist training to strengthen primate licensing, building partnerships that improve animal welfare enforcement, and using public leadership to secure lasting change. Together, their work showed how innovation, collaboration and early action can deliver tangible protection for animals and the communities around them.

Carmarthenshire County Council are a finalist for the Special Recognition Award, for their proactive, intelligence-led response to illegal dog breeding.

The RSPCA PawPrints Awards 2026 are supported by returning sponsor Animal Friends Pet Insurance, whose continued support helps the RSPCA to celebrate excellence, share good practice, and inspire earlier action and change to improve animal welfare.