Skip to content
CharityCompare

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue

Charity rating & review

98/100 Clarity Score · 5 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
Give with confidence
98 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

Donate

Quick answer

Is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue a good charity?

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue scores 98/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£621k total income, 89% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Brighton · BN21 2UJ Reg 1158323 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Happy Paws Puppy Rescue do?

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue is a registered charity (no. 1158323) working in animals in Brighton · BN21 2UJ. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 89% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 9 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

Summarised from public filings — Happy Paws Puppy Rescue hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE scores 98 out of 100 (5 stars). 89% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue?

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue has a Clarity Score of 98 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1158323. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £621k, with 89% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 9 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

98/100

5★ · Exceptional

Cause spend

89%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£621k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

9 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£9.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 11% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE scores higher than.

Income band (£500k–£1m)95thpercentile

Scores higher than 95% of 2,187 charities in its income band · 98/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).

Animals charities96thpercentile

Scores higher than 96% of 370 charities in this cause · 98/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's Beacon report?

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three).

100% 3 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

93/100

Financial Health metrics for HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 9 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

80% 8/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

100% 2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

100% 89% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income).

100% 10p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Community Support metrics for HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

100% 20 volunteers / 1 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's Clarity Score?

98/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
93/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight3 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

93/100

Reserves (months of cash)9 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth8/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Program expense ratio89% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency10p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio20 volunteers / 1 staff · 10/10 pts

How much does Happy Paws Puppy Rescue raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £621k
Total expenditure £619k
Charitable activities £565k 91%
Fundraising £55k 9%
Governance & admin £8k 1%
91%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £619k spent

  • Charitable activities91%
  • Fundraising9%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does Happy Paws Puppy Rescue have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    3 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    1 employees · 20 volunteers (20:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1158323

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • LISA ELIZABETH SMART Chair · since 2014
  • Dominque Douglas since 2024
  • Meghan Behiel since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

How have Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's finances changed over five years?

£0k £200k £400k £600k £800k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £629k Spending 2021: £536k Cause spend 2021: £493k Income 2022: £563k Spending 2022: £533k Cause spend 2022: £478k Income 2023: £560k Spending 2023: £524k Cause spend 2023: £469k Income 2024: £554k Spending 2024: £537k Cause spend 2024: £471k Income 2025: £621k Spending 2025: £619k Cause spend 2025: £565k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

What are the key facts about Happy Paws Puppy Rescue?

Overall score
98/100 (5★)
Income
£621k
Cause spend
89% of expenditure
Reg number
1158323
Scope
Local (brighton)
Reserves
9 months
Trustees
3
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where HAPPY PAWS PUPPY RESCUE sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar animals charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's rating?

Share: XLinkedInFacebookBluesky

Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Happy Paws Puppy Rescue.

For this charity

How do you add Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's rating to your site?

Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue a good charity? +

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue scores 98 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 89% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Happy Paws Puppy Rescue is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1158323). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1158323. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's charity number? +

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's charity number is 1158323. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's charity rating? +

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue scores 98 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Happy Paws Puppy Rescue have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Happy Paws Puppy Rescue. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Happy Paws Puppy Rescue? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 89% of Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 11% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 11% of total expenditure at Happy Paws Puppy Rescue. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Happy Paws Puppy Rescue receive? +

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue reported £621k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is Happy Paws Puppy Rescue based? +

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue is listed at Brighton · BN21 2UJ, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score Happy Paws Puppy Rescue? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? +

This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Happy Paws Puppy Rescue's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.