--- title: "Dogs Trust vs Battersea — charity comparison" description: "Dogs Trust vs Battersea compared: two major UK rehoming charities — Clarity Scores, cause spend and filings to help you choose." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/dogs-trust-vs-battersea retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:02:14.522Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [DT](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/dogs-trust) [DOGS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/dogs-trust) 94/100 5★ Reg. 1167663 compared with [BD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/battersea-dogs-and-cats-home) [BATTERSEA DOGS' AND CATS' HOME](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/battersea-dogs-and-cats-home) 89/100 4★ Reg. 206394 # Dogs Trust vs Battersea — charity comparison **In short:** Dogs Trust and Battersea are both major rehoming organisations — closer like-for-like than RSPCA vs Battersea — so filings and Clarity Score beacons matter more than brand preference alone. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 29 July 2026. When donors search Dogs Trust vs Battersea they usually want a rehoming charity, not an inspectorate. That makes this a fairer head-to-head on operations and accounts. Still compare model nuances (including cats at Battersea) and read the filings snapshot rather than picking a logo. ## Key differences | What to compare | DOGS TRUST | BATTERSEA DOGS' AND CATS' HOME | | --- | --- | --- | | Primary model | Dog rehoming and welfare at scale | Dog and cat rescue and rehoming | | Species focus | Dogs | Dogs and cats | | Comparison type | Rehoming peer | Rehoming peer | | Best if you want | A major dog-focused rehoming charity | A major dogs-and-cats rehoming charity | ## What the latest filings show Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). | Metric | DOGS TRUST | BATTERSEA DOGS' AND CATS' HOME | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 94/100 (5★) | 89/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 72% of expenditure | 68% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £3.7 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) | £4.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | | Latest income | £143m | £70m | | Fundraising spend | 28% of expenditure | 26% of expenditure | | Reserves | 15 months | 11 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 1167663 | 206394 | [DOGS TRUST on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1167663) · [BATTERSEA DOGS' AND CATS' HOME on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/206394) ## DOGS TRUST may suit you if… - You specifically want to fund dog rehoming - You already know Dogs Trust’s centres or campaigns [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/dogs-trust) ## BATTERSEA DOGS' AND CATS' HOME may suit you if… - You want dogs and cats included - You already know Battersea’s work [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/battersea-dogs-and-cats-home) ## Common questions ### Dogs Trust vs Battersea — which should I donate to? Both are major rehoming charities. Compare Clarity Scores, cause spend and reserves side by side, then pick the fit — or split giving if you wish. Not donation advice. ### Should I compare them to the RSPCA too? Yes if you also care about inspectorate and prosecution work — that is a different model. See RSPCA vs Battersea. 100 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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/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. [Compare these charities side-by-side](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=dogs-trust,battersea-dogs-and-cats-home) [Back to compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities)