Laboratory Dogs Rescued: From Test Subjects to Beloved Companions

by Ellie Hansen

Overview

Animal testing is a controversy that has raged for hundreds of years. Some people view experiments on dogs as necessary for human medical progress, while others argue that the practice is barbaric. When the author adopted Marty--a beagle rescued from a research laboratory--she found herself rehabilitating a terrified dog with a traumatic past. She soon discovered the well-kept secret of painful and often fatal testing on dogs.

This book details what the author has learned about the past and present of laboratory testing on dogs, life after laboratories and the hope for a future without animal testing. Interviews with rescue organizers and adoptive families reveal the struggles of removing dogs from laboratories and acclimating them to daily life. Scientists discuss the ethics of dog research and advocate for new biomedical technologies. Fundamental change is brewing, with the public, scientists and governments urging the use of new technologies that can replace testing on animals and yield better results.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476644929
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	12/09/2021
Series:	Dogs in Our World
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	247
Sales rank:	774,703
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ellie Hansen is an award-winning writer, animal advocate, and founder and CEO of Lovable Pets, Inc., a holistic pet supply company located in Billings, Montana. She hosts the podcast Dog Research Exposed and is a Policy Volunteer Leader for the Humane Society of the United States. Her published works include two books and several magazine articles focusing on profound human relationships with dogs.
Ellie Hansen is an award-winning writer, animal advocate, and founder and CEO of Lovable Pets, Inc., a holistic pet supply company located in Billings, Montana. She hosts the podcast Dog Research Exposed and is a Policy Volunteer Leader for the Humane Society of the United States. Her published works include two books and several magazine articles focusing on profound human relationships with dogs.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Kathrin Herrmann
Preface
Meet the Experts
Dr. Kathrin Herrmann 7 delete• deleteDr. Jarrod Bailey 8 delete• deleteDr. Lindsay Marshall 10 delete• deleteDr. David DeGrazia 12 delete• deleteDr. Stacy Lopresti-Goodman 13 delete• deleteJustin Goodman 14 delete• deleteKathleen (Katie) M. Conlee 15
Part 1: Dogs in Science
1. Early History of Using Dogs in Research
Vivisection 18 delete• delete­Anti-vivisectionist 18 delete• deleteVillains or Heroes? 19 delete• deleteA Dog’s Purpose: Early Thoughts 20 delete• deleteWhy Use Dogs? 21 delete• deleteEurope: The Scientists and Their Dog Experiments 21 delete• delete
Other Discoveries Using Dogs 27
2. The Debate Begins: Researchers Meet Public Outcry
Queen Victoria: (1819–1901) 29 delete• deleteFrances Power Cobbe (1822–1904) 31 delete• deleteThe Absinthe Scandal and the Regulation of Vivisection 31 delete• deleteVivisection in the United States 32 delete• delete“­Zoophil-psychosis”: Anti-vivisectionists Said to Be Afflicted by Mental Illness 33 delete• deleteRiots, Dog Thieves and Increased Public Scrutiny of Vivisection 34
3. Dogs in Research—Stories and Statistics
Human Drug Tragedies Call for More Dogs in Research 40 delete• deleteHeatstroke Experiments 41 delete• deleteLaika (Barker): The First Living Creature to Orbit the Earth 42 delete• deleteRadioactive Beagle Dog Studies 44 delete• deleteSmoking Beagles 45 delete• deleteNarcoleptic Dobermans 46 delete• deleteDogs in Research Today: Global Statistics 47
4. Dogs and Drug Development
How Much Does It Cost to Approve a Drug? 51 delete• deleteLost in Translation: Dog Models Have Limited Accuracy in Predicting Human Toxicity 53 delete• deleteDrug Disasters 55 delete• deleteHearing from the Experts: Views on the Relevance of Dog Research 58
5. The Welfare of Dogs in Research
The Beagle—The Breed of Choice for Research 61 delete• deleteUndercover Videos Reveal Experiments and Deaths 62 delete• deleteDiscoveries in Dog Cognition: A Case for Making Welfare a Priority 64 delete• deleteLaboratory Animal Oversight in the United States 67 delete• deleteRefining Experiments to Reduce Suffering: Are We Doing Enough for Dogs? 70
6. The Ethics of Dog Research—A Human Perspective
The Lab: Voices from the Inside 74 delete• deletePublic Opinion: Voices from the Outside 78 delete• deleteA Difficult Question: How Do We Balance Human Benefit Versus Harm to the Dog? 80 delete• deleteWhat About Us: What Is Our Part in Animal Research? 82
7. Future Technologies
Lung-on-a-Chip 84 delete• deleteThe Living Heart Project 86 delete• delete­Human-Derived Organoids 88 delete• deleteWho Is Making ­Non-Animal Technology a Priority? 90
8. Interviews with Global Experts
Ending Dog Research … How and When? 93
9. ­Re-homing Laboratory Dogs
Re-homing Policies: Federal and State Efforts 101 delete• deleteDo Former Laboratory Dogs Make Suitable Family Pets? 103 delete• deleteInternational Studies Confirm the Value of ­Re-homing Dogs 104
Part 2: To the Rescue
10. Beagle Freedom Project
An Interview with Shannon Keith 109
11. Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary
Kindness Ranch Beginnings 116 delete• deleteAn Interview with John Ramer 117
Part 3: Saved—Stories of Rescue,
Rehabilitation, and Second Chances
12. Ambassadors for Freedom
Teddy 126 delete• deleteGeorge 129 delete• deleteNew Beginnings 131 delete• deleteChanging Hearts, Laws and Paws 131 delete• deleteLooking Ahead with Hope 132 delete• deleteBogart 133 delete• deleteFollowing My Path 134 delete• deleteThe San Diego 10 135 delete• deleteBogart the Ambassador 135 delete• deleteLaila 136 delete• deleteWe’re All In… 137 delete• deleteNew Beginnings with Laila 139
13. Special Dogs … Special Love
Mini and Maria 141 delete• deleteMini 142 delete• deleteMaria 143 delete• deleteBlind and Brave 144 delete• deleteLessons to Live By 144 delete• deleteLeo 145 delete• deleteChosen One 146 delete• deleteA New Normal 147 delete• deleteSeizures 148 delete• deleteLove Beyond Measure 149 delete• deleteWalker 150
14. Two, Three, Four … Just One Beagle More
Chief 154 delete• deleteBronco 156 delete• deleteRoscoe 158 delete• deleteWyatt 159 delete• deleteBoomer and Koln 160 delete• deleteBoomer 160 delete• deleteKoln 161 delete• deleteA Lucky Surprise 162 delete• deletePatience, Love and Training 163 delete• deleteElliot and Bodhi 164 delete• deleteElliot 165 delete• deleteBodhi 167 delete• deleteAn Odd Paper Obsession 168 delete• deleteRescue Dogs Award Show 168
15. Beagles Take a Hike … Adventures in the Outdoors
Winnie 170 delete• deleteScarlet 172 delete• deleteDug 175
16. Wild West Beagles
Texas 180 delete• delete“Texas McGee Killer Talsma” 180 delete• deleteMarty 183 delete• deleteFrozen in Fear 185 delete• deleteBaby Steps 185 delete• deleteA Visit to Prison 187
17. Part of the Family
Chandler 188 delete• deleteRoofus 190 delete• deleteAdvice for Families 192 delete• deleteA Child’s Perspective 193 delete• deleteMaycie 193
18. Sharing the Gift of Healing
Connor 197 delete• deleteEarly Memories 198 delete• deleteBouncing Off the Walls 199 delete• deleteThe Empath 200 delete• deletePearl Grace 201 delete• deleteDefinition of Grace 201 delete• deleteFinding Grace 203 delete• deleteAdventures with Grace 203
19. International Rescues—United Kingdom
Going Undercover: Three Beagles Rescued 205 delete• deleteMissy 206 delete• deleteOliver 208
20. International Rescues—Italy
Thousands of Beagles Find Freedom 210 delete• deleteArtù 210 delete• deleteGiulia and Giò 213
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

One cannot escape a form of enlightenment in reading Laboratory Dogs Rescued. It is a beautiful testament to those who choose acts of kindness over cruelty and are rewarded with love. We must sometimes speak the unspeakable to shed light on it. Ellie Hansen’s book does just that, with grace. May its truth inspire change.”—Jennifer Skiff, author of The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man’s Best Friend

From the Publisher

2022-03-09
A nonfiction work offers a comprehensive overview of the use and mistreatment of canines in laboratory experiments and the ongoing efforts to rescue these abused animals.

According to a recent survey, more than 50% of American households include dogs. So, it would seem unlikely that canine research is still going full steam ahead in this country. Yet one of Hansen’s first startling facts asserts: “There are 55,000 dogs in research laboratories today in the United States.” And the most frequently selected breed is the easygoing beagle, with these dogs “chosen for their docile nature and small size.” Usually, these hapless canines are furnished by large kennels that breed them specifically for lab use. The dogs spend their entire lives in cages. If the experiments do not ultimately result in their deaths, they are euthanized at the end of their usefulness. This cruelty persists despite the fact that canines often exhibit biological responses to experimental drugs that differ substantially from human reactions to the same treatments. Animal lovers will find the book’s first section especially painful to read, filled as it is with the history and variety of lab procedures performed on the animals. Hansen has assembled data from public sources—scientific studies and undercover reports—as well as from personally conducted interviews. Examples of abuse are graphic. But fortunately, now there are an increasing number of rescue operations underway, especially for lab beagles, Hansen’s particular area of interest. Here the narrative changes from despair to hope. In 2010, Shannon Keith founded the Beagle Freedom Project, an advocacy group headquartered in Los Angeles that rescues, rehabilitates, and finds homes for lab animals. And in Wyoming, there is the 1,000-acre Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary, where rescued dogs gradually are exposed to grass, fresh air, and loving human contact. Potential adopters interact with the beagles in a nonthreatening, natural setting. The volume’s second half is the most uplifting, consisting of dozens of interviews detailing the tender, joyful tales of “second chances” given to beagles in the U.S., Italy, and Britain.

A heartbreaking, activist-oriented, and highly informative account about laboratory dogs.

Kirkus Reviews