Manitoba animal advocacy group helps release dogs from animal testing

A pack of dogs put their best paws forward when they were finally unleashed from a lifetime of animal testing.

Five beagles were bred and raised in a laboratory in Houston, Texas, and were supposed to be euthanized once the research was complete. But thanks to Manitoba-based advocacy group “The Beagle Alliance,” the pups will get a second chance at life.

“They are harmed. They’re confined,” said executive director Lori Cohen. “And of course, beagles are the most-used breed of dog because they're docile, and they’re sweet and they’re a manageable size, so more can fit in a space, saving time and space.”

Cohen said nearly 11,000 dogs are used for testing in Canada every year. In the United States, Cohen said 60,000 dogs are used annually.

“We have experience with dogs. We also believe that dogs are the way to change the animal testing world, and really are the gateway for spreading awareness about testing,” Cohen said.

The dogs were released Saturday and range in age from three to eight years old.

“They do come out of the laboratory with varying degrees of PTSD and anxiety, so they need time to decompress. And they've never been in a normal home,” said Cohen. “They're even different from other rescue dogs because they've never been free on the street or maybe even abandoned from a home. So it's a very unique situation.”

As of now, Canadian labs are not bound by law to release the animals once a study is over.

“There's new technologies that do not require animals in science,” she said.

Cohen said the Beagle Alliance advocates for animal-free science, while also trying to work with research facilities to get dogs and animals out of testing facilities and into loving homes.