Shannon Keith and Gary Smith started the Beagle Freedom Project to find new homes for beagles that have been used for research. They named their first rescue dogs Freedom and Bigsby, and videotaped the beagles' first brush with the great outdoors. Be warned that the video, while not graphic, may be disturbing and you'll want to have a hanky handy.
The video of Freedom and Bigsby is at the home page of the organization. http://beaglefreedomproject.org/ -via Nag on the Lake
Anyone interested in fostering or adopting a lab beagle should be aware of the challenges these dogs have. They will not be accustomed to life in a home and will not have experience with children, cats, or other dogs. They will not be house-trained and accidents will happen, although they learn quickly. Many have gone directly from a commercial breeder to the lab, and have never felt grass under their feet or even seen the sun. They will have been fed a special diet formulated for lab animals and may be difficult to adjust to new foods. They will be unfamiliar with treats, toys, bedding and may never have walked on a leash. They will have lived in cages with steel wire floors and may have inflamed or infected paws from the pressure. They may be fearful of people initially and may have phobias from a lifetime in confinement or from being restrained. They are likely to have been surgically de-barked by the breeder and have an ID number tattooed in their ear. Please also be aware that although these beagles are considered healthy, you will be given very little information about the beagle’s medical history, and you will not be told its origins or what kind of testing they may have been used for.
The video of Freedom and Bigsby is at the home page of the organization. http://beaglefreedomproject.org/ -via Nag on the Lake
-medstudent
Prescription medication is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. We are not mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, or any other type of animal that is experimented on. Our bodies do not behave the same. Many products are tested on animals not because they have to be, but because doing so legally protects the manufacturer from lawsuits. However, there are other, humane methods of testing (such as in-vitro, computer simulation, EpiDerm/EpiSkin test, etc). We have absolutely no right to use these animals against their will.
As for why beagles? Simple. It's what also makes them such amazing pets. They're small, highly adaptable, easily handled/managed, amiable, and smart. Who better to exploit than an individual that's so sweet, trusting and eager to please, oh and small enough to control when they stop being so eager to please.
To those that believe animal testing is justifiable, you are a not only a speciacist, but you are not knowledgeable. The number of tests conducted on animals that are done only out of liability is staggering. Most companies are not required to test and only do so to protect themselves legally. They don't care about you as the consumer.
Do I really need to feed a gallon of liquid paper to an animal, or pour bleach in a rabbit's eyes to prove it's lethal or corrosive? Any chemist can tell you that simply by it's chemical compound.
And as for the remaining tests results, regardless of any test's efficacy with animals it cannot be transferred to humans. It's not possible. Different DNA, different results. Dare I mention Thalidomide? That had a 100% success rate. And we all know how that turned out, just to name one. I think the point here is to rally to end this bullshit on all animals. No eating, no wearing, no testing. I think it's time we left them all well enough alone, and helped those we've brutalized so profoundly.