Let the dogs out

Let the dogs out

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Background and Sources

This story was originally written in 2012 to support the campaign Save The Harlan Beagles and conditions described inside the story’s breeding facility are informed by a former Harlan employee’s account which was widely publicised at the time.

http://notoanimalexperiments.com/about-us/save-the-harlan-beagles.html

In 2014 Harlan was acquired by the notorious contract testing laboratory, Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Huntingdon_Life_Sciences

so the story has been slightly modified in 2018 to include a little information taken from insider accounts of former employees there. However very little of this was used because it was too distressing for a children’s book.

www.animalliberationfront.com/Philosophy/Animal%20Testing/Industry_Science/HLS/HLScruelty.htm

In 2015 Harlan and HLS together became Envigo – a new name for a fresh start.

But a visit to their website reveals nothing’s actually changed.

https://www.envigo.com/

The website is clean and fresh, with a slideshow of happy smiling people revolving under the confident claim that they are

Delivering scientific excellence and an outstanding customer experience that helps you secure the potential of life enhancing research and products globally.

I click on a tab at random: Pharmaceutical Development

Then a subsection: Pharma Services

I choose from a long list: Discovery Services and Lead Candidate Selection

Then: In Vivo [performed in a living organism] Discovery Pharmacology

Under the heading What you can expect, Envigo’s customers are informed:

  • Our experience encompasses the use of multiple species including rodents and larger animals, as well as the evaluation of an extremely diverse set of test materials

  • We have performed more than 150 efficacy and disease model studies in multiple species for a number of therapeutic targets and we continue to expand our areas of expertise

Our respiratory inflammation services:

  • The house dust mite model of chronic allergic inflammation (mouse)

  • Antigen-induced pulmonary inflammation (ovalbumin sensitized brown Norway rat, mouse or guinea pig)

  • LPS induced non-allergic pulmonary inflammation (mouse, rat, guinea pig; also primate in our US facility)

  • Cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary inflammation (mouse)

  • Bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis (rat)

  • Bronchoconstriction/ bronchodilator studies in conscious and anesthetized animals (rodent, guinea pig and dog)

  • All standard routes of delivery available

  • Inhalation delivery optional

  • Aerosol and dry powder

  • Unique in-house developed system for dry powder delivery

Our gastrointestinal services:

  • Emesis / anti-emesis (ferret)

  • GI motility (rodent; large animal planned for development)

  • IBD models (rodent; primate planned for development)

  • Feeding / dietary models (rodent)

Our anti-infective services:

  • Wound healing (+/- MRSA infection) (rodent, rabbit, pig)

  • Influenza – tissue burden and biomarker endpoints

  • Host resistance

Our cardiovascular services:

  • Heamodynamics and electrocardiology (rodent and large animal)

  • Echocardiography in development for rodent and large animals

  • Ion channel electrophysiology

  • Bioanalysis and biomarker (translational) assessment

I click on another tab: Chemical

and a subsection: Reprotoxicology

[reproductive toxicology = Study of the adverse effects of substances on the embryo, fetus, neonate and prepubertal mammal and the adult reproductive and neuroendocrine systems.]

Here they offer:

  • Study designs for non-pharmaceuticals

  • Dosing by all oral (dietary or gavage [the administration of food or drugs by force, especially to an animal, typically through a tube leading down the throat to the stomach]), dermal and inhalation routes

  • Fetal pathology including Wilson’s sectioning and microdissection techniques, staining for bone and cartilage

  • Specialist neuropathology and morphometric measurements of the brain

  • Specialist pathology of male and female reproductive organs

These are just a couple of examples from a very long list of services Envigo provides.

“Envigo provides mission-critical products and research services for pharmaceutical, crop protection, and chemical companies as well as universities, governments, and other research organizations,” to quote their About page.

So that’s a tiny glimpse at the former HLS side of things. The former Harlan side of things is what it always was: a supplier of unwilling participants.

They write in their Contract Breeding and Services leaflet – “… we aim to be the most dependable supplier of Contract Breeding Services in the industry.”

I click on the Research Models and Services tab

and the subsection: Browse Research Models

Now I get to choose from 45 different types of mice, eg inbred mice, hybrid mice, aged mice, albino mice, diabetic mice, obese mice, hairless mice, …. the list goes on and on.

The stated research uses of these mice are many:

Toxicology, Carcinogenicity, Embryo donors, Oncology, Transplantation, Tumor cell growth, Immunology, Autoimmune disease, Antibody production, teratology [the scientific study of congenital abnormalities and abnormal formations] Metabolism, Cardiovascular, Memory, Osteoarthritis, Neoplasia, Immune response, Longevity, Vision and hearing, Motor skills, Renal degeneration, Age-associated pathology, Neurobiology, Reproductive senescence, Aging, Background for induced and genetically-modified models, Diet-induced obesity, Superovulation, Behavior and learning disabilities, Drug addiction, Alcoholism, … the list goes on.

Further browsing of Research Models provides me with the opportunity to order 22 different types of rat, Dunkin hartley guinea pigs, Golden Syrian hamsters and New Zealand White Rabbits.

Curiously there are no larger animals openly offered here.  I look further.  I search their entire site for “beagle” and find a pdf:

Model Data Sheet: RCC Beagle Dog

Origin

Colony started in 1982 at BRL Biological Research

Laboratories Ltd., Switzerland (part of the RCC

Group) as a mix of two origins including:

– Kleintierfarm Madörin, Füllinsdorf, Switzerland

– Hazleton Research Products, Kalamazoo, USA

Envigo obtained the colony through acquisition in

2004. Colonies are available in France and the UK.

The same search also brings up two other papers about beagles:

  • Development of a chronic pulmonary arterial pressure model in the Beagle dog (Explore the many methods and techniques used when measuring PAP; Consider the challenges that some of these techniques can create using the Beagle dog)

  • Development of a neurobehavioral, cardiovascular, and respiratory (NCR) assessment methodology using orally administered amphetamine and acepromazine in conscious Beagle dogs

A search for “fish” reveals a lot of information about fish as part of the diets of other research animals (including primates, guinea pigs and pigs) as well as this paper:

  • Pitfalls in law-abiding long-term fish toxicity testing instead of short-term to reduce animal consumption which explains how to abide by the law when testing pharmaceuticals (Medicinal Products for Human Use) and other substances on fish.

A search for “avian” produces:

  • Ecotoxicology

Whether you are focused on aquatic, avian, or terrestrial toxicology, your goal is to quickly and confidently determine if your product is safe. … As your partner, we offer you access to our state-of-the-art facilities including our purpose-built avian facility with incubation room and hatchery, our high-spec aquatic toxicology facilities, and our outdoor facility which incorporates 32ft2 microcosms and more than 60 ditch units.

Our knowledge and expertise in ecotoxicology is backed by 1000 terrestrial studies conducted in the last six years alone, including almost 200 avian studies.

This is business as usual at Envigo.  Nothing but the name has changed.

So what can we do?

Though there are a great many of us who believe, as Mark Twain did, that there is not, nor ever could there be, any justification for vivisection, it must be acknowledged that if it were possible to stop it by campaigning on grounds of cruelty to animals, it would have been stopped a century ago.

I believe the most effective way to consign vivisection to the history books is by campaigning on scientific grounds.

“True advances in medical knowledge have not come from animals. When, on rare occasion, advances took place through animal experimentation, they were not incumbent on animals. Alternative methods – autopsies, in vitro research, clinical observation, epidemiology, mathematical modeling, and other human-based research modalities – could have resulted in the same achievements without injury to humans. Animal models are inaccurate, superfluous, and create risk to humans.”

from Sacred Cows and Golden Geese by Ray Greek MD and Jean Swingle Greek DVM

Support organisations fighting this corner:

The Physicians Committee is leading a revolution in medicine—putting a new focus on health and compassion. The Physicians Committee combines the clout and expertise of more than 12,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

http://www.pcrm.org/about/about/about-pcrm

PCRM employs highly qualified Research Issues Experts who work tirelessly for higher standards in human research; for alternatives to animal research; and to modernize drug development to save human and animal lives by shifting preclinical research from the use of animals to modern technologies that are more relevant to human biology.

http://www.pcrm.org/media/experts/research-issue-experts

PCRM also enables you to be the best animal advocate you can be by educating yourself about animal experimentation. They provide literature which can be downloaded here:

http://www.pcrm.org/factsheets/resources/ethical-research-and-education-fact-sheets

  • Safer Medicines

http://www.safermedicines.org/

Safer Medicines Campaign is an independent patient safety organisation of scientists and doctors with extensive expertise in drug development. Our aim is to change the way medicines are tested, so they are safer for humans: moving from a system based mainly on tests on animals to one focused firmly on human biology. Adverse drug reactions kill 197,000 people in the EU every year and more than 100,000 in the US. The time for action is NOW!

It is often claimed that scientists and doctors are united in their belief in the value of, and necessity for, animal experiments to protect human health. This stream of quotes from scientists and doctors, … shows that there has been a long tradition of scepticism about this issue.

You can go to http://www.safermedicines.org/page/quotes_cancer to read the very long list of quotes. I’ll just include this one to give you an idea of their consensus:

“The discovery of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of human cancer is widely heralded as a triumph due to the use of animal models… However, there is little, if any, factual evidence that would support these claims… Indeed, while conflicting animal results have often delayed and hampered advances in the war on cancer, they have never produced a single substantial advance in either the prevention or treatment of human cancer.”

Dr Irwin Bross (formerly Director of the Roswell Park Memorial Institute for Cancer Research) testifying to US Congress in 1981.

Safer Medicines also provides a myriad of resources to make us more effective:

Go to http://www.safermedicines.org/page/resources to find printed materials, audio visual archive, articles and reports, published letters, a list of useful websites, FAQs, medical research in the news, the Safer Medicines film, and Conference presentations.

And an organisation which exclusively funds biomedical research and testing without animals:

  • The Dr Hadwen Trust: Animal Free Research UK

https://www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/

Since 1970, we have awarded grants to over 200 projects. These include research into cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney, heart and liver disease, to name only a few. We are consulted internationally for our expertise in animal replacement science and we sit on several government and non-governmental bodies in order to advance animal free research.

https://www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/our-impact/

Make sure you’re not funding vivisection

It’s important to be aware that some well-known medical charities commission vivisection and if you donate to them your money may be funding cruel and pointless animal experiments. Before donating to a charity, find out whether they fund vivisection by writing to them. Don’t be satisfied with the assurances of the nice ladies behind the till at the charity shop, write to Head Office.

Animal Aid provides a comprehensive list of good and bad charities: https://www.animalaid.org.uk/the-issues/our-campaigns/animal-experiments/health-charities-animal-testing/

but they add that this list is not definitive as policies change and they ask people to please contact them after receiving a reply from a charity about their animal testing policy, so that they can keep their list up to date. They also explain that some charities may not be directly involved in animal research but are members of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). This is an organisation that promotes the use of animals in laboratories and currently requires its members to support the practice of vivisection.

You can order a free wallet-sized printed copy of the list and get the Cruelty-Free Giving app for your phone here: https://www.animalaid.org.uk/the-issues/our-campaigns/animal-experiments/victims-charity-campaign/charities-fund-animal-experiments/

We must fight for a change in the law

Many vivisectors use the excuse that “… many of the dogs used are for toxicology safety studies. These are required by law. Any new medicine has to be tested in both rodents, usually rats, and a larger non-rodent mammal, usually dogs, before it can legally be given to human volunteers.”

quote taken from The Daily Express exposé in 2013 of the British Heart Foundation’s experiments on dogs – https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/425965/EXCLUSIVE-Outrage-as-major-UK-charity-uses-donations-to-fund-vivisection-tests-on-dogs

This in itself proves how unscientific vivisection is. A contract testing laboratory’s job is to get approval for a particular drug or chemical and they do this by testing it on different species until they find one that gives them the desired result. If tests on rabbits show it to be unsafe, they can test it on cats, dogs, pigs, monkeys, … until they produce the result they’re looking for.

For example: https://www.envigo.com/products-services/chemical/inhalation-toxicology/

The species available for Inhalation Toxicology at Envigo are Rat, Mouse, Dog, Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mini Pig, Pygmy Goat or Cow.

“Tell us your challenge and then we’ll work with you to choose the appropriate solution.”

anti vivisection story 61************************

Many thanks to the creators and distributors of the fonts used in this story, most downloaded for free from fontsquirrel.com

Let the dogs out is published by Little Chicken Books and available in paperback from the LittleChickenVegan etsy shop

Let the dogs out - anti-vivisection graphic novel

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Look inside:

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Violet's Vegan Comics logo

Violet’s Vegan Comics – creating funny, enlightening and sometimes action-packed vegan children’s books for readers of all ages, since 2012.

126 thoughts on “Let the dogs out”

  2. I am almost ashamed to be a two leg! Awesome job. Awesome story. Thanks for liking my posts otherwise I would have never found your awesome site. I own five dogs, two are rescues. They are a huge part of my life.

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    • Thanks so much for reading Let the dogs out and for your kind words. I’m so glad you take care of so many dogs – my goodness you’ve got your hands full 😉 – they are so loving and deserving of our care and respect. It is absolutely heartbreaking to know that some live the kind of short brutal lives described in this story. I think that many people are probably not aware that this kind of thing still goes on so it’s so important to raise awareness so that we can bring it to an end, once and for all. Thanks again Don 🙂

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  9. This heartlessness of “mankind” really is horrifying, and I thank you for putting this out there in an engaging and compelling way for young or old alike. I type this with tears welling up for those beagles you made so real here…after all they are real, every day, decade after decade, every single one. And those monsters are not human.

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  11. Ode to Horace Mann

    Be ashamed to die until you have won
    Some victory for humanity. Horace Mann

    Be aware that energy is life, save some for your kids.
    Be afraid that our minds are bent by news not books.
    Be awed by the healing power of the simple purple cone flower.
    Be amazed that after four short years she knows so much.
    Be awake before the bombs drop, before the money rules.
    Be agile: live in a town that walks and bikes to work and play.
    Be amused by ants and birds, goats and potato fields, lilacs and sycamores.
    Be angry only long enough to solve the problem, then move on.
    Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.

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  13. Your story reduced me to a muddle of tears. I help out in a kennels where pups are king and their mum’s are treated like royalty too, they have fields to run in and a river to swim in. Your story has emphasized how horrible we humans are.

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      • Thanks. I consider myself lucky to be able to do atleast something worth through my blog 🙂
        Actually, Goodreads can really give you books a great platform. I really think you should set up an author’s profile. You’ll get thousands of readers who’ll be willing to get their hands on your books 🙂
        Also it’s best to spread the word about books. As a lot of people rely on choosing books on recommended by their Goodreads friends. It really helps to get the word going. Believe me it can be very beneficial for your novels 😀

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  19. Pingback: Book Review: Let The Dogs Out | The Reading Bud

  20. this is heartbreaking. My family has always a strict policy that we only get dogs from shelters. We never buy from pet stores or anything because this is absurd!

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  22. Being a dog-lover I am strongly against anything that harms them! I loved this story and it really got me thinking a lot. Hats-off dear. I cried a lot and have resolved to do whatever I can for dogs who are used for experimenting! It’s a crime.
    Thanks for spreading this awareness.

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  25. The Humane Society and other organizations of the same ilk should distribute your book nationwide. The practice of testing animals needs to be stopped. A list of labs and companies who follow this practice should be made public so that we don’t buy their products and can protest. As difficult as it is to read about what happens to these animals, it is necessary to broadcast it. You are providing a public service in alerting people about what transpires in these laboratories. Kudos and applause to you!

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  28. what a lovely/ sad comic. i think all of your comics are wonderful, i have shared many on facebook and though i don’t have children i am hopng that friends who do will see them and think! as a vegan myself, i imagine it will be difficult bringing up children vegan- only because of the attitude of others 🙂

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  30. Tragic! Just unbearably tragic! You have a gift and a good heart and I hope you can keep doing posts like this because it is an excellent way of changing the outrages against all animals!! Thank you!!

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  32. This was so sad. My pup will be one year old at the end of next month. I couldn’t imagine her or any other animal going through this. Makes me think twice about purchasing make up, and any other products tested on animals.

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  33. Heart-breaking story because it is all so true…. very few have ever got out, unless they had help – as also depicted in this story. If people saw what actually goes on first hand I doubt they would ever buy products that are tested in this way EVER AGAIN. And it’s not just our canine friends suffering this barbarity…..so many others, including poor maligned rats, toads, insects. I’m not sure there are many life forms they have not abused in this way with their sick and barbaric torturous abuse of life forms. All life is sacred.

    Keep up the good work, we are the voices for the unheard!

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  36. Dogs are loyal companions,but also have emotions,feel pain and look to us for love and attention.This has to STOP period.No justification could ever excuse the terrible treatment of these poor souls.I am mortified about the whole thing,and will lobby and canvass wherever and whenever I can to make people aware of what is going on in the UK…Disgusting ! Your work here is understandable by all by it’s very creation.Keep up the work,I know I will be doing so now.

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  39. this literally brought me to tears, and reinforced why cruelty-free/not tested on animals is so important! my heart breaks for these animals, and it’s another reason I’m considering changing the way I eat and live. I don’t want to contribute to this cruelty anymore.

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  45. I couldn’t bring myself to read the whole thing… I lost my beloved beagle last July. But thank you for your work on raising awareness about such a terrible subject.

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  46. Violet you are doing an amazing job on behalf of Save the Harlan Beagles by telling this story – thank you so much for all you do for all the animals xx

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  47. Really moving, brought tears to my eyes, I have an 18 month old Beagle who is so loving and loyal, I don’t understand how people can do this.

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