In 2025, millions of dogs will still be raised in the United States in “puppy mills.” Tens of thousands of them are used every year as guinea pigs in laboratories, often subjected to cruel and painful experiments. Envigo is a Virginia-based beagle breeding company and leading provider of research dogs. Under pressure from a Justice Department investigation that accused him of mistreating his animals – even by minimum standardsAnimal Welfare Act from 1966– forced to close its doors.
Last week, Ridglan Farms, the second-largest supplier of beagles to American labs, committed to stopping sales of its dogs by 2026, again to avoid prosecution for animal cruelty. However, the company can still continue to use certain dogs for its own research, explains an article in Vox media.
Testimonies from former employees reveal shocking practices: operations performed without anesthesia, especially vocal cord cutting aimed at reducing barking.
Useless exercise?
But these closures are rare. AlthoughAnimal Welfare Act implementing a legal framework regarding certain animals, routine inspections reveal violations ranging from unsanitary conditions to fatal abuse, and sanctions are weak. In the case of Envigo and Ridglan, it was investigations and pressure from animal rights activists that led to the closure.
In 2017, activists from the organization Direct Action Everywhere infiltrated Ridglan Farms and found dogs locked in dirty, overcrowded cages, left to fend for themselves. Three beagles have been rescued from a farm by activists. Although there was initially a robbery charge, the charge was eventually dropped. Following this action, a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate the company’s practices; a historic victory for the animal protection movement.
The scientific community involved in animal research has not, for now, expressed public criticism. Proponents of this research say that these dogs play an important role in the advancement of veterinary and human medicine, and that there are regulations and standards that ensure their welfare.
Bioengineer Don Ingber goes further: it is not only the living conditions of these dogs that raise questions, but their use, which he considers illegitimate: the animals subjected to these scientific experiments are often unsuitable, and it is not possible to accurately predict the results in humans.
