DOG Introduction & Dog Story

The dog is believed to be the first animal species to be domesticated, having lived with humans for more than 14,000 years. The domestic dog is a descendant of the wolves who roamed Europe, Asia, and North America in ancient times. Dogs belong to the Canidae family that includes foxes, jackals, coyotes, and wolves.

Dogs have keen senses of hearing and smell. They communicate with each other through vocalizing (barking, howling, or growling), and by changing their body language (facial expression, tail carriage, ear posture, and body stance). They also mark their territory with urine.

Physical Characteristics

Dogs are highly variable in size and coat color, according to breed. They are an omnivorous species. The gestation period of a dog is approximately 63 days. These animals reach sexual maturity at six months. Their life spans vary according to their size: Smaller breeds have longer life spans (12 years or more) than larger breeds (approximately 10 years).

Use of Dogs in Research, Testing, and Education

Dogs are widely used in biomedical research, testing, and education; however the number of dogs used in research has declined over the years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Welfare Report for fiscal year 2004 (the most recent year available) indicates that 64,942 dogs were used in USDA-registered research facilities. Of these, 1,273 were reported as used in procedures in which pain relief was not administered (also known as "Column E" research studies).

Dogs are commonly used in biomedical research studies as "models" for human disease in many fields, including cardiology, endocrinology, and bone and joint studies involving arthritis and bone fractures. The majority of this research is highly invasive, requires extensive surgery and, in some cases, causes unrelieved pain and distress to the animals involved. Dogs are also used in the safety/efficacy testing of pharmaceuticals, as well as in the development of prosthetic/medical devices and surgical techniques.

Dogs continue to be used in medical and veterinary education, in surgery exercises, as well as in physiology labs, but this use has declined in recent years, particularly in medical schools. As of 2006, only 20 medical schools (of 125 existing medical schools) still continue to use live animals, including dogs in elective courses. A large percentage of veterinary schools, however, continue to use dogs in invasive and terminal procedures. 

In January 2003, officials at the University of Colorado School of Medicine announced that its practice of using live dogs in first-year physiology labs [Physiology 5000] would be discontinued due to "budgetary constraints." Students enrolled in this lab will now utilize computer simulations in addition to analyzing data from past dog labs. The University of Colorado joins a multitude of highly ranked U.S. medical schools, including Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard, that no longer use live animals in first-year physiology laboratories.

Sources of Dogs Used in Research Testing Education

Research facilities and veterinary and medical schools can obtain dogs from various sources. Purpose bred dogs are obtained from Class A breeders. Class A breeders are licensed to sell dogs who are bred specifically for research and are bred and/or raised on the dealers' property. Beagles are the most commonly used purpose-bred dog.

Dogs who are not bred specifically for research can be obtained from Class B dealers. Class B dealers buy or obtain animals from "random sources" (such as auctions or trades, pound seizure, newspaper ads, strays, suppliers known as "bunchers", and sometimes lost or stolen pets), and in turn sell these animals to research facilities and veterinary schools. Bunchers have been known to acquire animals from a variety of sources including pound seizure, newspaper ads, strays, and lost or stolen pets. Fifteen Class B dealers are still licensed in the United States. The USDA provides a list of these Class A breeders and Class B dealers on their web site .

In addition to Class A breeders and Class B dealers, dogs can be bought directly from shelters. Three states (Minnesota, Utah, and Oklahoma) mandate pound seizure from publicly-funded shelters and pounds, meaning that the shelters are required to provide animals to research facilities. Seventeen states prohibit shelters from providing animals for research. The remaining states allow access to shelters animals under certain conditions or have no law that addresses this issue at all.

Alternatively, dog cadavers used in veterinary schools can be obtained from Educational Memorial Programs (EMPs), or willed-body donation programs. To date, six veterinary schools in the United States have implemented EMPs; three of these schools use a combination of donated animals and animals procured from other sources. The other 22 veterinary medical schools in the United States acquire dogs/dog cadavers through other means.

Laws

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) covers all dogs used in research, testing, and education. AWA standards, enforced by the USDA, require that "[d]ealers, exhibitors, and research facilities must develop, document, and follow an appropriate plan to provide dogs with the opportunity for exercise." The USDA offers examples of how these requirements can be met, but there can be exemptions under some circumstances. Dogs are the only animals required to have exercise under USDA standards. USDA standards also require that dogs housed without "sensory contact" with other dogs must be provided with "positive physical contact with humans at least daily."

The Public Health Service Policy also protects dogs who are used in federally funded research. Pending legislation entitled The Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 451) would ensure that any dog or cat used by research facilities was obtained legally.

Sources: Encyclopedia.com, Animal Welfare Institute, North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research, USDA, Denver Channel.com, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine