Is it acceptable to donate retired, imperfect or otherwise unwanted dogs and unsold puppies to science (research, dog food testing, vet schools, etc)? I have recently heard that this is not an uncommon occurrence in Labradors. To each his own, I just wonder under what circumstances people justify such donations?

N.O.
It is NOT OKAY!

That is called ANIMAL TESTING!!!!!!!!! NOT OKAY!!!!!
And for anyone who does do this...how do you sleep at night??? :(

You gotta wonder who makes this stuff up.

If your mother had a deadly disease that might be saved by a new drug, but the testing needed, had to be done on a dog, to prove that it would save your mom's life, would you allow animal testing to be done or would you BURY your mom?

Animal testing is a necessary evil. Ok with that, but dumping a retired breeding dog/bitch to have experiments done on them is just sick. A little more gratitude to our ever grateful dogs!

ARE YOU KIDDING US !! YOU DON'T NEED DOGS.

Do YOU KNOW that they don't need dogs? There are some diseases that dogs have that mimic human disease....
I am not saying I would donate a dog to science just becuase I had "leftovers" but bet your ass that if I had a loved one that needed it, I would donate my most prized dog to save my human.
Holier than thou, Not in my back yard mentality is not good for the human race.

Not OK, if you have unwanted labs you need to stop breeding!
They will find the needed animals with out your "help"

I don't think this is made up. I recently heard of two big time breeders that donated retired and unwanted dogs to Purdue University Vet School for students to practice on. It was done in the name of science.

What kind of life is that for a dog that has sacrificed their life for your sport/pleasure. Not very respectable.

Signed,
Disappointed

Let me preface this by saying that I know nothing about animal testing etc. BUT sheesh, if the medical and research community needs dogs to test on, why the heck would some heartless breeder donate their dogs when there are millions being euthenized daily in the shelters. The whole animal over-population issues is horrible as it is, but if animal testing is a necessary evil and we are going to dispose of these extra/unwanted animals anyway, why can't they have a nice life with food and a warm environment while they are doing us a service instead of dying in the shelter.

If I had left-over puppies and NO WHERE to put them, I have plenty of friends and friends of friends, who can't afford a purebred lab but would be a perfect home if I gave them one for free. That's where my cast off's would be going. Not to animal testing.

I SOLD puppies to a dog food company several years ago and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I was approached by a large company (whose food I feed in my kennel) about purchasing puppies. At first I was extremely skeptical. But, I the longer I spoke with the veterinarian the more I learned about pet food research. They came to my home, inspected my kennel, met all my dogs, insisted on seeing all the health clearances on the parents no different than I would expect my puppy buyers to do. I then was allowed to visit the research facility and spent half a day learning about the facility and watching how the dogs are cared for. It was an incredible experience! These were not unwanted or unsold puppies in anyway, the process started before my liter was even born. The company was looking for quality black Labrador puppies for a long term skin and coat study. The "testing" includs evaluating coat, stool, urine and blood samples only. Kennels are huge, outside play area's that are better than most school playgrounds, they had a whole puppy socialization program and staff that care for the same dogs daily. The dogs were in heaven and happy as could be. Even the cats at the facility had indoor outdoor area's. Dogs are retired from study around 5-6 years of age. There is a 3 page adoption application and a very stringent set of requirements for new owners. There is a "pet counselor" who's whole job is follow up with the dogs in their new homes and they will take any dog back and re-home if necessary. I cannot say enough good things about it! This was not my "dumping" puppies somewhere that I could not sell. This was a very long process that I looked at from every angle before agreeing to. I can't speak for breeders who have placed dogs elsewhere but I think that before you are quick to judge and paint a sad story for these dogs you should consider talking to those who have actually placed dogs and find out more. I sleep great at night knowing my dogs are in a wonderful place AND contributing to advancements that may help my own dogs in the future

Ironic that you stand behind this process, but do not sign your name!

Hello, I am a breeder that donates dogs to Purdue University and have since they started the program several years ago.
Dr. Michael Hill started the program for the freshmen vet students. The dogs are used for physical exams, minor procedures (like catheter placement,anal gland expresson,ultrasound exams, etc.). The dogs "work" for nine months and are then placed in pet homes. Purdue has people lined up to adopt the dogs at the end of the nine months...students, parents, staff,etc. Purdue used to buy coonhounds from a facility that bred them for laboratory use. These dogs were unruly, unsocialized and dangerous to the students. Several students were pretty badly bitten by the dogs. Dr. Hill wanted to use Labradors and reached out to area breeders to supply the students with good dogs.
Any Labrador is accepted in to the program with whatever problem they may or may not have. All of them get homes at the end of nine months. If the breeder allows it, the adoptive family will get in touch with the breeder and let them know about the dog they adopted, what they are doing, where they live, what the dog means to them.
Personally, I have had problems placing dogs with issues like dysplasia or PRA (before Optigen!!!). Although I would spay or neuter the dog, do all vacs and heartworm, no one wanted a dog that wasn't "perfect". This has been a win-win situation for us as breeders and for the dogs and for the students.
Our dogs find wonderful homes and the students are safe.
I just wanted to set the record straight in this particular matter. Please email me if you have any questions.

Thank you, Karen, for enlightening everyone on what a wonderful progrsm Dr. Hill and Purdue University have. You are 100% accurate on what a win-win situation this can be. These dogs are so well cared for and end up in wonderful homes. The forever home where they go is forwarded to the original donor and we have as good a relationship with the new owner as if we had sold them the dog as one of our puppies.
None of the dogs has EVER had an invasive procedure done. And if they needed one, it would be with our permission.

As in any case, there are two sides. The two well known breeders gave examples of great examples where donated/sold puppies can do a great deal of good and are treated well. But for some reason I don't think those are the examples the original poster was thinking of when starting this post.

It's nice to know there are good testing facilities, but those were specifically related to dogs...dog food and veterinary care.

What's the deal with the bad facilities? Obviously these places have dogs to test on.

Cheryl I absolutely agree with THAT!

Excellent idea!! I love it!!!!

Here is my honest opinion about this whole topic. It initially turned my stomach to hear about this whole subject. I didn't know if I was should be angry at the breeders or sad for the dogs. I have so much respect for Karen, that I do believe the dogs are welled cared for and lead wonderful lives. I also do believe that some breeders are donating them for health reasons (unadoptable by pet homes) and that there are some who are using this as a means of easy disposal. Bitches who are old, bitches who aren't great mom's, breeders who can't be bothered taking the time to look for pet homes, can't afford their dogs anymore, etc. MY OPINION and belief on all of this matches up with that of the EVO dog food company. Why are vet schools not rescuing the hundreds of unwanted dogs out of shelters that will inevitably be destroyed. They could give them great medical care, socialize them and adopt them to loving families. EVO goes into shelters and rescues hundreds of dogs, that would otherwise be destroyed, for their feeding trials. They are then adopted to homes later. My dogs are my responsibility from the moment of conception until they pass. If I can't find a home then they continue to play in the yard until a fabulous fit comes along. There is nothing fun about being poked and prodded and Freshman students learning on them. The dogs don't like going to the vet and having any procedure. You can see it in their faces that they are nervous. It must not tickle to get an IV catheter placed in their paws because it takes at least two people to hold them. Not all of the procedures vet students learn are painless like an ultrasound. Spay and Neuter's are invasive and they are operated on before they go to their new homes (at least that's what they told me on the phone when I called to investigate). These are our beloved friends. These dogs gave us champions, and puppies who helped support our hobby, and let's face it people, we all have made a little money to help pay our vet bills. The least they deserve is a happy home, fluffy couch, and maybe if they are lucky 2 or 3 little kids to romp around the yard with. Maybe this is a wake up call for some people to not keep that many dogs, breed that many litters, or keep collecting. Instead of breeding your next litter, why not work really hard for 8 weeks interviewing families and placing adults. I am not interested in engaging an argument with anyone, BUT if anyone needs help placing an adult dog, I have a list a mile long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let the vet school save the shelter dogs, we can save our own.
Heidi

You go Heidi!!! With 800 dogs an hour being euthanized in the US, I'm sure those dogs would be thrilled to be rescued, have a nice bed to sleep on, eat and be taken care of.

Part of the problem here is that it is illegal for the veterinary schools to use any shelter dogs. This is due to some of the animal welfare/rights regulations.

I initially advised Dr. Hill at Purdue to set up this program. He has spent lots of time making this work for both the dogs and the students. The dogs are all evaluated for any health issues before, during, and after being in the program. Any problems are treated as they arise. Purdue also has a Veterinary Behavior service that evaluates and oversees temperament and mental health. On top of regular care of feeding and walks the students are required to spend at least an hour per day playing, walking, and interacting with their dogs. I believe this time helps the students mentally handle the stressful time of Veterinary School and obviously stimulates the dogs,as well. This develops strong bonds leading to adoptions at the end of the program.
Any procedures performed on these animals are routinely done at your veterinarians office every day. Animal use committees review every procedure or class curriculum. Any procedure deemed painful will result in the dogs receiving sedation/anesthesia and pain medication. These dogs help train future veterinarians that may help save the lives of these very dogs and many countless companions in the future.
We love and care for these dogs very much. On average they spend about 9 months in this program and then are adopted to homes where they spend the rest of their lives playing with children, sleeping on the couch, and being the most wonderful breed in the world.
I am proud to support Purdue with this program and think it should be a model for other veterinary schools.
Dr. John Helmers

Kudos to Heidi Kellerman for what you wrote.