Lab dogs, and Beagles

[TheresaW]

I was talking to a friend today about beagles, and during the conversation, I asked why they tend to be the go to as lab dogs. Does anyone know why? I have a friend who has an ex lab beagle, and he’s a lovely boy.

 

[ester]

combo of size and demeanour.

 

[TheresaW]

So an easy going breed of dog? Workers or show type?

 

[Honey08]

I think someone told me they have a high tolerance for pain too.

 

[TheresaW]

I think someone told me they have a high tolerance for pain too.

That’s very sad.

 

[SilverLinings]

Google says this:

The most common breed of dog used for experiments are beagles, but not because scientists view them as the best model for human disease. Rather, beagles are convenient to use because they are docile and small, allowing for more animals to be housed and cared for using less space and money.

...and also that the labs don't like smaller breeds than a Beagle for several reasons including the limited skin surface area for patch testing products.

I think animal testing is awful, but I don't know what the alternative is at the moment to ensure that we don't kill humans with new drugs (I don't agree with it at all for testing unnecessary things like cosmetics). Hopefully the developments in growing 'artificial' tissues from stem cells might evolve into a system that can be used for testing instead of animals.

 

[Clodagh]

A friend’s son didn’t like animals and all he ever wanted to do was work in an animal testing lab. He does now work in one. I don’t know what’s worse, I couldn’t work in one as I like dogs but equally to imagine them being handled by someone who actively dislikes them is worse.

 

[Spotherisk]

Clodagh that is a bit of a weird thing all round. I’ve always tried to avoid working with things I didn’t like (the list keeps growing…)

 

[SilverLinings]

A friend’s son didn’t like animals and all he ever wanted to do was work in an animal testing lab. He does now work in one. I don’t know what’s worse, I couldn’t work in one as I like dogs but equally to imagine them being handled by someone who actively dislikes them is worse.

As he doesn't like animals I would be a bit worried about his desire to work in a testing lab, and whether he has the ability to care about or identify welfare issues in the subjects. I would have thought it would be better to have employees who feel ambivalent about animals or actively like them, for the sake of the animals.

 

[fiwen30]

A friend’s son didn’t like animals and all he ever wanted to do was work in an animal testing lab. He does now work in one. I don’t know what’s worse, I couldn’t work in one as I like dogs but equally to imagine them being handled by someone who actively dislikes them is worse.

God, there’s something not right there.

Imagine what the reaction would be, if you swapped out the dislike of ‘animals’ for ‘children’, and all he ever wanted to do was work in a nursery. Very disturbing.

 

[Sparky Lily]

I was told by the breeder of my first Beagle (I now have 2) that there were two main reasons: firstly their temperament and being easy to handle, and secondly, that their constitution, for want of a better word, is fairly similar to humans, more so than other breeds. I have not checked this second point, but could it be true?

 

[Clodagh]

He is a strange young man. He’s a sort of assistant, no qualifications, it just always disturbed me that it was an ambition. He was always awful to their Yorkie.

 

[TheresaW]

I’m with SilverLinings above. I hate the thought of testing on animals, but get it for medical reasons. I don’t agree with at all for cosmetic purposes.

I couldn’t work in a lab because of how I feel about animals. It would be far too painful for me. I hope the majority of people that do work in them, give the animals the best care possible.

 

[AmyMay]

He is a strange young man. He’s a sort of assistant, no qualifications, it just always disturbed me that it was an ambition. He was always awful to their Yorkie.

 

[Antw23uk]

A friend’s son didn’t like animals and all he ever wanted to do was work in an animal testing lab. He does now work in one. I don’t know what’s worse, I couldn’t work in one as I like dogs but equally to imagine them being handled by someone who actively dislikes them is worse.

He should be on a list! Thats not right

 

[BBP]

I have two very good friends who worked at an animal testing facility (some years ago) with beagles. Both are lovely people who adore animals and I would trust with any of mine, it made me feel a little better knowing that people like them were the ones working with the animals.

 

[CorvusCorax]

You sometimes get some strange folk working in slaughterhouses as well, my dad always pondered if they were like that to want to work there, or did the place make them like that.

 

[maisie06]

Google says this:

The most common breed of dog used for experiments are beagles, but not because scientists view them as the best model for human disease. Rather, beagles are convenient to use because they are docile and small, allowing for more animals to be housed and cared for using less space and money.

...and also that the labs don't like smaller breeds than a Beagle for several reasons including the limited skin surface area for patch testing products.

I think animal testing is awful, but I don't know what the alternative is at the moment to ensure that we don't kill humans with new drugs (I don't agree with it at all for testing unnecessary things like cosmetics). Hopefully the developments in growing 'artificial' tissues from stem cells might evolve into a system that can be used for testing instead of animals.

Plenty of convicted peodophiles and rapists could solve that one....

 

[Moobli]

He is a strange young man. He’s a sort of assistant, no qualifications, it just always disturbed me that it was an ambition. He was always awful to their Yorkie.

Gosh I feel sorry for any animals that he comes into contact with, through his work or otherwise.

 

[rabatsa]

A lad I went to school with always wanted to work at the undertakers. He did his work experience there and planned to find one to work with when he left school. I wonder if he followed that up.

 

[Odyssey]

It's certainly a lot better that people who love animals work in labs, but I just can't get my head round how they can do it. I'm against using animals for medical testing for ethical reasons, I find it barbaric and sickening - it's done because we unfortunately have power over animals, but that certainly doesn't make it right. We are obviously physiologically different from animals, so it's not even as if testing treatments on animals gives the same results.

Many years ago I saw something on a TV programme that utterly disgusted me, and broke my heart. It was a man working with very unfortunate beagles in a lab. The poor dog was scared, and was wriggling. He was getting really angry with it, shouting "you always do this", and was hitting it. ? I don't think I've ever felt more distraught than at seeing that vile human abusing a defenceless dog that already had the most miserable existence.

As if the actual testing isn't horrendous enough, it's so wrong to keep animals, especially active ones in cages in a laboratory for their entire life with no time outside, or exercise. Beagles are hunting dogs that need a fair amount of exercise. If people keep their pet dogs indoors without exercise that's considered cruel, yet it's ok to do it to lab animals. One of my greatest hopes is that the abhorrent practice of experimenting on animals will be consigned to history books in the not too distant future.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

A friend’s son didn’t like animals and all he ever wanted to do was work in an animal testing lab. He does now work in one. I don’t know what’s worse, I couldn’t work in one as I like dogs but equally to imagine them being handled by someone who actively dislikes them is worse.

I genuinely think you're not quite right if you don't like animals in some way, shape or form. I understand not being an animal person, or not being bothered, but to actively want to work and observe a cruel practise and observe/control the suffering of animals is just not normal.

I absolutely refuse to use any cosmetic, skin care or perfume that is tested on animals (or sold in china).

 

[SilverLinings]

It's certainly a lot better that people who love animals work in labs, but I just can't get my head round how they can do it. I'm against using animals for medical testing for ethical reasons, I find it barbaric and sickening - it's done because we unfortunately have power over animals, but that certainly doesn't make it right. We are obviously physiologically different from animals, so it's not even as if testing treatments on animals gives the same results.

Re the part I've put in bold in the post above: I completely disagree with animal testing for things like cosmetics, and am very uncomfortable with medical testing but the alternative would be human deaths.

All new drugs would need to be tested on humans, some of which would result in the death or significant disability of the people they were tested on. Even drugs that seem quite straightforward- or very similar to already used drugs- occasionally surprise researchers by unexpectedly causing significant harm. It wouldn't just be a case of saying to people with terminal cancer that they can risk dying by trying the new drug, or definitely die without it, it would also apply to people with significant but none fatal diseases, or with any disease or injury causing pain. This includes child patients who require medical treatment.

As well as drugs new lifesaving procedures are sometimes pioneered using animals (e.g. organ transplants and joint replacements were both carried out on animals first), and to be blunt, practice makes perfect- would you be happy to be the person they used for the practice?

I am very uncomfortable with any form of animal testing and I sincerely hope that in the near future it can be phased out in favour of AI modelling and artificial tissue use. I would also rather it was carried out in countries such as the UK who have strict ethical rules on the care of the animals; it would be a big improvement if drug companies had to meet the ethical requirements of the strictest customer country (for the end drug) when carrying out any animal testing. I can imagine that some countries have far less interest in the care and welfare of test subjects than the UK does

If you take ANY medication (or receive certain medical treatments) then you are benefiting from previous testing on animals.