From Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
Thank you for previously taking action to stop the troubling heart
experiments on dogs at Wayne State University. As you know, many of the dogs
used at Wayne State have come from two Michigan animal shelters—in Mecosta
County and Gratiot County—a practice called pound seizure. I am writing
today to share some good news—as of July 1, the Mecosta County Animal
Shelter will no longer practice pound seizure!
This victory was made possible by vocal Michigan animal advocates with
behind-the-scenes assistance from PCRM. In Michigan, activists like Cate
Arroe of PetSavers educated the Mecosta County Board of Commissioners on why
pound seizure is both cruel and unnecessary for scientific research.
Meanwhile, PCRM filed a complaint against the Mecosta County Animal Shelter
operators with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As a result, the
USDA opened an investigation into the shelter, which transferred more than
140 dogs to research facilities in 2010, the most recent year for which data
are available.
It looks like the shelter operators could not handle the pressure. In
January, they announced to county commissioners that they would retire at
the end of their current contract. The commissioners then confirmed that
pound seizure will be prohibited in all future contracts, and that carbon
monoxide gassing of animals will no longer be allowed. Michigan animal
advocates are currently planning a new shelter where the focus will be on
animals' well-being—not on profits.
Using dogs in experiments is ethically and scientifically unsound, and this victory will save countless dogs from suffering.
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