Today for some, is a day of Victory. Governor Mark Dayton signed a law giving dogs and cats in the State of Minnesota who were formerly used in laboratory testing the opportunity to be adopted once the research they've been a part of is complete.
Wait a second! What about THAT is new? We, at Beagle Rescue League have been working with laboratory research facilities for a decade and two thirds of our beagles are retired "lab" dogs. You may own one (or two, or three as I do). You know they make marvelous pets. First hand experience has shown you that what some people portrayed these animals to be (scared, lonely, mishandled) is terribly misleading. No dog treated poorly at the hands of a man or woman for their entire life would so openly love and trust another human being again if that were the case.
Our average foster time for a former laboratory research dog is 2 or 3 months. Do you honestly believe we could turn a dog from Frankenstein to friendly in that small window of time? Certainly not. We train each dog lovingly, giving them the basics and far beyond. They deserve that for the service they have provided mankind. What do they NOT deserve and what do I dislike about todays ruling? Lots of things...
The dogs that have served for our good do NOT deserve to be turned over to a facility or group that cannot possibly keep up with the sheer number of released dogs as they retire. I envision the worst...that some of these beautiful creatures will wind up in shelters. High kill shelters no less because cranking out dogs and adopting them on a same day basis (in and out) is never going to provide them with the level of care we give them here at BRL. You can't possibly evaluate a dogs personality, inherent traits, fears, needs in a revolving door of what you deem to be rescue. THAT is a disservice I loathe and it's why we never do same day adoptions.
If we had a dollar for every time we have been asked to help someone who adopted a beagle from another group because they were not properly prepared for some of their issues in the real world, we'd be rich. Lab dogs have several quirks that can be infuriating if you are not patient and give them the respect they need and deserve. They are often car sick, don't like going through doors, have problems adjusting to a crate, are skittish in new environments. Any one of these becomes the excuse de jour for someone who just can't deal with those things to dump them and guess where those dogs go? To the local shelter where for the first time in their life they face the prospect of being killed inhumanely is an old fashioned wooden box gas chamber, or killed by a heart stick. You can argue that they were going to die anyway - at the hands of a cold scientist. If you only knew how wrong you are. I've personally met laboratory workers who have cried when a dog left their facility. They ask us for updates on the dogs they release to us, they celebrate their adoptions, they want videos, photos and Christmas Cards!
What does any of this have to do with todays ruling? Plenty... I've already stated that there is no one single facility that can house all of the dogs that are retiring yearly. There is a very small, select list of rescues that the dogs can be safely turned over to (BRL being not just one but THE one that is trusted because of our proven track record). A rural shelter has a 24 or 48 hour kill rule and they break that if they get crowded, which in the Southern US means they stand NO chance of making it out alive. Overflow of all these retirees is something bound to happen. Was that accounted for in provisioning the law today?
Does the Governor of Minnesota have a clue that he in effect signed a death warrant for dogs that cannot be acclimated easily to society? Most likely not and chances are he does not even care. He has succumbed to the pressure that has been fueling the ruling passed today. California and New York have the same bills awaiting passing.
So am I celebrating today? No. Today I'm heartbroken at the thought that because of todays rulings, the dogs have become a tool to be used for political aspirations. And that, is more of a monster than any "Dr. Frankenstein" I've ever met.
To read about the law I'm referring to, visit:
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/260128011.html
