LANSING (WWJ) - A petition was proposed in Michigan legislature this week by owners of former laboratory beagles in an effort to make adoptions of research animals easier for potential families.
Related
The two bi-partisan bills seek to require laboratory animals - such as cats and dogs - be placed in animal shelters, instead of euthanizing them after they are no longer needed at research facilities, mLive reported.
The proposal would also make annual reports to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development mandatory; the reports would be submitted by research facilities and contain information about the total number of animals that went to shelters.
Legal immunity, as outlined in the proposal, would be granted to research facilities and shelters that take in former laboratory animals in regard to the health and condition of the cat or dog "so long as both parties acted in good faith."
The proposal, under House Bills 4881 and 4882, were supported by Reps. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, and Tommy Brann, R-Wyoming,
"The point of these bills is to make sure that any dog that can be adopted out has that opportunity,” Hertel said.
“This is about unnecessarily euthanizing dogs that don’t need to be euthanized.”
David Rubello and Tami Roeske, two owners of previous research Beagles Teddy and Millie, gave testimony in support of the legislation on Tuesday.
Beagles are the preferred research animal in labs due to their good temperaments and medium size.
Rubello told lawmakers that there are many families who want to adopt former lab animals, despite any health concerns they may have due to their time in research facilities.
“Speaking from the heart, it’s the right thing to do,” Rubello said. “It’s not a big deal, really, when it all comes down to it. We all know what we’re getting into.”
Roeske also spoke to lawmakers, recounting how her rescue Beagle, Millie, was scheduled to be euthanized before her family stepped in to adopt her. Roeske said the process was not easy and they underwent a grueling vetting process before getting the chance to bring Millie home.
“If Millie could talk, she’d say, yeah, she had a rough start to her life, but guess what? She’s happy and she’s spoiled and she sleeps in a king-size bed now,” she said. “It’s my understanding there were 32 beagles that were involved in her particular rescue and over 800 applicants to get one of these beagles.”
Those in the research field argue that there are already procedures in place to adopts out select animals from facilities; some say the new legislation would complicate that process.
Stephen Rapundalo, president and CEO of MichBio, who represents roughly 1,900 bioindustry facilities, said the proposed bills target "a problem that simply doesn’t exist." Rapundalo highlighted that private and public shelters already have problems adopting out animals; the legislation would only cause bigger issues.
“A blanket mandate for adoption of research animals is not recommended, nor wise,” he said. “Adoption is not always the best option, but when it is possible, a process for adoption should be very specific and oriented to each individual animal."
The legislation remains pending in the House Regulatory Reform Committee. To become law, it would need to pass the House and Senate before ending up on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk to sign.
Related
