This is Teddy.

Teddy was never supposed to have a family. He wasn’t meant to chase balls in the grass or get treats for being a good boy. When he was born at Marshall BioResources, a sprawling dog breeding facility, he had a single purpose: To be sold to a laboratory where he would be used in painful experiments. And then he would be killed. Instead, against all odds, Teddy was saved.

Teddy in a cage in a lab before being rescued
The HSUS
Teddy, a medium-sized beagle, stares into the camera while sitting with his adopters, Greta Guest and Dave Rubello
Bryan Mitchell
/
AP Images for the HSUS

When footage of Teddy and the 31 other dogs featured in our undercover investigation went viral in March of 2019, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world took action to demand that the dogs be released from Charles River Laboratories, where they were being used in a year-long fungicide test commissioned by a pesticide company.

After weeks of pressure from the public, the company agreed that the test was unnecessary and released the dogs to our partner, Michigan Humane Society, to be adopted.

That’s when everything changed for Teddy.

Teddy was one of the lucky ones.

The vast majority of the more than 40,000 dogs used in experiments every year in the U.S. never leave the laboratory alive. At universities, hospitals and companies across the country, dogs, who are only identified by a tattooed number on their ear, live in misery in barren cages often devoid of the companionship of other dogs or the loving touch of a human. They are subjected to painful⁠—often excruciating⁠—procedures, such as being intentionally injured, implanted with medical devices, infected with diseases and force-fed toxic substances.

It is our job to press for change and move science into the 21st century, so we can spare animals from suffering and improve human health. Images of Teddy and other animals behind bars are a constant reminder of the work ahead.

Kathleen Conlee, Vice President of Animal Research Issues, The Humane Society of the United States

In some cases, the tests require that the dogs be killed and their tissues harvested. So far, 16 states have passed laws requiring animal testing facilities to allow dogs to be adopted whenever possible. In 2023, Teddy’s Law, which gives dogs and cats in Michigan labs a chance to be adopted, was signed into law in Michigan.

No dog deserves to suffer like this. With your help, we are pushing organizations and government agencies to question the ethics and scientific validity of methods that use dogs. We are working to increase investment in the development of sophisticated testing methods that don’t rely on animals. And we are partnering with lawmakers around the country to ensure that an increasing number of dogs are given a chance at adoption after they leave the laboratory.

Animal testing syringe icon
40,000+
Dogs

Are used in experiments on average in the U.S. each year.

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32
Beagles

Found forever homes with loving families after being documented in our undercover investigation.

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2023
Is the year

Teddy's Law, which requires animal testing facilities to allow dogs and cats to be adopted, was passed in Michigan.

Sad dog in cage in Indiana toxicology lab

Animals in the U.S. continue to suffer and die in experiments to test cosmetics like lipstick, deodorant and cologne. By supporting our work to end testing and experiments on animals, you will help countless rabbits, mice and other animals languishing in laboratories.  

The HSUS