Dogs and Their Guardians Protest UCSF Animal Research

On Sunday, 84 people plus 52 dogs protested UCSF experiments that will use 750 dogs in invasive research.

The research, which involves the insertion of pacemakers in otherwise healthy dogs, the expected heart failure of some of them, followed by the euthanasia of all of them, has been denounced by cardiologists as not only cruel but also scientifcally invalid and unnecessary.

“Better information is available from clinical and epidemiological observations, surgical and procedural results, autopsies and human studies involving cardiac imaging and electro physiological tests,” said cardiologist Dr. John J. Pippin.

Dogs' hearts, both anatomically and at the cellular level, are very different from those of humans, and many scientists argue that better results can be achieved using humane human-based research methods.

"It's great to see so many people and dogs here to draw attention to this cruel and unnecessary invasive animal research," said demonstrator Nora Kramer, who attended the march with her 15-year-old Black Lab mix Spanky. "The dogs used in these experiments deserve as much compassion and protection from cruelty as the companion dogs we live with."