Bay Area Residents to March in SF for Bill to End Federally Funded Dog, Cat Experiments

Animal advocates march in Emeryville on September 26, 2026, calling for passage of the COMPACT Act. (Credit: Direct Action Everywhere)

WHAT: Rally and march against dog and cat experimentation, calling on Congress to pass the COMPACT Act (H.R.10522), a bipartisan bill that would end federal funding of dog and cat experiments
WHEN: This Saturday, October 24th, at 2:30 PM
WHERE: Starting with a rally at Simón Bolívar Statue, 50 United Nations Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94102

San Francisco, CA -- This Saturday, October 24th, animal advocates will rally at United Nations Plaza and march through San Francisco in support of the COMPACT Act (H.R.10522), a bipartisan bill introduced in September that would end the use of taxpayer dollars for experiments on dogs and cats. Supporters will display large banners and handmade signs with messages including "Save the Dogs."

The demonstration is organized by the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), with support from Beagle Freedom Project, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, Northern California Beagle Rescue, and Rocket Dog Rescue. Speakers at the rally will include Sherri Franklin, founder of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue; Zoe Rosenberg, DxE animal cruelty investigator; and Rebekah Robinson, political director of the Save the Dogs Coalition, which is leading the push for the COMPACT Act. But the stars of the show will be several rescued lab beagles who are joining the rally.

The march will feature additional speakers and chanting. It will stop outside the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, where constituents who have been contacting Rep. Pelosi's office will urge her to co-sponsor the COMPACT Act. The march will then continue to Yerba Buena Gardens, ending by the Powell Street BART station.

"I have called Representative Pelosi's office, and so have many of my neighbors," said Cynthia Perry, a San Francisco resident and constituent of Rep. Pelosi. "Americans are overwhelmingly against experimenting on dogs and cats, and Representative Pelosi has the power to help end it. We are asking her to stand with her constituents and co-sponsor the COMPACT Act."

In 2017, DxE investigators exposed conditions inside one of the country's largest breeders of dogs for experimentation, Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, which shut down in August following nearly a decade of activist pressure.

If passed, the COMPACT Act would cause a major reduction in dog and cat experimentation in the U.S. Advocates hope it will pave the way to ending all animal experimentation. As of this week, the bill has 15 co-sponsors from both parties, but only one of California's 52 representatives, Rep. Young Kim has signed on. On Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna said he will join them: asked about the bill by DxE investigator Zoe Rosenberg at a Students for Solidarity event at UC Berkeley, he said "Absolutely. I will co-sponsor it."