Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals

Michigan: Help dogs like Queenie used in painful dog experiments

Queenie, a “curious, gentle, [and] friendly” Dalmatian mix from Gratiot County, spent the last seven months of her life being used in painful heart failure experiments at Wayne State University before being killed in 2010.

Her heartbreaking story inspired Michigan legislators to introduce Queenie’s Law, a bill that would prohibit painful experiments on dogs at public universities and other taxpayer-funded institutions in Michigan. In 2024, approximately 150 dogs like Queenie suffered through painful experiments at public institutions in Michigan. These pups spend most of their time in barren cages, are used for months or years in terrifying experiments, and are typically killed after the experiments are over.

Despite the immense amount of suffering they cause, these experiments are simply not very accurate. They’re not consistent predictors of how a human will respond to a particular chemical, drug, disease or treatment. That’s partly because dogs and other animals are so different from humans. According to the National Institutes of Health, 90% of drugs that are first tested on animals ultimately fail in human trials. Thankfully, cutting-edge technologies based on how the human body works are quickly replacing these outdated and unnecessary animal experiments.

TAKE ACTION

Please use the form below to send a message to your Michigan state representative urging them to help dogs suffering in Michigan laboratories by supporting Queenie’s Law.

This action alert is for U.S. residents.

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Dear Legislator, 

Queenie’s Law (HB 4254) was inspired by a Dalmatian mix from Gratiot County who was used in painful heart failure experiments at Wayne State University for at least seven months before she was killed in 2010. 

This legislation would prohibit experiments that cause pain to dogs at public institutions and would give the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services oversight authority. 

Dogs used in experiments are kept in empty steel cages and are often force-fed drugs, pesticides or other substances and then observed for harmful effects such as heart failure, signs of cancer or even death. In other cases, they undergo operations to damage vital organs or endure painful procedures to weaken their hearts. Dogs are often killed after the experiments are over so that their tissues and organs can be examined. There are examples of this type of testing occurring at public facilities in Michigan.  

At the same time, dog experiments do not ensure human safety. No longer the gold standard of testing, animal experiments will always have serious scientific limitations. Different species often respond very differently when exposed to the same substances, and even different sexes or sub-species can react inconsistently. And scientific analysis reveals that dogs are very inconsistent predictors of toxic responses in humans. It is no surprise then that nearly 90% of drugs that are first tested on animals fail when subsequently tested in people, with about half failing due to unanticipated human toxicity. 

Science is rapidly moving away from outdated animal tests as many faster, less expensive and more human-relevant alternative methods become available. These methods are based on human biology and are much more likely to provide results predictive of human responses. Human cell-based tests and advanced computer models, for example, deliver superior results in hours or days, unlike some animal tests that can take months or years. Passage of this legislation will not only prevent dogs from experiencing painful experiments but also push forward the further development and adoption of alternative testing methods that forgo the use of animals altogether. 

For these reasons, I ask you to support HB 4254 and help dogs suffering in Michigan public institutions.

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