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| Yes | 86% | 183 votes | Total: 214 votes | |
| No | 14% | 31 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesI absolutely believe that stray animals picked up by law enforcement should never be allowed to be sold. Period. It doesn't matter if it's to a research facility or if the animal is being given for any amount above their adoption fee, I do not think it is right. Yes, it's perfectly acceptable for an adopter to donate some extra money to the shelter when adopting a pet if they so desire, but if the individual animal control officer or shelter worker profits from it then it's a resounding no.
You may be thinking "But we're talking about animals being sold to research and the money going back to the shelter!" Sure, ideally this is what happens. The sad truth about humans is that we are innately greedy creatures and somewhere along the way there's going to be someone who sees the opportunity to profit from selling some "unwanted animals" to research facilities. So let's think about this scenario...a research facility of some kind requires a large number of healthy animals for their research and they are willing to pay X amount of dollars per head. How tempting would it be for someone who cares little for the animal's well-being to fudge a little bit on how long they'd been in the shelter? Moreover, it might be tempting for officers actually working the streets to simply turn strays over to research without ever documenting them in the system so as to pocket the money. The different ways this liberty could be abused by the people charged with the care of homeless animals is completely mind-boggling.
Next we'll look at a slightly more fundamental part of the animal shelter system. These shelters have been set up to provide temporary homes where animals are treated humanely and given a place to live until they are either adopted into individual homes or are humanely euthanized. Sure, there are plenty of types of research that are humane to animals, but there are plenty that are not. Research facilities are geared toward research, not toward the well-being of the animals involved in that research and so many consist of too-small confinement, little or no human interaction and not enough exercise...not to mention the potentially detrimental nature of the research itself. However, even with the nicest people working with the animals and humane research being done it can still be a terrifying experience for any animal. For instance, I have a dog that is absolutely terrified of the smell of bleach and ammonia; that is the smell of the vet's office and though we have a wonderful vet this dog has never gotten over his neutering and a couple of surgical procedures that had to be done later in his life.
Whatever the reason research facilities could be detrimental to the dogs, it is the sworn duty of animal control and shelter workers to care for the pets they are presented with until they either go to a home or are euthanized in a way that is as humane as possible; there is no way this duty can be carried out properly if some animals are being sold to research facilities.
Learn more about this author, Rebecca Brown.
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No
Nobody wants to think of their pet ending up in a research facility. The sad inevitably is that some pets are in research facilities whether we like it or not. Many are acquired entirely legally by people who take Free-to-good-home pets and resell them to research labs. Another option is for animal control officers to sell unclaimed strays to research facilities.
The majority of people are going to find this a horrific suggestion, but obviously certain guidelines would exist to ensure only truly unwanted pets ended up being sold for such purposes as experimentation. Already shelters, and animal control centers, are not considered the legal owners of pets for at least 72 hours. In most areas any animal with a tattoo or microchip is held for 10 days minimum. It is felt that 72 hours allows sufficient time for an owner to look for, and claim, their lost pet.
In the case of pets who are going to be sold to research, a set, and well publicized length of time should be given. While 72 hours should be enough time, perhaps in these cases an additional 24 or 48 hours could be given with repeated checks for identification, and calls made to anyone who has reported missing a similar pet in the last six months.
Indeed there is truly no excuse for a pet not to be claimed within this period of time. Even if a person is on holiday they should have left a responsible person in charge who would claim the pet. As such it can be determined that the only remaining pets would be those who were unwanted by their owners, abandoned to their fate.
The threat of a pet being sold to research might make pet owners more responsible for their animals. People would be wise to have their pets wear permanent identification such as a tattoo or microchip, and should also have a collar and tags on their pet. None of these can be relied on 100% (rarely microchips fail to scan) so an owner whose pet has gone missing should check for it immediately. Additionally it would give pet owners better incentive to keep their pets secure in their yards rather than allowing them to roam. This is true of dogs, but more so of cats who are often taken to the pound because they have become pests in a neighbours yard and garden.
People might be less likely to turn an unwanted dog, or cat, loose knowing that it might be sold to a research facility, but would hopefully be more responsible and surrender it to a proper animal shelter.
The sale of pets to research facilities will bring in some income for animal control centers. Hopefully these funds would go back into improving care for animals remaining, rather than becoming a quick cash grab.
If people really want to stop pets being sold to research labs they simply need to refuse to buy products (or ingredients) that have been tested on animals. They need to stop supporting companies known for animal testing. They need to protest laws that allow animal testing, because as long is it is legal and there is a demand for it, you can be sure that some animals will be used, be it somebodies pet or not.
Learn more about this author, Brenda Nelson.
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