Animal Justice has learned that the dogs who survived cruel experiments at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario, will finally get the second chance they deserve.
The hospital has now confirmed that six out of eight surviving dogs used in its secret dog experimentation lab have been transferred to an anonymous organization, and the remaining two will soon join the rest. Instead of being killed, as hundreds before them were, it is expected that they will receive the care, enrichment, and training they need before being adopted into loving homes.
Public Pressure Ends St. Joseph’s Dog Testing
This announcement comes just weeks after Animal Justice, working with two brave whistleblowers, helped shut down secretive and disturbing experiments on dogs inside St. Joseph’s Lawson Research Institute. The whistleblowers shared heartbreaking stories of dogs deliberately given heart attacks lasting up to three hours, and then left whimpering and screaming in pain during recovery. Pigs continue to be used in wound healing trials, left isolated with large, open wounds down their backs. Rodents are still forced to endure painful, horrific experiments.
Animal Justice initially met with the hospital back in March, urging them to have compassion for animals and end the cruel experiments. With the assistance of The Beagle Alliance, we offered to help the hospital rehome any surviving animals. Unfortunately, the hospital initially defended its deadly research program and would not commit to a rehoming plan.
When this shocking exposé was released to the public, Canadians responded swiftly, sparking a national conversation about animal testing. Hundreds of people attended vigils outside the hospital, thousands of compassionate people spoke out, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford got involved, pressuring the hospital and publicly committing to banning cat and dog testing in the province. Within days, the dog experiments were shut down.
Survivors Spared, But Remain Hidden
Until recently, nearly all dogs used in Canadian laboratories were killed after testing had concluded. The decision to rehome the eight survivors of St. Joseph’s dog testing program is a breakthrough moment, and one that we celebrate. However, instead of celebrating this milestone openly, St. Joseph’s has continued to shroud the dogs’ future in secrecy.
The hospital refuses to disclose where the dogs have been sent, how they’re doing, or who will care for them. The secrecy appears designed to shield St. Joseph’s, the Lawson Research Institute, and Western University from further embarrassment over the cruelty these dogs endured—and it will prevent their stories from being told.
Animal Justice is also troubled that The Beagle Alliance—Canada’s only rescue group specializing in rehabilitating dogs rescued from labs—wasn’t involved in the rehoming process. The Beagle Alliance has the experience and expertise needed to ensure these dogs recover and thrive after a traumatic start to life. Animal Justice has filed a freedom of information request with the hospital to obtain records about the dogs and their transfer, and we will share updates with our community as soon as we learn more.
Cruelty in the Name of Science
In 2023, publicly funded institutions experimented on over 16,000 dogs. St. Joseph’s still subjects pigs and rodents to invasive tests, while across the country millions of other animals suffer painful experiments, often without pain relief. These experiments aren’t limited to medical research; they’re also carried out for chemical testing, education, and training.
Shockingly, Canada has no federal laws regulating animal research. Oversight is left to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), a private non-profit dominated by animal experimenters and with no legal authority. The CCAC inspects labs only once every three to five years, with advance notice, and participation isn’t legally required. Many private labs opt out entirely.
This means animal experimenters face no public scrutiny, unless a whistleblower comes forward. And, CCAC-reported numbers on animal testing represent only part of the picture because they don’t include private labs that have opted out. In 2022, the CCAC reported that at least 3.5 million animals were used in Canadian laboratories. The true total is undoubtedly much higher.
End the Torture of Animals in Labs
Even when abuse is uncovered, the CCAC can do little more than recommend that federal funding be withdrawn. Canada urgently needs national laws outlawing some of the worst lab abuses, requiring unannounced inspections, public reporting, and mandatory use of animal-free research methods whenever they exist.
Though Canada has passed national laws to end cosmetic animal testing and restrict toxicity tests on animals, the government has failed to fund cruelty-free science. Canada’s only national centre dedicated to innovative, animal-free science—the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods, CCAAM—has been forced to shut down due to lack of federal funding. This devastating loss condemns millions of animals to continue suffering in experiments that could be replaced by humane, modern alternatives.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has promised to introduce legislation to end dog and cat testing. Now it’s time to hold him accountable—and to push for stronger protections for all animals in labs. Survivors of animal testing must be adopted into loving homes and sanctuaries instead of being killed, and Ontario must repeal pound seizure laws, which allow researchers to buy lost and abandoned animals from shelters.
