End animal testing on beagles.
A personal stance, the public record, the story of a beagle named Lucy — and the list I keep on my phone of the parent companies to stop funding.
Why this is personal.
Her name is Lucy. She is a beagle. She was saved from an illegal breeding operation — the kind that exists because there is a quiet, ongoing demand for beagles from laboratories that run pharmaceutical and chemical toxicology studies.
Lucy is one of the dogs that didn’t make it onto a contract. She is friendly in the way only an animal that has every reason not to be can be. She leans into a hand like she’s still learning the weight of safe.
I have been a rescue hound dog mom three times over. Lucy is the reason I have a position on this, and the reason it isn’t polite. She is the reason I keep this list updated, and the reason I sign every petition I can find aimed at the operators who do this for a living.
Vote with your money.
Petitions, protests, and posts all matter. But the thing that actually moves the needle for a publicly traded company is what we buy — and what we stop buying. Every household that switches their toothpaste, their pain reliever, their cleaning aisle, or their personal care routine is one fewer vote for animal testing.
Below is the working list I keep. It is the consumer-facing parent companies that public reporting and the leading cruelty-free databases tie to animal testing — including beagle testing — alongside some of the most familiar brand names they sell under.
Eli Lilly
Major pharma company behind Cialis, Trulicity, Prozac, and others. Repeatedly targeted by PETA and partner organizations over forced swim tests and dog testing.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Owns Sensodyne, Aquafresh, Parodontax, Centrum, Advair, Flonase, and more. Confirmed by PETA to test on animals directly or through suppliers.
Johnson & Johnson
Owns Neutrogena, Aveeno, Tylenol, Band-Aid, Zyrtec, Benadryl. Listed as a tester by PETA; has banned some legacy tests under public pressure.
Pfizer
Owns Centrum, Advil, Listerine, Preparation H, ChapStick, and more. Documented in public reporting to use animal testing in drug development.
Merck
Major pharma (including the legacy Schering-Plough line) tied to animal testing, including canine toxicology studies.
AstraZeneca
Major pharma company. Documented user of animal models in drug development.
Church & Dwight
Owns Arm & Hammer, Trojan, OxiClean, Batiste, Nair, First Response, and more. PETA cruelty-free database confirms testing on animals.
Procter & Gamble
Owns Tide, Crest, Gillette, Olay, Head & Shoulders, and more. Historic target of animal welfare campaigns.
Bayer (Crop Science & Animal Health)
Has used contract research labs for insecticide and pharmaceutical testing on dogs and other animals (including canine products sold under Bayer/Merial brands).
This list is intentionally short and conservative. Cruelty-free policies change, parent companies acquire new brands, and “cruelty-free” labels are not all the same thing. Treat this as a starting point, not a verdict — verify before you boycott, and check the brand itself, not just the parent.
Docile. Small. Disposable.
Beagles are the most-used dog breed in U.S. laboratory research. Their size, temperament, and physiology make them convenient for pharmaceutical and chemical toxicology testing — and because dog breeding for laboratories is a commercial pipeline, the supply is treated as inventory.
Tens of thousands of beagles are bred for research every year. Ridglan Farms, until recently one of the largest U.S. breeders, was shut down — and roughly 2,000 of its dogs were released to rescue. Marshall BioResources still breeds more than 20,000 beagles annually for the same market.
It does not have to be this way. The current wave of laboratory dog rescues — and the public campaigns behind them — show the system is breakable when enough people pay attention.
The supply side of this.
The commercial breeders and contract research organizations that keep the pipeline alive.
Before you boycott, double-check.
“Cruelty-free” is not a regulated word in the U.S. Some companies don’t test on animals themselves but sell in countries where it is required by law. Use the audits and databases below — they’re updated regularly and they tell you exactly why a brand is on the list.
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PETA — Cruelty-Free Company Database
Search any brand by name. Lists which companies test, sell in mainland China (where animal testing can be required by law), or are confirmed cruelty-free.
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Leaping Bunny (CCIC)
The international standard for certified cruelty-free. Lists brands whose entire supply chain has been independently audited.
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Beagle Freedom Project — End Animal Testing
Maintains public lists of brands and parent companies tied to beagle and dog testing, and runs legislative campaigns.
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SaveTheDogs — Sign the Petition
Active coalition campaign targeting Marshall BioResources. Quick way to add direct pressure alongside the consumer lever.
Primary sources, recent reporting, and active campaigns.
These are the organizations and stories I trust and follow. If you’re going to be loud about this, be loud with receipts.
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SaveTheDogs — End the Breeding of Dogs for Laboratories
The coalition that shut down Ridglan Farms and is now working to free the 20,000+ beagles bred every year at Marshall BioResources.
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Beagle Freedom Project
Rescues and rehomes beagles and other dogs used in laboratory research once experiments are complete.
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Humane World for Animals — Inotiv / Envigo
USDA-fined Inotiv (parent of Envigo RMS) is one of the largest commercial laboratory animal breeders in the world.
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PETA — Experiments on Dogs
Background on contract research laboratories and the dogs used in pharmaceutical and chemical testing.
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KPBS — A Dog’s Life in Animal Research
Reporting on Crinetics and Inotiv’s toxicology studies on 80 beagle puppies, and the industry around them.
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The Guardian — Beagles saved from US research facility
Reporting on the public rescue of beagles from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin.