An Experimental Lab Dog Becomes a Family's Lap Dog, With the Help of a Cat

Violet was afraid of people.

 

Frightened Violet on her freedom ride home

I first met Violet in the basement of an animal experimentation lab, where volunteers played with her and her fellow lab dogs a few times a day as an “enrichment” break from their cages.

 Violet didn’t know how to interact with humans or how to play. She just stared at us, with big, sad, hound dog eyes. I knew, looking in her eyes during that first meeting, that one day she would join our family.

 Like the rest of her lab mates, Violet was born and bred for animal experimentation. At taxpayer expense, she spent her early life as one of tens of thousands of puppies in government-funded experimentation labs across the country. The U.S. government spends more than $12 billion in taxpayer funding each year for experimentation on dogs, cats, and many other animals like Violet.

 Before I met Violet, I was already very aware of the real cost of the animal experimentation industry -- the cruelty, waste, fraud, and abuse. I am a co-founding Director of an innovative nonprofit advocacy group called White Coat Waste (whitecoatwaste.org) that is working to stop wasteful government spending that funds the majority of all animal experimentation.

 Violet was a forced participant in two different government-funded experiments, and when she completed the second experiment, my husband and I were allowed to adopt her and bring her home. Most hounds are not so lucky.

 We knew that after spending her life in a lab, Violet didn’t know how to be a dog. After all, she spent her entire life in cages.

 

 On Violet’s homecoming day, I lifted her from the back of our car and carried her over to the grass near our house. She had never played outside in grass or felt the breeze or the warmth of sunshine on her face. All of it terrified her. She didn’t know what to do.

 

 

 Violet huddled in her crate for hours once we brought her inside. I crawled in with her and held her, and I was soon joined by one of our cats, Bert, who sat next to Violet purring and kneading her blankets in order to help her calm down. Bert had the right idea: Violet needed love, patience, and time.

 Violet's transition from experiment to family pet hasn't been easy. Because her experimenters locked her in a cage for too long, she couldn't learn house training like a "normal dog." Now she needs to wear a diaper — just one instance of her post-lab trauma.

 It took her months to feel safe outside her crate or the larger playpen we set up for her. We would carry her into another room or upstairs, and she would run back down to her safe spaces. I spent half of each night for months sleeping with her on the floor of her playpen, my body wrapped around hers to help with her night terrors. Bert would often join us.

 We live in a four story townhouse, which posed difficulties for Violet getting around once she felt more secure in our home. Stairs were very tricky, but luckily Bert was able to help us. He would guide Violet up and down the stairs, meeping at her as if in encouragement.

 It took four months for Violet to feel comfortable outside her playpen and six months before she become less terrified of being outside. By month eight, Violet was sleeping in bed with me every night, learning how to play with toys, and making friends with strangers by covering them in kisses and begging for food.

Violet has been a member of our family for almost two years. She’s still growing and learning. She helped us adopt a new member to the family: a ten month-old kitten named Trucker Cat, who joined Bert and our other cats (Ernie and Jasmine) as Violet’s protectors and friends.

 Her story is one of love and trust: after everything she’s been through, Violet loves people and other animals with her entire heart. Despite the wounds of an early life spent in the lab, she has learned resilience, trust, and how to feel safe and protected.

 

 

Julie Germany is the COO of an advocacy organization.  She is the co-founder and serves on the board of White Coat Waste. She and her husband live in Alexandria, VA with Violet and their cats Jasmine, Bert, Ernie, and Trucker.

To learn more about White Coat Waste and how you can get involved (sign a petition, share info on social media or donate)  http://whitecoatwaste.org/

http://www.whitecoatwaste.com/take-action/

To adopt or support former lab dogs for adoption http://www.beaglefreedomproject.org/

To show your support, you can purchase one of these cool t-shirts, designed by PawsGo especially for Beagle Freedom and its fund raising event, Red White and Beagle.  Shirts are $20 each -- adult sizes.  50% ($10) from every shirt sold goes to support the Beagle Freedom Project through Red White and Beagle.  Go to www.pawsgo.com to order yours!