Target: Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, Canada
Goal: Ban the use of dogs in invasive scientific research and prohibit the importation of dogs from suppliers cited for repeated animal welfare violations.
A deeply troubling investigation has revealed that at least two major Canadian hospital research institutions reportedly purchased dogs for scientific experimentation from a U.S. breeding facility that was cited eleven times for animal care violations between 2021 and 2024. According to reports, federal inspectors found multiple dogs at the facility with undetected injuries and painful interdigital cysts — swollen, infected bumps between their toes — that had gone unnoticed and untreated by staff. Inspectors also reportedly discovered feces-filled enclosures, mould-covered food, and chronic sanitation failures across multiple areas of the facility, painting a picture of systemic neglect on an industrial scale.
According to the investigation, the breeding operation supplied dogs to institutions including a major Toronto hospital network and a London, Ontario research institute — the latter of which reportedly subjected dogs to procedures that included inducing heart attacks lasting up to three hours. The Canadian facilities reportedly continued purchasing from the supplier despite the alleged violations, with one institution’s last purchase occurring as recently as 2022. More than 17,800 dogs entered Canada from the U.S. for research purposes between 2019 and 2025, raising urgent questions about the oversight mechanisms meant to ensure animals are sourced from humane suppliers. Canadian guidelines explicitly require that research animals be obtained from credible suppliers with a reputation for humane treatment — standards that the cited breeder allegedly failed to meet.
Animals bred and sold for scientific research have no voice and no advocate beyond the regulatory systems designed to protect them — systems that allegedly failed these dogs repeatedly. Proposed legislation in Ontario would ban invasive research on dogs and cats and prohibit their breeding for research purposes, but experts warn this alone will not protect the thousands of animals imported annually from suppliers with welfare violations. The Ontario Minister of Health must act now to strengthen this legislation, close the importation loophole, and ensure that no research institution in the province can purchase animals from suppliers found to be in violation of humane care standards.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Premier Ford,
We are writing in urgent response to a deeply disturbing investigation revealing that Canadian hospital research institutions reportedly purchased dogs from a U.S. breeding facility cited eleven times for animal welfare violations — including dogs with untreated painful sores, feces-filled cages, and mould-covered food. These animals were reportedly sold to institutions conducting invasive procedures, including experiments that induced heart attacks in dogs lasting up to three hours. Canadian guidelines require that research animals be sourced from suppliers with a reputation for humane treatment, yet these alleged violations appear to have gone unaddressed for years.
We acknowledge that proposed Ontario legislation seeks to ban invasive research on dogs and cats and prohibit their in-province breeding for research purposes. However, experts have warned that without explicitly addressing importation, this legislation will fail to protect the thousands of dogs brought into Canada annually from suppliers with alleged records of neglect and mistreatment. Closing this loophole is not optional — it is a moral and regulatory imperative.
We respectfully demand that your office strengthen the proposed legislation to explicitly prohibit the importation of dogs and cats from any supplier cited for animal welfare violations, and that robust enforcement mechanisms be established to hold research institutions accountable. The dogs allegedly subjected to festering sores, filthy cages, and painful experiments deserve the full protection of the law — and it is within your power to provide it.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Sylvia Jones
