In 2016, White Coat Waste Project was the first organization to expose wasteful and cruel experiments on dogs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and launch a campaign to defund it. Now, the embattled program is on its last legs, with a new report stating that, “VA’s taxpayer-funded dog experiments slow to a near-end” and Congress just voting to cut all funding for this waste and abuse.
“As an Air Force veteran, I don’t want the VA wasting its limited resources on outdated, cruel and unnecessary research on dogs. We can and should do better for veterans and dogs and I’m proud to support the PUPPERS Act to end this abuse.”https://t.co/vpCZhIGyXF
— Denver Riggleman (@Denver4VA) June 19, 2019
Following nearly 3 years of WCW grassroots advocacy, lobbying and exposés, there are fewer dog experiments at the VA than any time in recent history. Thanks to WCW’s efforts and veterans’ advocacy, Congress and the President have drastically restricted funding for VA dog testing, and we’ve seen historic progress to shut down this waste and abuse including:
- Los Angeles: In 2017, the LA VA shut down horrific taxpayer-funded narcolepsy and methamphetamine tests on Dobermans in 2017 and has since ended all dog testing.
- Milwaukee: Since November 2018, the Milwaukee VA’s experiment involving drilling into beagles’ heads has been inactive, it has not received any 2019 funding, and according to the VA, it is unlikely to resume. In 2018, several other proposed VA dog tests were canceled before they started after pressure from WCW, Congress and then-VA Secretary David Shulkin.
- Cleveland: The Cleveland VA’s deadly spinal cord experiments on hound puppies have been permanently ended. Documents obtained by WCW show that April 2019 marked the facility’s last scheduled dog delivery, and the project’s funding has expired.
Now, only one VA facility–in Richmond, Virginia–is still actively doing painful heart attack experiments on dogs, and the VA recently announced it is investing $2 million to develop alternatives to dog use for these tests.
Whistleblower photos of dogs abused in the Richmond VA’s “maximum pain” heart attack experiments
Congress is taking bold steps to end this waste and abuse for good. The House of Representatives just passed the 2020 VA funding bill which cuts all taxpayer funding for painful VA dog testing. Additionally, the PUPPERS Act to permanently stop VA dog testing has the support of 109 bipartisan cosponsors, including 17 military veterans serving in Congress.