Campaign to Stop the Use of Dogs in Vivisection in SF Begins March 15th at UCSF...Update on Dogs at UCSF

[Guest guest]

Dear Animal Advocates, Companions, Guardians, Vigilers, Lovers and Liberators, As it was the consensus at the last Vigil Gathering to work to stop the use of dogs in vivisection in SF - March 15, Wednesday, will be the date that we kick off our campaign at UCSF to stop the use of Dogs in vivisection in San Francisco. No set time at this point, but likely it will happen some time between 10 AM and 1 PM -will follow up with exact time in a subsequent e-mail. Am contemplating a sign-making party and meeting to discuss the upcoming demo - am thinking either Sunday, March 12th (around noon), or Monday the 13th (early evening) - with vegan potluck finger food - at Animal Switchboard office in SF. Please contact me if you have an interest in coming and preference for either day. I'm already dreaming up signs for the event; thought I'd

share a few ideas with you: - Stop Using (Wo)man's Best Friend in Cruel Experiments w/ My Tax $ - STOP UNNECESSARY EXPERIMENTS ON DOGS NOW! - RESPECT DOGS - Don't Exploit Them in Needless Experiments - STOP USING MY TAX DOLLARS FOR ILLEGAL EXPERIMENTS ON DOGS - NO TAXATION WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY - DOG is GOD (spelled backwards) - [your idea] UPDATE ON DOGS AT UCSF: Since the early part of 2004, advocates for animals have been trying to stop 3 cardiology research projects involving dogs at UCSF from going forward. Since then, one of the projects (i.e., Project #10000961, Dr. Michael Dae, Principal Investigator) has been terminated. Still the university has yet to

document what happened to dozens of German shepherd dogs used in the project - despite a California Public Records Act request (now over a year old) for information on the project and a lawsuit to obtain the information. Meanwhile, UCSF Research Project #A43109-22783, devised by Dr. Jeffrey Olgin, Principal Investigator, is going forward. Already it has resulted in the acquisition of at least 62 dogs and the suffering and death of over 40 of them. Dr. Tahmassian, head of the Research Department at the university, has stated (according to the SF Bay Guardian) that the two projects of Dr. Olgin's will use less than 75 dogs; however, protocols for these projects indicate the planned use of 747 dogs over a three-year period. (Dr. Jeffrey Olgin's other project, #A43109-22715, has not begun; word is that it has been combined with Dr. Olgin's other previously mentioned project.) Letters regarding Dr. Olgin's experiments on dogs and UCSF's general (ab)use of animals, have been addressed to state legislators, SF supervisors, members of UCSF's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and Chancellor J. Michael Bishop. Valerie Tulier, of state Senator Carole Migden's office, told me that the senator received numerous letters. Further, Ms. Tulier recently sent UCSF 3 pages of our questions and concerns (which she asked me to compile) regarding experiments on dogs and other issues involving the care and use of animals at UCSF. It will be interesting to see if the university's response is a mere glossing over of matters, as have been prior responses. Time will tell.... In closing, I wish you: Happy Year of the Dog! Bob O'Brien for the Vigil

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