Campaign to Stop the Use of Dogs in Vivisection Begins as Planned

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Dear Animal Advocates, Companions, Guardians, Vigilers, Lovers & Liberators, The Campaign to Stop the Use of Dogs in Vivisection officially began on March 15, Wednesday, at UCSF, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco. It was a sparsely attended demonstration - only 6 of us - but lively! I was really invigorated afterward - which is unusual, because usually I am quite drained after a demonstration. In fact, the general energy during the demonstration was so high that we continued till well after 1 PM that day. We handed out about a hundred leaflets during that time - informing the public that "UCSF Is Not a Worthy Guardian of Dogs" (please see text of leaflet below). I thank Dr. Elliot Katz, of In Defense of Animals, for promoting the guardian (as opposed to ownership) philosophy in our relationships

with animals - which gave me the idea for the leaflet's cover. Thank you to all who attended/participated in the kick-off of the campaign! Stay tuned - we should have another demonstration in April. Bob O'Brien ------------------------- UCSF Is Not a WorthyGuardian of Dogs Photo of Thurber by H. Lane A Brief History: In early 2004, advocates for animals began to question the use of dogs in 3 cardiology research projects at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). All 3 projects are funded by tax dollars through the National Institutes of Health. (continued inside) Since then, one of the projects (i.e., UCSF Research Project #10000961, Dr. Michael Dae, Principal Investigator) has been terminated. However, the university, to this date, has yet to document exactly what happened to dozens of German shepherd dogs (some just puppies) and several mongrel dogs used in the project - despite a request pursuant to the California Public Records Act. Meanwhile, another project (#A43109-22783), one of two projects by Dr. Jeffrey Olgin, Principal Investigator, is going forward, despite the expressed criticisms of two cardiologists and protests from advocates for the dogs. Already this study of atrial fibrillation in dogs has resulted in the acquisition of at least 62 dogs and the deaths of over 40 of them, who suffered the researcher-induced symptoms of congestive heart failure before they died. Although Dr. Ara Tahmassian, Vice Chancellor of Research at UCSF, has stated that Dr. Olgin's two projects together will use less than 75 dogs, research protocols indicate the planned use of 747 dogs over a three-year period. The other project (#A43109-22715) by Dr. Olgin has yet to begin and may be combined with his current study

of atrial fibrillation. In addition to the projects mentioned, there are 7 other research projects involving dogs at UCSF, according to research protocols released by UCSF in December 2005. These protocols indicate the planned use of 128 dogs in experiments regarding heart disease, cardiovascular research, and bladder and spinal cord studies. Five of the 7 projects are funded by tax dollars through the National Institutes of Health or the University of California; 2 projects are privately funded. Letters of concern about the experiments on dogs, as well as the general care and use of animals at UCSF, have been addressed to state legislators, San Francisco supervisors, members of UCSF's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and UCSF Chancellor J. Michael Bishop. Sadly, however, these letters have not resolved the public's questions and concerns. Photo of Annie by H. Lane With government bureaucracies presenting a formidable barrier to obtaining information and resolving public concerns, a campaign to stop the use of dogs in vivisection in San Francisco is warranted. Following are several points that further justify the campaign and show UCSF to be an unworthy guardian of dogs. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversight of the care and use of animals at UCSF cannot be adequately enforced. The USDA is the only public agency that oversees UCSF and makes unannounced inspections of UCSF, perhaps twice a year. Even with so few inspections, the USDA cited UCSF for 75 violations of the Animal Welfare Act from 2001 to 2003; UCSF settled out of court in September 2005 and paid the USDA $92,500. UCSF oversight of its care and use of animals is ineffective, as evidenced by its Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee's approval of protocols without ensuring that principal investigators fully investigated alternatives to the use of dogs and other animals, as required by the Animal Welfare Act. Two cardiologists - John J. Pippin, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Cardi-ology (F.A.C.C.), and Moneim A. Fadali, M.D., F.A.C.C.- have severely criticized the use of dogs in the experiments devised by doctors Dae and Olgin. There are other serious concerns about UCSF research

protocols involving dogs (e.g., poor rationale for use of dogs and other animals, mathematical errors regarding the numbers of dogs required, questionable scientific premises, and unclear descriptions of procedures performed on the dogs) that bring into question the scientific validity of the projects involved. Vigil for Animals has filed 3 complaints with the USDA regarding two of the cardiology research projects involving dogs at UCSF. The USDA has apparently investigated the complaints, but a request pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act regarding the outcome remains unanswered. UCSF is violating the California Public Records Act (CPRA). The delinquency of the university in responding to requests pursuant to the CPRA resulted in a lawsuit filed against UCSF in October 2005. Currently there is an attempt to settle the legal dispute out of court. Dogs deserve better, and taxpayers deserve better accountability from a publicly funded institution such as UCSF. We ask anyone who has information on dogs or their puppies used in experiments at UCSF to please contact us. Help us bring this harm to (wo)man's best friend to an

end! [VfA Logo] Vigil for Animals vigilforanimals (415) 751-3756 *** First, Do No Harm. EHippocrates *** LABOR

DONATED MARCH 2006

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