Breeder Wants to Sell More Dogs to Labs
A U.S. company that breeds dogs for sale to laboratories has lost its first round in an effort to expand its operations in the U.K.
B&K Universal in Yorkshire is owned by New York–based Marshall Farms, which has been repeatedly cited for federal Animal Welfare Act violations. B&K applied for planning permission to open a new facility where dogs would be confined to indoor kennels. The females would be repeatedly impregnated, and their puppies would be sold to laboratories for use in painful toxicity tests and other experiments, perhaps similar to those conducted at Professional Laboratory and Research Services, which PETA investigated last year.
Following a massive outpouring of opposition—including more than 2,000 letters from PETA U.K. supporters—the local council rejected B&K’s application. Now, B&K is attempting to bypass opposition by appealing to the Planning Inspectorate, a national body.
PETA U.K. is rallying supporters and will hold an eye-catching demonstration at the Inspectorate’s office. Please help dry up the demand for animal-tested products by telling everyone you know to support only cruelty-free companies.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
