You'll be delighted to hear that our campaign to end the use of shelter dogs in experiments around the world has had a major victory this week.

A bill we have been backing to stop shelter animals from being used in laboratory experiments in California has just become law.  

The move comes as California Governor Jerry Brown signed the measure into law on Monday, ensuring that no shelter animals will be used in experiments or killed so that their bodies can be sold to dealers or research facilities. The progressive measure was passed unanimously by the California Senate in August, thanks to our campaign.

California now becomes the eighteenth US state to prohibit the cruel practice known as ‘pound seizure’ - the acquisition of live animals from animal shelters for use in laboratory experiments. Previously, California law had explicitly allowed the practice as long as shelters posted a public notice. 

The new law means that heartbreaking incidents where family companion animals have been stolen and sold to laboratories, or lost animals used in experiments before their families were able to claim them, will firmly be a thing of the past. 

Monica Engebretson, North American Campaign Manager for Cruelty Free International said: “We are delighted that California has affirmed that shelter animals cannot be used in experiments. Thanks to everyone who supported us, we now have a new law which reflects growing agreement that this practice is both unnecessary and wrong.”

In June this year we launched our global campaign calling on governments worldwide to end the use of shelter dogs in experiments. Celebrity supporters include Anna Paquin, Eric McCormack, Seth Gilliam, Lou Diamond Phillips, Danny Trejo and Cat Greenleaf.

A YouGov public opinion poll we commissioned revealed that 68% of American adults agree that dogs found or given to animal shelters should not be sold to laboratories for experiments.*

Find out more about our campaign to end the use of shelter dogs in experiments around the world.

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,107 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 17th February 2016. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+)