A huge thank you to everyone who signed our petition to end UK dog tests. Today we took over 80K of your voices to 10 Downing Street to ask for an end to the use of dogs in UK laboratories.

The petition is part of our Lead The Way campaign to stop cruel and unnecessary UK dog experiments. Our campaign has been backed by many celebrity supporters including comedian Ricky Gervais, TV presenter and wildlife expert Chris Packham, and singer Leona Lewis.

A number of MPs are urging the government to act including Dr Lisa Cameron, MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group, and Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood, and Member of the All Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare who both joined us at Number 10.

Throughout the campaign, wonderful support from Bea the Beagle, who was saved from a UK laboratory by the Rescue Freedom Project, and her rescue family has inspired us and served as a reminder that dogs are caring and gentle-natured animals that belong in loving homes.

Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood, said: “The fantastic response to this petition highlights the support that the public have for ending the use of dogs in experiments in the UK. These tests are unethical, ineffective, and wasteful, and I am very pleased to support Cruelty Free International’s call for a review on the inadequacy of these experiments. Presenting this petition to 10 Downing Street is the initial step on the journey to end this practice.”

Thousands of dogs are used in UK laboratories every year to test chemicals that often end up in drugs, pesticides or weed-killers. We are now calling to work alongside government to chart a roadmap away from the use of dogs in UK research.