AAHR - Australian Association for Humane Research Inc.

Pound Dogs Used for Veterinary Practice at Queensland University.

Caged Dog

A number of Australian councils have been identified that provide dogs to Queensland University for research purposes.

Caboolture Shire Council stated “Council has a long standing arrangement with local veterinary clinics and the Queensland University for the humane euthanasia of unwanted animals."1

Logan City Council, despite receiving petitions and reviewing the situation after much correspondence and a meeting with AAHR "made the decision to provide animals to the university."2

The University of Queensland has advised that they use pound animals for training veterinary surgeons and in feeding trial research.3

The Australian Association for Humane Research Inc. opposes the use of pound animals in research and teaching for the following reasons:

Abandoned animals in pounds and shelters have already suffered the fear and distress of losing their carers and familiar territory. Their use in research is the ultimate betrayal and one that cannot be condoned in a caring society.

Traditionally, when animals are selected from pounds or shelters for research or teaching, those with the best temperaments are chosen because they are the most socialized and easiest to handle. However these are the animals most likely to be chosen for adoption.4

The use of pound dogs creates a dependence on pet overpopulation and is therefore taking advantage of the human irresponsibility and cruelty necessitating pounds rather than addressing the problem.5

Logoan Pound Sign

The primary justification for using pound animals in research and teaching is that they are already destined to die. However we have been advised by the RSPCA Queensland that they are able to rehome as many dogs as the councils can supply,6 and so the argument that these animals will die anyway is unfounded.

Trainee veterinarians should be learning to respect life. Killing those that they are expected to heal sends a confusing message that can result in desensitisation to killing and a loss of respect for life.7

There are already alternatives available in veterinary teaching that allow students to acquire an education equal to those that use animals in terminal surgery. Use of pound dogs is therefore a failure to implement the "3R’s" (reduction, refinement and replacement) principle.

If it is necessary for veterinary students to practice on real animals then they could provide a desexing service to pounds and shelters thereby providing a real benefit for the individual animals. This will also mean that students will gain the experience of observing and monitoring post-operative recovery. Students may also gain hands-on experience by assisting with and performing supervised surgeries in private veterinary practices on patients in genuine need of assistance – as is practiced in UK veterinary colleges and how human doctors learn in teaching hospitals.8

As part of its 2007 Grants Program, Voiceless awarded an $8,000 grant to Dr Shan Lloyd  from The University of Queensland who is conducting a feasibility study into whether an Educational Memorial Program (the supply of "ethically" sourced cadavers to replace the use of healthy shelter animals in teaching practice) could be successfully introduced at the School of Veterinary Sciences, UQ.

 9 A similar program is already in place at the University of Sydney.10

The Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (ergo the law) clearly states "Scientific and teaching activities using animals may be performed only when they are essential"(1.1) and "Techniques that totally or partially replace the use of animals for scientific purposes must be sought and used wherever possible."(1.8)

You can help them stop!

Please write to the following Councils and request that they cease providing their lost and abandoned animals to Queensland University.

Mr Chris Rose
Chief Executive Officer
Logan City Council
PO Box 3226
Logan City DC
Qld  4114

Mr Rob Noble
Chief Executive Officer
Caboolture Shire Council
PO Box 159
Caboolture
Qld  4510

Also write to The University of Queensland asking them to use more humane methods to training their veterinary students such as those mentioned above.

Prof. Leigh Ward
Chair, University Animal Ethics Committee
University of Queensland
Brisbane
Qld  4072

  1. Personal correspondence from Royce Jackson, Manager Compliance Services dated 13/3/07
  2. Personal correspondence from Gillian Mansfield, Animal & Pest Services Manager dated 4/12/07
  3. Personal correspondence from Prof. Leigh Ward, Chair, Queensland University Animal Ethics Committee, dated 28/11/06
  4. Knight, A., 2002, "The Use of Pound Dogs in Veterinary Surgical Training."
  5. Quain, Anne, 2000.  "The Real Thing. A discussion on the use of pound dogs in the veterinary science curriculum."
  6. Personal correspondence from Mark Townend, RSPCA Qld, 25 September 2006
  7. Knight, A., 2002, "The Use of Pound Dogs in Veterinary Surgical Training."
  8. Knight, A., 2002, "The Use of Pound Dogs in Veterinary Surgical Training."
  9. http://www.voiceless.org.au/blogcategories/2007_Grant_Recipients/16/16.html
  10. Personal correspondence from Leo Jeffcott, Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney dated 16/6/06