Beagles are the most commonly used dog in pharmaceutical research due to their docile temperament, raising important welfare questions about the ethics and necessity of dog use in testing.
Beagle use in pharmaceutical research represents one of the most emotionally challenging areas of animal research ethics. Dogs are social, intelligent animals whose welfare needs are significantly compromised by laboratory housing, isolation, and chronic experimental procedures. Regulatory requirements for dog studies in drug development have changed slowly despite scientific evidence that dog metabolism often predicts human responses poorly for many drug classes. Alternatives including organoids, microphysiological systems, and computational models are advancing rapidly. Welfare improvements in the interim — social housing of dogs, enrichment provision, positive training protocols, and adoption post-research — are achievable now and represent meaningful harm reduction.