Cooperative Living November/December 2021 - 12

PawPrints | by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer
" Dogs like
Garnet truly are
heroes. They're
on the front lines
G
arnet, a year-old
female hound,
stares up into the
sky and marvels at the
vastness of it.
She sees jet plane
contrails and runs to hide.
Under the safety of the
porch, she hears birds
singing and cocks her head
perplexed by the sound.
Just then, a car goes by
and Garnet retreats even
farther under the porch.
" That's what it was
like at first, " explains
Appomattox resident
and Southside Electric
Cooperative member Vicki
King, a dog sports agility
trainer, who fostered
Garnet for about six
months until the confused
canine got more used to
the outside world.
You see, Garnet is no ordinary
hound. She spent the first year of
her life in a Richmond research
facility, helping lab technicians study
pacemaker use and its effects on
heart arrhythmias.
helping find
cures. "
are well treated and well
cared for, according to King.
FILLING A VOID
The HAH foster and
adoption program was
inspired by the research
community's desire to find
loving homes for these
retired animals. " Scientists
wind up adopting a lot
of them because they fall
in love with them, " says
King. " But they can't take
them all. "
A Hero Comes Home
New foster program for canines finds homes
for retired research dogs
About 1% of these research animals
nationwide are dogs, and Garnet was
one of them.
" In the lab, Garnet had a pacemaker
implanted and when I got her, she ha
RESEARCH COMPONENTS
The hard truth is that virtually every
vaccine, treatment, cure, diagnostic
and surgical procedure available in the
U.S. today was first tested on animals.
The Food & Drug Administration
requires the testing of almost every new
drug and medical device treatment on
animals before approving any testing
on people.
Between 17 million and 22 million
animals are estimated to be involved
in research studies
annually in the
United States.
implanted and when got her she had
three still-healing surgical incisions
and one lead left in her, " says King,
who was the first foster parent in
Virginia for etired laboratory animals
irginia for etired laboratory animals
though a national program called
r
Homes for Animal Heroes.
" Dogs like Garnet truly re heroes
King says. " They are on the front lines
p program borne of the National Anima
homes for these retired research dogs,
many of whom play a critical role in
finding cures for human ailments suc
fi
Garnet, a female hound who spent
her first year of life in
Homes for Animal Heroes.
10 | Cooperative Living | November-December 2021
her first year of life in a research lab
has found
has found a forever home, courtesy
of a new adoption program called
forever home, courtesy
For more information, go to
homesforanimalheroes.com.
co-opliving.com
" Dogs like Garnet truly are heroes, "
King says. " They re on the front line
helping find cures and when they
are retired, they deserve our care. "
Homes for Animal Heroes, a
rogram borne of the National Animal
IInterest Alliance, is dedicated to findi
nterest Alliance, is dedicated to finding
homes for these etired esearch dogs
nding cures for human ailments such
as heart disease. In the labs, the dogs
esearch lab,
It was this fact, and an
overall love of animals, that
compelled HAH co-founders
Cindy Buckmaster and
Patti Strand to form an
organization to address
this issue.
" We take human medical treatments
and cures for granted, " Buckmaster says.
" But it is these animals that make them
happen. Ignoring that, I think, is
ungrateful and disrespectful. We owe
a lot to these animals; they are heroes
and they deserve good homes. "
Since the organization began in 2017,
Strand says it has successfully placed 400plus
dogs nationwide, but they need more
dedicated fosters like King in order to
prepare, acclimate and train more dogs
to be placed eventually in forever homes.
" Virginia, especially, needs more
fosters as it is one of our newest participating
states, " says Strand. Currently,
the program boasts 15 participating
states and continues to grow, allowing
more dogs to find loving forever homes.
" Garnet recently was adopted and
now lives happily with a wonderful
family in Smith Mountain Lake, "
says King. 
http://www.homesforanimalheroes.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living November/December 2021

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