Dogs Beyond the Lab

John Ramer, Chelsey Marino, and Lori Cohen talk with Alice and Dima about Kane, a senior lemon beagle rescued from Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary. Alice grew up with beagles and had always wanted to adopt a former research dog, while Dima had never lived with a pet before Kane came along. After meeting through a senior adoption promotion, Kane joined their family — and quickly made it clear that he had a lot to learn. From peeing on the desk during his adoption meeting to experiencing the wo

Rob Wadd joins Dogs Beyond the Lab to share the profound journey of Gabe, a former research beagle whose life was transformed by love, patience, and community. Rob recounts how he and his wife Sharon moved from life with Badger—their confident, well-adjusted beagle—to adopting Gabe, a deeply traumatized ex-lab dog terrified of ordinary things like doorways, wind, darkness, and TV. With Badger as a mentor and Sharon as his anchor, Gabe slowly learned safety, routine, and trust, from four-hour bac

Melanie shares what she uncovered about industrial-scale facilities, the gaps in animal-welfare enforcement, and the promise—and slow adoption—of non-animal research methods. It’s an honest conversation about grief, investigative journalism, advocacy, and why Hammy’s story still matters.

John Ramer, Lori Cohen, and Chelsey Marino discuss Luke Toennies' journey of adopting Snoop, a former research beagle. Luke initially reached out to the Beagle Alliance after losing his dog Leo. After a six-month to a year wait, he adopted Snoop, who was initially traumatized but quickly bonded with Luke. Snoop's unique bark and playful nature, despite his past, have made him a social media star. Luke emphasizes the importance of patience and training, noting Snoop's progress and his role as an

David and Ginny share their adoption and rehabilitation of Celie, a severely fearful former research beagle from Kindness Ranch. They describe choosing Celie, her initial terror at the ranch and home, and the slow work to build trust through routine, “place” training, and positive games like “boop” and ball play. Bowman, their calm older beagle, served as a critical mentor, helping Celie gain confidence.

This week's episode features photographer/activist Robert Sturman, and of course, his good pal Otis - a former research hound. Robert shares how early exposure to the realities of animal testing shaped his compassion, eventually leading him to adopt Otis after seeing him through Beagle Freedom Project. While Otis is still triggered by loud noises like trains and fireworks, Rob explains all the ways he and Otis help each other every day. We explore parallels between Robert’s long-standing work