IT'S been a long and rewarding journey for Emma Paloff who has spent more than two years giving research dogs a second chance.
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When a pharmaceutical company was retiring more than 20 dogs from testing, Emma convinced them to let her find homes for them, rather than euthanising the animals.
There were seven younger dogs and 15 dogs that were more than 10 years old, so Emma's first priority was rehoming the older dogs.
As the dogs had never lived in the real world or had been loved by a family, they all had a lot of adapting to do - so Emma was very particular about their new owners.
One by one, each of the dogs found wonderful homes, fueling Emma's faith in the dogs' ability to be rehabilitated into domestic environments and live out happy lives.
Several of these stories have featured in the Southern Highland News.
Two months ago the second last dog, Bunny (now Millie), was adopted by Lee-Ann Wein and the last dog, Harley, the most timid of the group, is now undergoing gentle rehabilitation with a hopeful adoption in the next few months.
Emma said Millie had found her perfect match with Lee-Ann.
"She's getting everything she needs in abundance. She was one of the easiest to place because I had total confidence in Lee-Ann."
She said it was so lovely to see Millie running happy and free.
"She looks so relaxed and is thoroughly enjoying the good life after giving so much to the field of research."
Emma encourages anyone concerned about the use of animals in research to visit www.humaneresearch.org.au
Lee-Ann's story:
Millie spent her first four years living in a facility where she participated in bioequivalence studies conducted by a research company. This company closed down two years ago and the fate of the dogs was grim. A beautiful woman named Emma Paloff, who knew of the dogs, eventually persuaded the company to allow her to home them. They gave her two years. She has homed all 22 of them. They are slowly adjusting to a world outside the confines of the facility.
I saw an article in the Robertson Village Newsletter about these dogs, and was so impressed I kept the newsletter tucked away, although I had no idea why. A few months later my golden retriever was sick with a large throat tumour, and he died quickly. My home was eerily silent and felt very empty without his huge presence.
I came across the newsletter with the article about the research dogs, and something compelled me to make contact with Emma. I also read some articles about these dogs in the Southern Highland News online. A few days later I found myself out at a boarding kennel meeting "Bunny", a six year old Whippet-cross.
By the second visit, it seemed like Bunny had chosen me and after only two weeks she moved in. By the end of her first week at home with me I decided to formally adopt her, and I named her Millie. She lives in the house and sleeps on my bed. She comes to work each day, and has a cup of tea before bed with me each night.
Millie is so inspiring in how much she tries, and really wants to adjust to this new world. There was so much she didn't know about - glass doors, mirrors, trees in the wind, pictures of people's faces on walls, the night sky, the beach... Millie loves running at top speed through the paddocks and curling up in bed.
There's not much in between, other than the remarkable process of burying a bone.
Using her hare-like feet to excavate, she tucks the bone in then uses her nose to fill in the hole and make it look like nothing has been done. There is no trace of a buried bone to be seen! This is followed by a huge leap of joy, kind of like a dog happy dance. And that's just it - despite all her service to science, Millie is a happy, well adjusted pet. One of her most favourite places is the beach.
Very few dogs are lucky enough to be rehomed after life in a research facility. Very little is known about their lives in research labs and they are not 'retired' like police service dogs or guide dogs, yet they give so much to science. The way these dogs have adjusted to life outside the lab proves that it can happen - a home can be found and their lives can begin again after their service has ended.
When Millie tries, I want to try. When she pushes through her fears, I feel inspired to do the same. When Millie is so gentle and loving after all she's been through, I feel encouraged to be a better person. I feel totally blessed to have this brave dog in my life. She's the best.
Congratulations to Emma Paloff for a wonderful job done. I wouldn't have the pleasure of my new furry friend without Emma's courage and persistence.
Other stories on these dogs: