Ontario Urged to Investigate Disturbing Dog Experiments at Nucro-Technics
TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Animal Alliance of Canada is calling on the Ontario government and the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) to urgently investigate disturbing evidence of cruelty toward dogs used in laboratory research at Nucro-Technics—one of Canada’s largest contract research facilities, located in Scarborough, Ontario.
The call follows the release of undercover film footage by Last Chance for Animals and reporting by the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB), which revealed the treatment of beagles used in testing at Nucro-Technics’ facility. The footage documents dogs collapsing, crying out in distress, vomiting, and struggling during invasive procedures, as well as serious failures in animal handling and euthanasia protocols.
Despite three layers of “oversight” — including the CCAC, the facility’s Animal Care Committee, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness — these dogs were subjected to cruel confinement and inhumane testing procedures.
“This footage confirms what we have known for decades,” said Kira Berkeley, Advocacy Manager, Animal Alliance of Canada. “When it comes to dogs used in research, the system the industry calls ‘highly regulated’ repeatedly fails to prevent serious suffering. Oversight bodies had multiple opportunities to intervene here — and did not.”
Potential Violations of Ontario Law
The footage appears to show conduct that likely violate the Animals for Research Act and its regulations, including requirements to:
- take all reasonable steps to prevent animal distress;
- ensure animals are handled only by competent personnel;
- provide appropriate housing that allows dogs to lie down in comfort; and
- carry out euthanasia without unnecessary pain, delay, or discomfort.
Dogs Sourced from Breeder Under Investigation for Cruelty
According to the IJB, Nucro-Technics has purchased purpose-bred dogs since 2013 from Ridglan Farms, a large-scale dog breeder in Wisconsin. Ridglan Farms was investigated for animal welfare violations and recently agreed to surrender its licence in order to avoid criminal animal cruelty charges.
Call for Immediate Investigations and Transparency
Animal Alliance is urging the Ontario government to:
- conduct a full investigation into the purchase of dogs by Nucro-Technics from Ridglan Farms, a supplier investigated for animal welfare violations;
- conduct a full investigation into the treatment of the dogs by Nucro-Technics uncovered by an investigation by Last Chance for Animals;
- conduct a review of how many other research facilities in Ontario were purchasing dogs from Ridglan Farms; and
- publish the investigation findings publicly.
Animal Alliance also urges the CCAC to investigate how a facility displaying such conditions was able to retain a Certificate of Good Animal Practice.
Strengthen Bill 75 to Fully Protect Dogs and Cats
The revelations come as Ontario prepares to resume debate this spring on Bill 75, legislation the government has promoted as a step toward ending the use of dogs and cats in research. Advocates warn that, as currently drafted, the bill does not go far enough.
“The most effective way to prevent this cruelty is to end the use of dogs and cats in research experiments altogether,” said Liz White, Co-Founder and Honourary Director of Animal Alliance of Canada. “There should be only narrow exceptions where procedures are undertaken solely for the direct benefit of the individual animal, such as therapeutic clinical trials.”
They also point to the rapid advancement of non-animal and human-based research methods — including organ-on-a-chip technologies, AI-driven drug discovery, and other non-animal methodologies — as more predictive alternatives that Ontario should actively support.
“With meaningful investment, Ontario could be a global leader in ethical, modern research,” said White. “What’s happening to these dogs shows why that transition is urgently needed.”
Media Contact:
Bianca Del Bois
Director of Development & Communications
Animal Alliance of Canada
Office: 416-462-9541 ext. 28
Email: bianca@animalalliance.ca
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