May 17, 2026

33. Travels with Hammy

Show Notes

Hamilton - or Hammy - is a beagle that was rescued from a research laboratory where he'd spent the first four years of his life. Melanie Kaplan adopted him and started on a journey to learn more about his past, as well as the broader world of animal research.

In her book - Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research - she investigates the breeding and the use of beagles for biomedical research, drug and product testing, as well as education.

Throughout the book, she brings us along with her to find answers. How did Hammy end up in a research facility? Why are we still using millions of animals a year in experiments? Are we learning anything from it? Is there another way?

Melanie and I chatted about these questions and she shared her findings about the history of animal research as well as the current state and future direction of using animals in science.

https://www.melaniedgkaplan.com/

Warm Hearts, Wet Noses, and the Questions We Can't Ignore - Full Webinar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO_LVouCK4k

SynDaver website.

https://syndaver.com/product-category/vet-full-body/

Save the Buns website.

https://www.savethebuns.org/

Rodent Sanctuary Instagram links.

https://www.instagram.com/dr.rebeccagooley/

https://www.instagram.com/rodent.sanctuary/

How 2,000 beagles set the animal rights movement on fire (Marina Bolotnikova, Vox).

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/486973/beagle-rescue-ridglan-animal-testing-research-rights