Lions’ Sam LaPorta pushing to limit dog experimentation in Michigan

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta among high-profile backers of proposed Michigan ‘Queenie’s Law’
Two-bill package would ban painful experimentation on dogs used in research studies done by public bodies, such as universities
The policy is named after a dalmatian, Queenie, who died in 2010 after being used in heart-related research by Wayne State University

LANSING — Cats and dogs may not always get along, but man’s best friend has a new ally in the fight to outlaw painful experimentation on canines in Michigan: Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.

LaPorta and his wife, Callie Dellinger LaPorta, are backing a bipartisan package of bills proposing “Queenie’s Law” to bar public bodies from experimenting on dogs in a way that “causes pain or distress.

Other high-profile backers include actress Lily Tomlin and actor Ernie Hudson, both of whom are from Michigan.

Supporters of the bill say that invasive and painful testing on dogs is not needed to further medical research on “human-relevant” diseases, while opponents contend the legislation would jeopardize progress in curing or treating “devastating diseases that affect millions of Americans.”

In a letter sent earlier this month to House Speaker Matt Hall,R-Richland Township, and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, the LaPortas urged lawmakers to advance the bills, noting they were “shocked to learn that such experiments are occurring in our state.”

“Dogs used in labs are no different than our incredible rescue pup Bonnie,” the pair wrote in a letter dated Nov. 17. “But thankfully, science is quickly moving away from the practice. … Please use your power to move Queenie’s Law forward.”

Related:

While House Bill 4254 received a hearing in late October, Senate Bill 127 has sat in the Senate Committee on Regulatory Affairs since March.

Together, the bills would create Queenie’s Law, named after a dalmatian that died in 2010 after being used by Wayne State University for cardiology research. Queenie, a stray from Gratiot County, was part of a study which forced dogs to run on treadmills after researchers implanted devices around their chest cavities in an effort to study heart failure.

The implantation process can be fatal to dogs. Those that survived would go on to experience “painful new disorders due to the invasive surgical procedures performed on them before they die or are killed,” according to a 2024 statement from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The group contends that dog research of this nature is not needed and that human-relevant methods — like trials involving patient population studies or using donated human hearts — can produce similar research results.

But MichBio, a biosciences industry trade association, contends banning the practice would set back university and research center contributions to life-saving discoveries.

“Dogs, in particular, have been used in cardiovascular research for more than a century because their physiology, heart size, and conduction system more closely resemble humans than small-animal species,” MichBio President and CEO Stephen Rapundalo told lawmakers in recent testimony opposing the bill.

“Their contributions have enabled pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac drugs, valve replacement techniques, and countless surgical interventions that today save human lives daily.”

Records show that Wayne State has conducted animal experiments of this type since 1991 and has received roughly $17 million in public funds for these kinds of experiments.

“Michiganders deserve better from our public research institutions,” state Sen. Paul Wojno, D-Warren, said in a statement when first introducing the bill in March. “This bill would ensure that their taxpayer dollars are used to advance human health, not to harm and kill defenseless animals.”

If enacted, the bills would outlaw such research at universities, single-purpose government agencies or any other body “created by law.” Those found guilty of violating the act would be subject to a civil fine of between $1,000 and $5,000 for each dog experimented upon.

Revenue collected from these civil fines would then be used to support public and county law libraries.

Versions of the Queenie’s Law bill package have been introduced in the Michigan Legislature since the 2019-2020 term, though all have failed to make it to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for signature.