LANSING, Mich. (March 5, 2025) — Today, Sen. Paul Wojno (D-Warren) introduced “Queenie’s Law” to prohibit painful dog experiments at Michigan’s publicly funded institutions. A companion bill was also introduced in the Michigan House by Rep. Joe Aragona (R-Clinton Twp.). The legislation is a response to the long-running, controversial dog studies conducted at Wayne State University.
Public records reveal that Wayne State has conducted experiments since 1991, during which university employees cut open dogs’ chest cavities, insert wires and catheters into the animals’ hearts, and implant medical devices in and around their arteries. Dogs that survive the surgeries are forced to run on treadmills while the implanted devices trigger heart failure. Newly released records also reveal that Wayne State has started feeding the dogs a “high fat diet” to “induce metabolic syndrome,” which can increase risk of strokes. Queenie, a stray from Gratiot County, died at Wayne State in 2010 after being used in the experiments for seven months.
“Michiganders deserve better from our public research institutions,” said Sen. Wojno. “This bill would ensure that their taxpayer dollars are used to advance human health, not to harm and kill defenseless animals.”
For years, the experiments at Wayne State have garnered widespread criticism — from university faculty and students, state legislators, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and celebrities. Actress, comedian, and Detroit native Lily Tomlin and actor and Benton Harbor native Ernie Hudson — both distinguished Wayne State alumni — have spoken out against the experiments.
The Physicians Committee points out that almost $15 million in public funds have been spent on the experiments over the past three decades. In contrast, the organization says, patient trials, population studies, and the use of donated and diseased human hearts prove to produce the most helpful scientific results. Notably, the Texas Heart Institute, which focuses exclusively on cardiovascular disease, stopped using dogs in 2015, stating at the time that “the canine physiology is not the optimal match” for the studies it was conducting.
“It is shameful that a public institution is inflicting pain on man’s best friend while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars,” said Ryan Merkley, director of research advocacy for the Physicians Committee. “We are grateful that Sen. Wojno and Rep. Aragona are addressing this problem.”
Experiments with animals are routinely grouped into three categories — one in which the animals do not experience pain and two in which pain is expected. Queenie’s Law only prohibits painful experiments on dogs when conducted at a “public body.”
The bill has been sent to the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee for further deliberation.