The Marty Project

The Story of Marty of The Marty Project

There is a story behind The Marty Project, and it begins with a beagle named Marty. A lemon-colored beagle with the softest ears, most gentle demeanor, and biggest brown eyes.

Marty was born and bred for experimentation. At the age of only eight months, he was sold from the dog breeding facility called Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin to a testing facility in Colorado where he endured five years of pharmacokinetic (drug) testing. His vocal cords had been cut out at Ridglan, and he suffered day in and day out having procedures done to him for purposes that remain unknown. From his cage, he would bark and bark, but no one could hear him to relieve his pain and fear.

But, Marty was one of the lucky ones. Not only did he survive, he was given a second chance after the experiment was over to be a dog. Most laboratory dogs don’t get this chance.

At the age of six, Marty was given to a rescue organization in Wyoming where he saw the grass, sun, and blue sky for the first time in his life. This is also where he first met his human mom Ellie Hansen, co-founder of The Marty Project.

Marty was severely traumatized from his years in the testing laboratory and didn't trust people. It's ironic, because Marty became one of the most loving dogs to people Ellie ever met. He loved being loved.

While it took Marty many months to trust people after his ordeal, he was able to heal. With Marty by her side, Ellie spent the next decade advocating for dogs used in human product safety testing. Marty inspired Ellie to write the book Laboratory Dogs Rescued: From Test Subjects to Beloved Companions. He also inspired her to start an educational podcast dedicated to ending the use of dogs used in human product safety testing. Marty was always with Ellie while she worked, sitting in his special chair right behind her.

In June 2023, Marty passed away at the age of 15. He had lived nine happy, adventurous years with Ellie and the rest of his family who filled his life with so much love and joy. While heartbroken, Ellie knew that Marty’s story needed to live on to help others.

The Marty Project is more than a mission—it’s a promise. How will we write the final chapter of human product safety testing on dogs? The pen is in our hands, and so is the power to create a future where compassion wins. For every dog like Marty, for every soul who has endured, we owe them nothing less than the very best of our hearts, our voices, and our actions. Because they deserve a world that finally chooses kindness.

The Marty Project is more than a mission—it’s a promise. How will we write the final chapter of human product safety testing on dogs?

FACT #1

The dog breed most used in experiments for scientific purposes is the beagle. An average of 44,000 dogs are used in experiments each year in the U.S., with tens of thousands more being held and bred for testing purposes.

FACT #2

Much of the biomedical research conducted with laboratory dogs is aimed at human health applications. It is widely accepted that dogs are unreliable models for humans and the data collected from dog experiments is untranslatable over 92% of the time. This makes dog testing, which comes with great ethical and financial costs, not worth doing.

FACT #3

There are human-relevant alternatives currently available in research, testing, and education to protect and enhance the health of the public without the need to use dogs. Examples of these alternatives include organoids, computational models, and microphysiological systems (organ-on-a-chip).

Our Mission

The Marty Project works to establish public policy that promotes the replacement of dogs in human product safety testing with evidence-based scientific alternatives.

As a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, we will advocate for legislation that promotes the advancement of human-relevant technologies by working collaboratively with policy makers and scientists. We will engage members of the public to act as ambassadors on our team to support the innovation of biomedical science. Together, let’s reimagine a future that promotes dog welfare and simultaneously the advancement of human health.

Better for dogs...better for all!

Our Philosophy

We believe that innovative and effective policy solutions are born in a space of collaboration. Problems don’t exist in a vacuum–they may be intertwined into the very fabric of all of our lives. Finding common ground and shared perspectives about these problems we share can help determine next steps in a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation. So let’s sit at the table together and see where the conversation takes us. Our differences may also be our strength–and a bridge to lasting change.

Ellie Hansen, Co-Founder of The Marty Project

Ellie Hansen is an award-winning writer as well as a business and nonprofit leader. Ellie has been an ardent advocate to end the use of dogs in used in human product safety testing for over a decade. She holds a B.A. degree in Mass Communications & Public Relations from Bloomsburg University.

Ellie’s published works include two books and magazine articles focusing on profound human relationships with dogs. In 2015, Ellie adopted two beagles who were used for pharmaceutical testing. Ellie’s most recent book Laboratory Dogs Rescued: From Test Subjects to Beloved Companions was inspired by her experience of rehabilitating her adopted beagles, and her own educational foray into the larger social and ethical issues of laboratory dogs.

She also produced and hosted an educational podcast. In 2024, Ellie completed a year-long U.S road tour during which she hand-delivered a signed petition to dog testing facilities asking them to cease testing on dogs and invest in evidence-based, human-relevant technologies instead. Ellie visited nearly 40 testing facilities in 22 states, gaining over 17,000 signatures for the petition.

Ellie is currently co-founder of The Marty Project, where she plans to serve as Executive Director.

Our Team

Announcing our Board of Directors and additional Team Members soon - stay tuned!

Amy Van Aartsen, Co-Founder of The Marty Project

Amy Van Aartsen is a triple alum from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Organic Chemistry (MS), Public Health (MPH), and Biochemistry (BS). She currently works in medical research using novel alternative methods, including diseased patient-derived cell lines.

She believes that the technology largely already exists to move away from using dogs for human product safety testing and this issue can be tackled through a public health dissemination and implementation approach supported by legislative changes. Amy hopes her background in science and public health will be an asset to working collaboratively with policy makers, scientists, and biotechnology companies to better understand and address barriers to implementing new technology so we can promote dog welfare while simultaneously advancing science.

Amy has had the privilege of having beagles as companion animals throughout her life. She is the proud dog parent to her beagle, Maggie. Amy has also been organizing at the grassroots level for the last several years after she first learned about the issue of dogs being used for human product safety testing. Amy is currently Co-Founder of The Marty Project, where she plans to serve as Director of Science.

*Amy's views are solely her own and do not represent that of her employer.

Better for Beagles Campaign

Be part of something powerful from the very beginning. Support The Marty Project today and help us create the change dogs need!

🚨 HELP US REACH OUR GOAL! 🚨

The Marty Project is on a mission to end the use of dogs used for human product safety testing—you can help us accomplish this. To take our impact nationwide, and work to update laws and policies that adopt novel alternative methods to replace dog testing, you can make sure we’re able to provide strong leadership and the right tools to drive change. Human-relevant science is better for beagles, and also better and safer for us.

🎯 Goal: $167,000 by December 31, 2025
💡 How Your Support Helps:
✔️ Hire a full-time Executive Director to lead our movement
✔️ Hire a part-time Science Director to push for research alternatives
✔️ Hire a part-time Volunteer Coordinator to train and mobilize ambassadors
✔️ Invest in nonprofit management tools & marketing to expand our reach
✔️ Support our travel expenses to facilitate in-person meetings with legislators and scientists

Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to making a real difference for dogs in labs. Will you be part of this life-saving mission?

🐶 Donate today & help us create a world that’s better for beagles and better for people!

#better4beagles #themartyproject