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.
Why this work matters.
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.
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.
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).
We advocate. We collaborate. We engage.
For bipartisan legislation that advances human-relevant technologies.
With scientists, policymakers, and biomedical leaders.
The public as ambassadors driving change.
Together, we're building a future where dog welfare and human health move forward as one.
The Marty Project is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization.