Outrage Erupts Over Caged Donor Dogs Supplying CA's Canine Blood

GARDEN GROVE, CA — After the racing is over, greyhounds are not always put out to pasture. Some are sent to commercial blood banks, such as Garden Grove's Hemopet, where they will spend more than a year of their life as blood donors held in a "closed facility" which operate in secrecy, according to a recent report from the Los Angeles Times.

Greyhounds have a rare blood type, one that is considered universal to dogs, and Hemopet is one of two state licensed animal blood bank services with the California state licenses necessary to harvest that blood for dogs in need. Currently, at Hemopet, over 200 dogs are in residence, according to the Times.

Hemopet sits in an industrial setting in Garden Grove, flanked by a strip of grass and shrouded by mature trees. Founded by Dr. W. Jean Dodds in 1986, the non-profit group has attempted to dispel the myth of animal mistreatment by encouraging volunteers at the facility and greyhound adoption of former donors in their non-profit facility.

Approximately 85 percent of greyhounds have a rare universal-to-canine blood type. Hemopet has come under fire by animal rights groups and critics who say that the treatment of the animals in the closed facility is inhumane and that owners should be allowed to bring their pets in for lifesaving blood donation. Current law says that strict licenses must be held in order to conduct the manufacture of blood and blood products.

While at the facility, the greyhounds' blood is drawn every 10 to 14 days for approximately a year of their life, the Hemopet website says. According to staff, the closed colony creates a secure and safe blood supply that is made available to veterinarians. Then, the dogs are placed on the "available to adopt list," the website says. Patch attempted to reach out to Hemopet regarding volunteering and pet adoption, but was unsuccessful. The most recent greyhound adoption cited on their website was from 2013.

Animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have cried foul, saying there is "mistreatment of donor dogs" who are held "captive" in the canine blood bank. A video, shot by an unidentified source, purports to show the condition many of the dogs are kept in. PETA claims that the conditions of many of the greyhounds at Hemopet are not ideal, saying dogs are "sick, suffering and stressed."

Hemopet maintains that their greyhound donors live inside kennel runs on "an acre of grounds, socialized in groups of 10, and exercised by staff and volunteers 5-times a day," they wrote in an effort to dispel the criticism of their necessary, life-saving services.

"In California, commercial animal blood banks are regulated by two laws, and must be kept as closed donor facilities," a spokesperson for Hemopet wrote. "There is no other way."

As of now, in the state of California, veterinarians are limited to purchasing blood and blood supplies from confined animal blood banks, creating the shortage that the LA Times suggests.

Still, having animals screened for any "infectious diseases transmissible by blood" is a one-time thing, according to the non-profit. Due to the colony setting, there is "no need to re-screen before each donation" and that speeds up the process of getting blood and blood products to vets in need. According to the Times, those records are nearly impossible to come by.

The impetus for licensing animal blood began in 1974 when the deadly Newcastle Disease, a bird virus, led state lawmakers to decide strict measures would need to be taken to ensure the health of donated blood. According to the Times, animal welfare groups say that this strict measure is no longer required.

California Senate Bill 202, currently under review, says that new provisions should be allowed to include allowing owners to bring their pets to commercial clinics for blood donation. The amended bill was in its second reading as of this report.

If SB-202 passes, records would be more accessible to law enforcement officers, according to the current revision of the bill. Also, more allowance would be given toward owners who wish to have their pets serve as blood donor volunteers.

Hemopet posits that there is no authentic animal blood donor volunteer. "It is always a guardian who provides informed consent." After donating for up to a year, the greyhounds who live there become available for adoption.

One thing everyone agrees on is that there is a national shortage of safe blood for companion and working animals.

"If not for animal blood bank services, countless animal patients in need of transfusions will suffer, and some will die," Hemopet wrote.