Dogs Beyond the Lab’s first episode introduces John Ramer (Kindness Ranch, Wyoming), Lori Cohen (The Beagle Alliance, Manitoba), and Chelsey Marino (Keeper and Kin, North Carolina), and the unique collaboration among their organizations. They recount how a viral article about the 4,000 Envigo beagles and Lori’s supportive voicemail led to their partnership and later town halls and joint rescue efforts.  

The conversation explores the emotional toll of public backlash, the complexity of animal research, and their shared decision to take a non-adversarial, collaborative approach with laboratories to secure long‑term, systemic change while still getting individual dogs out now. Chelsey explains how her work evolved from general dog behavior to founding Keeper and Kin, focused exclusively on former research dogs and their unique behavioral needs.  

They frame the podcast as a place to share honest, sometimes messy but ultimately hopeful *uccess stories of former research dogs and the humans whose lives they transform.

The hosts of the show are:

John Ramer is the Executive Director of Kindness Ranch

Lori Cohen is the Founder and Executive Director of The Beagle Alliance

Chelsey Marino is the founder of Keeper and Kin. The Leading Experts in Former Research Beagle Rehabilitation

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This is Dogs Beyond The Lab.

This show explores what happens after rescue — when dogs raised in research facilities encounter freedom, trust, and everyday life for the very first time.

Featuring insights from John Ramer, Lori Cohen, and Chelsey Marino.

John Ramer is the Executive Director of Kindness Ranch, one of the leading sanctuaries in North America dedicated to former research animals. Working in animal rescue since 1999, he has devoted his career to helping animals transition from laboratories into safe, loving homes. John is widely respected for building compassionate partnerships that create alternatives to euthanasia for retired research animals. 

Lori Cohen is the Founder and Executive Director of The Beagle Alliance, a Canadian charity focused on rescuing and rehoming former research beagles. Through advocacy, education, and hands-on rescue work, she has helped bring national attention to animal testing in Canada while creating pathways for dogs to move from laboratories into loving homes. Lori’s work has helped place dozens of former research dogs with foster and adoptive families across North America. 

Chelsey Marino is a canine Behavior Specialist and the founder of Keeper and Kin, where she specializes in fear, anxiety, and trauma rehabilitation. She is also the creator of The Keeper & Kin Project, North America’s only training and rehabilitation program designed specifically for former research dogs. Chelsey works closely with rescues, sanctuaries, and adopters across Canada and the United States to help severely traumatized dogs adjust to life beyond the laboratory. 

They will introduce you to a compassionate series about rehabilitation, patience, and the profound emotional connection between humans and dogs. While rooted in the experiences of former research beagles, the show ultimately speaks to anyone who has loved a dog through life’s challenges — fear, illness, aging, uncertainty, and growth.

Dogs Beyond the Lab is the story about second chances, healing, and the realization that sometimes the animals we believe we are saving are the very ones who change us most.

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