Kidney Donor Adopts Dog Rescued From Lab Testing To Keep Saving Lives

Forbes

22-07-2025

Alexis Miller donated a kidney to a stranger on March 18, 2025. About three weeks later, she adopted ... More Culver.
Just a few weeks after donating a kidney to a stranger, Alexis Miller felt so exhilarated that she wanted to save another life. So when the Colorado resident saw a photo of a dog rescued from laboratory testing, she decided to adopt him.
'I gave someone a gift of life with my kidney,' Miller, 38, said. 'Then I felt so good about that that I wanted to do more. So that inspired me to adopt Culver.'
Culver was one of 24 beagles simultaneously taken in by the nonprofit Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary in Wyoming, which rescues and rehomes former research animals. Miller had 'always' wanted to adopt a beagle rescued from a lab and felt drawn to him.
Though still recovering from her March 18 kidney donation, she drove over 200 miles from Denver to meet the 3-year-old dog at the sanctuary in early April. She was so charmed by his upbeat personality that she adopted him — and changed his name from Xavier to Culver.
'Culver means 'dove,' and the dove is a sign of freedom and peace,' she said. 'I feel like that is how his personality is.'
In his new home in Denver, Culver also charmed Miller's senior hound mix, George. The 12-year-old dog acts more playful with the young beagle, who sometimes gets so excited to be alive that he races around with the 'zoomies.'
Alexis Miller's senior rescue dog, George, left, accepted Culver into their pack.
Now Culver loves playing with stuffed toys, eating treats, taking walks and playing with other pups at the dog park.
'There's a dog there named Vega who's about his age and height, and he'll run around with her. It is really beautiful that he has a bestie there,' she said. 'I think being off leash and being in the sunshine and being around other dogs and having all this space to do zoomies is something that's so contrasted compared to where he had no space most likely, where he was kept in a cage and he was inside and probably didn't see sunshine.'
Culver's Past As A Research Dog
Miller doesn't know the identity of the laboratory or many details of Culver's past treatment since the Kindness Ranch essentially has a 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy to encourage labs to send animals to the sanctuary instead of destroying the pets once they're done with them, she noted. But his behavior is telling.
For instance, Culver wasn't potty trained. Though he's learned to do his business outside, he prefers to do it on tiles instead of the grass in the backyard since he was likely used to living on a hard surface. When it's time to sleep, he wedges himself between the bed and the wall.
Culver tucks himself against the wall.
'I think this is partially because he grew up and lived in a box for the first part of his life,' she said.
So it makes her happy to see the former research animal enjoy simple pleasures. Since adopting Culver in April, she's taken him hiking and paddleboarding, and introduced him to fourth graders at the school where she leads an Animal Lovers' Club.
Culver rewards Miller by greeting her with tail-wagging joy whenever she comes home. She's amazed by his upbeat attitude.
'He is so adaptable and resilient,' she said. 'We go to the dog park and he plays with the other dogs and he's a snuggle bug and I'm very much in love with him.'
Kidney donor Alexis Miller loves spending time with Culver. She donated a kidney to a stranger 13 ... More years after her father, Jim Miller, donated a kidney to a family friend. 'He was a big inspiration for why I did it,' she said.
Before buying a product, Miller scans the barcode with the Cruelty-Cutter app from the nonprofit Beagle Freedom Project to check if it was tested on animals – and won't buy it if it was.
She hopes other people will consider adopting dogs rescued from labs, as well as fostering and adopting shelter pets in general. (Her senior dog, George, was a 'foster fail' that she adopted as a puppy from a litter of shelter dogs named for Harry Potter characters; she also fostered his brother, Fred.)
There's a big need. Nearly 6 million dogs and cats entered U.S. animal shelters in 2024. So the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is giving $2 million in grants to over 100 shelters to help waive adoption fees from August through October as part of The Rescue Effect campaign to promote pet adoption.
Potential adopters can also search for nearby available pets on sites like Petfinder.com and Adoptapet.com.
Former research dog, Culver, relaxes in his new home.
For her part, Miller is grateful for the chance to adopt a special dog like Culver.
'He's a really great companion,' she said. 'It's weird to think about, but I'm 38 and he's three, so I expect to have him into my fifties. I'm looking forward to growing older with him. I'm so in love with him.'