Of all animal-rights issues, medical research is perhaps the thorniest. The human use of animals--for companionship, entertainment, food, clothing--always assumes a hierarchy, one that puts humans at the top or the center of either the evolutionary order, God's creation, or the food chain. Although most people can come to terms with the use of animals for food, clothing, or entertainment, the elements are much more abstract when it comes to the use of animals for research. In this article, the author, whose parents were certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to supply dogs to various laboratories for various medical experiments describes his experiences accompanying his parents to the research facilities. He relates that, due to the controversial nature of the use of animals in laboratories, he preferred not to discuss his parents' business with his peers; and how, to avoid the scrutiny of animal rights activists, his father preferred delivering animals to laboratories in the wee hours of the morning. In defense of his parents' business, the author argues that the use of animals in research has the potential to save human lives, thereby making animals indispensable to the advancement of human medicine. The author explains that no amount of opposition from animal rights activists can stop animal research because it is the only alternative that can provide astonishing breakthroughs in the advancement of human medicine.