I just don't know what youre worried about..
once youve done one the rest will be easy. didn't you do dissections for you undergraduate degree?

no I didn't because I wasn't going to chop anything up that had been killed specificly for it. There are lots of other people in the same room dissecting things one person was cutting up dog elbows. Its not the goreyness that mainly concerns me its the fact that they are dead.

but they havent been killed because they were needed in dissections or for your work. Theyre dead regardless of whether you chop them up or not.

yes i know!

but its still sad and I find it very hard.

ok, fair enough. but, speaking from experience just try not to get sentimental about it (for your own sanity!), remember why your doing the research and concentrate on what youre doing. you'll get used to it Im sure. good luck

Just to echo the previous posts, the work you're doing is for a good cause so, although it's not easy, rest assured that this work can help alleviate future suffering. I personally would be worried if you didn't show empathy for the dogs - that would simply be cold. Sympathizing with them is not a bad/nor weak thing. Good luck with your research. Take care.

Good for you Jen, for being a principled person. It's all too easy for people to become desensitised these days. It can be alienating to work in scientific research whilst also respecting the lives of all sentient beings. I know I am looked upon as odd because of my objections to killing animals for research purposes, but aside from ethical considerations, using cells/tissues from the species which suffers from the disease you're investigating makes much more sense scientifically.