Homes needed for 4,000 beagles rescued from breeder in US

2 years ago 15
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By Francesca Gillett
BBC News

Molly Lavin, 4, pets Betty, a beagle rescued from Envigo breeding and research facility, as her parents Matt and Christie fill out adoption paperwork at the Homeward Trails Animal Rescue on August 09, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia. Homeward Trails has been working to find homes for 500 of the 4,000 beagles recently rescued from the Envigo breeding and research facility in Cumberland, Virginia, which was shut down due to multiple violations for animal cruelty. Staff and volunteers have made sure the beagles are spayed and neutered as well as helped them adjust to people before they are sent to foster homes or adopted. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Image source, Getty Images

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Molly, 4, pets a beagle rescued from Envigo breeding and research facility as her parents fill out adoption papers

Nearly 4,000 beagles are looking for new homes after what is thought to be one of the biggest ever dog rescue efforts in the US.

The dogs were being bred at a facility in Virginia that then sold them on to laboratories for drug experiments.

But the company has now been shut down because of animal rights violations - and charities are on a mission to rehome the dogs.

"4,000 is a big number," said Kitty Block, head of the Humane Society.

"And it's going to take 60 days to get all of these animals out, and working with our shelter and rescue partners across the country, working with them to get these dogs eventually into ever-loving homes," she told Reuters.

The breeding facility in Cumberland, owned by company Envigo RMS, was sued in May by the US Department of Justice which accused it of multiple acts of animal cruelty.

Inspectors found some dogs were being killed instead of receiving veterinary care for conditions that could be easily treated. They were also being fed with food that contained maggots, mould and faeces, while some nursing mothers were denied anything to eat.

In another instance, 25 puppies died from cold exposure.

Following the lawsuit, the company denied the allegations but announced it was closing that facility, and placing the dogs with the animal rights charity Humane Society, CBS News reported.

The beagles are now being given medical examinations and vaccinations before being made available for adoption.

Image source, Getty Images

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200 beagles - these included - have already been given to a charity in Chino Hills in California

Virginia state Senator Bill Stanley told Reuters the rescue was the result of a years-long fight.

"I can attest to how great these dogs are because I have two of them," he told Reuters. "I bought two of those Envigo Beagles back in 2020 and 2021... Those beagles I bought because I did not want them to be experimented on. And now I know that their brothers and sisters are not going to be experimented on either."

Some of the dogs have already been rehomed across the US - including 200 that went to southern California.

Rehoming charities say many of the animals show signs of trauma, and some of the puppies had never been held and did not know how to play.

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