Almost a month ago, news broke of 4,000 beagles being rescued from a mass-breeding facility in Virginia riddled with animal welfare concerns. Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando is one of the many agencies that have partnered with the Humane Society of the United States to rescue these dogs and help them find homes.
Staff traveled to Virginia to pick up the dogs and returned late Friday evening with 15 beagles. Upon arriving at Pet Alliance, the dogs received their initial doses of preventative care and were tested for heartworms. The unique personality of each dog was apparent as the staff weighed, fed and examined them. A blend of sweetness, curiosity and nervousness was a common theme for all 15 beagles.
The beagles come from an Envigo RMS LLC facility in Cumberland, VA which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation. The transfer of the 4,000 animals comes as a result of a lawsuit filed against Envigo by the Department of Justice in May, alleging Animal Welfare Act violations at the facility. Repeated federal inspections have resulted in dozens of violations, including findings that dogs had received inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food, and that they were living in unsanitary conditions. Pet Alliance is proud to be one of the agencies helping to give these animals the lives they deserve.
The beagles are experiencing many “firsts” with us, the most special being their very first names. In the breeding facility, they were identified by the green tattoos that can be seen on the inside of their left ear flaps. Now, we have the pleasure of getting to know Blueberry, Poppy, Raisin, and the rest of the “bagel” crew.
Please consider donating to help Pet Alliance care for the 15 beagles and many other animals like them.
UPDATE: We received an overwhelming response to the story of our beagles. We are excited to report that all of the beagles have now been adopted and are thriving in their forever homes!
