4,000 Beagles are Looking for their Forever Homes after Being Rescued from "Horror" Medical Research Breeding Facility

THINK

Aug 3

Written By Amy Jones

If you're interested in adopting or fostering a beagle from the Envigo facility, you can contact one of the shelter or rescue partners of The Humane Society of the United States.

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More than 4,000 beagles are being rescued from a facility that breeds and sells dogs to laboratories for animal experiments. The animals are being moved to shelters where they will be put up for adoption, according to court records.

The operation comes after widespread abuse and welfare violations were uncovered at the site in Cumberland, Virginia, owned by Envigo RMS, an international supplier of dogs and other animals to laboratories for use in pharmaceutical and biomedical research.

Over a nine-month period, multiple public inspections by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) documented over 70 Animal Welfare Act violations at the breeding farm, prompting the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit against Envigo in May.

Inspectors found that beagles there were being killed instead of receiving veterinary treatment for easily treated conditions; nursing mother beagles were denied food; the food that they did receive contained maggots, mold and feces; and over an eight-week period, 25 beagle puppies died from cold exposure. Other dogs suffered from injuries when they were attacked by other dogs in overcrowded conditions.

In June, company officials released a statement announcing plans to close the Cumberland facility. Envigo then entered a consent decree with the government, which absolves the company from any wrongdoing, and resolves the issue by allowing the beagles to be safely removed from the facility. The government enlisted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to undertake the massive rescue operation, with the charity given 60 days to transfer the dogs from the breeding farm to shelters.

“This is a truly historic moment in animal protection, as 4,000 beagles are spared a life of animal testing,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of HSUS. “We are honored that the Department of Justice asked us to lead this massive operation. Our Animal Rescue Team is ready for this challenge because this is who we are—what we have trained for—we take on what otherwise seems impossible. We are grateful to our dedicated independent rescue and shelter partners, a network of organizations in communities throughout the country. These remarkable dogs now have wonderful homes and lives ahead of them, just as they deserve.”

Abuse at the facility has been happening for years. A 7-month undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) back in 2021 found nursing female dogs deprived of food, needles stuck into puppies’ heads, dogs drenched with high-pressure hoses among other instances of abuse. The Norfolk-based animal rights group celebrated the rescue.

The facility has a long history of abuse. In 2021, People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) conducted a 7-month undercover investigation into animal mistreatment and discovered, among other things, nursing female dogs being denied food, puppies having needles stuck into their skulls, and dogs being drenched with high-pressure hoses. The Norfolk-based animal rights group celebrated the rescue.

“Envigo’s surviving victims will soon be given the opportunity to have what every dog deserves — the freedom to enjoy life, love, and respect for their individuality as members of a family home,” PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch said in a statement.

A separate undercover investigation by HSUS at an animal testing laboratory in Indiana owned by Inotiv - Envigo’s parent company - showed the type of fate that dogs sold to laboratories experience. The results of that investigation, which we released earlier this year, documented animals being force-fed high doses of drugs via tubes or intravenously, sometimes several times a day. Some animals were unable to move because of the drugs’ toxic effects; others died during procedures. The studies conducted at Inotiv were intended to test drug toxicity and were funded by dozens of pharmaceutical companies.

Inherent cruelty

Tens of thousands of dogs destined to be used in experiments in the United States are born at breeding facilities every year. 60,000 of them make it to the laboratories where they may be injected, force-fed or made to inhale poisonous substances for months on end to test the safety of pesticides or drugs. Others may undergo surgery to manufacture symptoms of serious conditions like heart disease or to remove or damage some of their organs. Almost all are typically killed when they’ve outlived their purpose.

As well as causing immense levels of suffering, animal testing is bad science. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) admits that 95 percent of animal tests fail to translate to humans because the results are dangerous or ineffective. Learn more about some of the leading solutions that could replace animal testing for safer, and more ethical, science here.

If you're interested in adopting or fostering a beagle from the Envigo facility, contact one of the shelter or rescue partners of The Humane Society of the United States.

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